Diversity Gives Way to Bountiful Opportunities

Coppal House Farm, run by John and Carol Hutton sits on 78 acres in the beautiful Lee, N.H. John and Carol started the farm 11 years ago after previously farming in Stratham, N.H. They have a highly diversified operation that includes raising pigs, sheep, and chickens all while growing numerous vegetables. They are a mixed power farm meaning they use draft power and tractor power to accomplish tasks on the farm depending on which is more beneficial to use. Sleigh rides in the winter time and three large corn mazes attract many customers to drive to their farm stand on route 155. There are many interesting features of the farm but one that stands out is the production of sunflower oil.
Seven years ago John had the desire to grow hog feed at the farm. Pigs are their most expensive livestock to feed and being able to grow animal feed fits the goal of the farm to be diversified and sustainable. The option that the Huttons chose to go with was canola. They investigated how to grow it through Vermont Cooperative Extension and information available from growers in the Midwest. They purchased an oil press from Germany and were in the business of growing canola. Unfortunately, after two and half years of growing canola, the deer population discovered it and began munching away at it in the winter months when it is dormant after a fall planting. Deer are tricky to control in the winter time and they desolated the entire crop so it was time to find something else that could work.
At this point, growing sunflowers was the next best option. Transitioning to sunflower production was a breeze after growing canola because of how similar it is. Harvesting, pressing, bottling, and labeling are all identical with the two crops so no new equipment was needed. They use it to feed the hogs and can produce all of the hog ration (feeding roughly 30 winter-raised hogs) on their farm save for adding trace minerals. The sunflower meal, fibrous part left over after pressing, has a protein percentage as high as thirty-three percent! Processing the sunflowers also makes a beautiful sunflower oil that they sell in their farm stand and at farmers markets. Each year they run out of oil because it is in such high demand. The primary goal of the sunflower operation is to make hog feed; the high quality oil made on farm is a tremendous added benefit of sustainability at Coppal House farm.
The uniqueness of this operation lies in its rarity in New England. Coppal House is the only commercial sunflower grower in New England. Sunflower production in the U.S. is concentrated in the Midwest. It is also not highly common to use sunflower oil in this part of the country in cooking. European countries, especially France, use sunflower oil much more widely. Despite the fact of its uniqueness for the area that it is being grown in, the oil made at Coppal House Farm has received national recognition and awards. A National Culinary Award (similar to an academy award) was given to the farm this year and John got to speak about the farm and its products in front of 800 people. This award had considerations for farming practices used to grow the sunflowers and the oil had to go through a twelve person taste test before the award was given. As far as cooking uses are concerned, sunflower oil has many. It can be used for stir-fry, baking, and with high temperatures.  

Overall, the farming method used at Coppal House farm is one of diversity, integration, and sustainability. The farm has many functions and produces a wide variety of products and attractions. John and Carol are passionate about what they do and are willing to share with people why they do what they do. Both of them clearly believe in what they are doing. Visiting the farm is a worthwhile investment of time to see local agriculture in action, learn more about what they are doing, buy locally grown products, and to support agricultural in your neighborhood. To learn more about the farm visit http://www.nhcornmaze.com/ for more information.  

Farm to YoU NH- Then... and Now!

We are now in our fourth year of production here at Farm to YoU NH at UNH (36 Spinney Lane at the Fairchild Dairy in Durham, NH). It has been an amazing adventure to see how the student participants of this program have transformed the way in which this farm runs and all the ideas we have put into action.

Take a look at our first ever blog to see how far we’ve come: Get to know Farm to YoU NH.

Starting in 2012, the students (with help of one instructor, SAFS lecturer Andrew Ogden, and a production coordinator/teaching assistant) have built two 90ft x 30ft high tunnels as well as formed two growing fields that comprise roughly a half acre. Farm to YoU NH began producing food in October 2012; just two months after the tunnels were finished and the class itself began in spring 2013. We now deliver a variety of crops ranging from salad mix and head lettuce, to tomatoes and peppers to the UNH Dairy Bar, Conference and Catering, and the three UNH Dining Halls here on campus. In total, we delivered 2519lbs to the Dairy Bar, 1,800 to catering, and 672lbs to the dining halls in the 2014-15 school year alone. Three new initiatives during this year for Farm to YoU NH include micro-greens production, cut flower production, and hydroponic lettuce production.

See what else that we’ve done in our community!
Farm to YoU NH and the Local Community

                Harvest Day at the Farm!

In the fall of 2014 the class decided to plant a pollinator bed from the middle of the outdoor growing field in hopes of attracting beneficial insects to our field by providing them a habitat.  Dr. Cathy Neal, landscape extension specialist here at UNH, provided plugs of pollinator plants to use in the pollinator bed.  In the summer of 2015 it was decided to add a second pollinator bed below the field and the high tunnels, which was planted with transplants that were seeded in the high tunnels. This helped increase the natural flow of the pollinator population throughout the field and high tunnels. It has also added to the aesthetic beauty of our fields.

This semester, we are growing strawberries, garlic and a combination of winter rye and hairy vetch as a cover crop in the fields.  In our unheated high tunnel we are growing onions, carrots, kale, Swiss chard and an array of herbs.  The heated high tunnel is growing kale, Swiss chard, spinach, Mache (a very cold hardy leafy green vegetable), head lettuce and salad mix.  We just constructed a germination incubator which is a foam box with a heating pad where we will begin to grow two varieties of ginger and turmeric.

We are currently in the process of establishing this year’s crops! We have discussed and intend to grow some cultivars that were bred by University faculty, Dr. Becky Sideman and Brent Loy. Dr. Sideman has developed a tomato variety grown from hanging baskets which would minimize the space needed to grow tomatoes! Dr. Loy is a plant breeder who has multiple varieties of melons and squash available from numerous regional and national seed vendors We will be using a variety of his squash in our “Three Sisters” planting of corn, beans, and squash. Brent has also created a spineless variety of summer squash which makes harvesting much easier! Using these varieties will allow this program to hone in on all of the University's assets.

In the last four years the class has flourished, networked, and has made a name for itself. We have implemented the use of four separate teams that all play important roles to our class as a whole: Propagation, Production, Records Keeping, and Social Media. Each team has various responsibilities and tasks to accomplish throughout the semester, which allows the class and farm to function smoothly.

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  Fifteen to twenty-five students have actively participated in the course each semester since the start of the program. The class offers a great opportunity for students to gain practical first-hand experience about vegetable production and farm management all the while getting their hands a little dirty.

THEN- 2014

NOW- 2016

Fall Canning Event

Canning can be a great tool for preserving food.  It allows for storage of foods over long periods of time.  This means that even after the season is over these foods can be enjoyed.  There are lots of ways to can foods and many kinds of foods can be canned.  Some methods include pickling, pressure cooking, and boiling.  To learn more about ways to can visit the USDA website.  Canning can also be beneficial because, if done properly, refrigeration is not needed to preserve the foods.  This saves energy and space, and the food will stay preserved longer in a can than in the refrigerator. 

For these reasons, it was a valuable lesson for Farm to YoUNH students to learn.  Not only did we get to experience canning as the incredible process it is, but we also got to learn how to utilize the vegetables we were growing.  It was a lesson in cooking and processing as much as it was a lesson in preserving.  We spent a whole class period learning how to can by cooking both salsa and tomato sauce.  In the process, we covered canning safety, cooking techniques, and canning recipes.

Canning Safety

Canning is popular due to the fact that it saves money and canned products have such a long shelf life. Many people do it at home, but if not done right it can lead to sickness or death. A major disease that happens from improper canning is Botulism (Andress, 2012). Botulism is caused by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria which can cause a rare but deadly food poisoning (Andress, 2012). The symptoms are weakness, trouble speaking, seeing, and sleeping. The final stages can cause paralysis and even death (Andress, 2012). It is extremely heat resistant and shows little to no signs when examining the food that it resides within. To prevent Botulism the only reliable treatment is to apply heat while canning low acid foods (Andress, 2012). A pressure cooker is recommended over boiling or other methods for the best success in removing the bacteria (Andress, 2012). In high acid foods there isn’t as much of an issue with Botulism so conventional boiling and traditional methods can be used (Andress, 2012). If done right canning can be done safely and provide tasty treats all year.

Our Canning Project-The Food

All the produce we used was grown by the Farm to YoUNH program. We found ourselves with an abundance of wonderful tomatoes and decided the best way to utilize them would be to can them. We also used our own peppers and garlic. Crops were all grown at the high tunnels and in the field located at the Fairchild Dairy center. The tomatoes and peppers were grown in the high tunnels to maximize production and utilized trellises to allow for easy access for picking. These crops were grown and cared for by the Farm to YoUNH students and farm manager Ross MacKeil. We used just over 100lbs of tomatoes to make salsa and pasta sauce. During the process of canning we also made tomato juice with some extra tomatoes. This was a wonderful treat for everyone to enjoy while we canned.

Our Canning Project-The Process

            We practiced two different techniques of milling tomatoes for sauce production; by hand and by machine. Sauce tomatoes were first cut into halves and cooked on the stove for a bit to make milling easier for both techniques. The first technique, hand milling, utilized a muddle and strainer. The strainer should be set over a pot to catch the tomato juice. Tomato halves are placed inside the strainer then pressed by hand with a muddle to separate juice from skin. Although this practice may become tiring, it is the traditional technique and works well if you are not making homemade sauce often or at a high volume. On the other hand the second technique, a crank machine, was much easier and faster to use. This machine had a funnel-like bowl on top, a hand crank on the side, and fastened to the side of a table. Tomato halves were placed into the bowl, when the crank is rotated the halves drop down into the machine where they become milled. A pot is placed on the side to catch the contents. This method seemed to be preferred by the class, and is ideal for producing larger quantities of sauce or making sauce often.

During the class canning endeavor, mason jars were boiled on two separate occasions for different purposes. First, both the jars and lids were submerged in boiling water for sanitation. Jars were then pulled from the boiling water using tongs and filled with sauce or salsa, leaving a half-inch of space before the rim. Once filled it is important to wipe the top of the rim free of any water or food, so that the lid will seal properly. Once the lid is secured on the jar it is again set into a pot of boiling water. This second boiling technique ensures that any bacteria introduced while filling the jars is killed, and creates an airtight seal. If done correctly, the lid will make no movement or noise when pressed on.

Recipes

             While we used a recipe specific to our instructors and the produce we had on hand, there are many ways of canning out there.  Recipe books are a good place to start, as well as the USDA website.  Your family may even have recipes for you to learn.  If you are feeling particularly adventurous, open the fridge or walk out into the garden and create something new! Just remember to always follow canning safety rules to prevent illness.  Find your recipe and get canning today!

Source:

Andress, Elizabeth. “Home Canning: Keep Your Family Safe!” Foodsafety.gov. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 12 September 2012. Web. 27 October 2015.

From Seed to Salad

         Here at Farm to You NH we produce the salad mix, which mainly gets used at the UNH Dairy Bar in salads such as the Wildcat Harvest Salad (pictured below). The mix includes a variety of lettuces and a greens mix with mustards, baby kale and more. The mix is full with flavor and incredibly fresh!

           To start growing a salad mix we purchase a lettuce mix  and a greens mix from our local seed provider Johnny’s Seeds.  We then use a seeder to evenly spread lettuce mix in half the bed area we are dedicating to the salad mix. About 5 days later we then seed the greens mix in half the bed. Waiting is important because the greens are a bit quicker to germinate and mature to the harvest size than the lettuce mix.   
         By staggering the seeding both mixes are ready to harvest on the same day. We normally seed lettuce on Monday and greens on Friday every 3 weeks for a continual harvest. Three cuttings are harvested out of each bed and then typically buckwheat is seeded as a cover crop.

When harvesting greens mix enough plant should be left to regrow on its own. Ross is pictured instructing Peter on proper harvest height. Once harvested we weigh and then wash the mix in our sink. Following the wash is a spin in the salad spinner. This orange magical tool helps dry off the mix so it will stay fresh and clean. We then box it for shipping one mile to the Dairy Bar where they prepare great meals made with our own salad mix!
         The salads are incredibly flavorful and delicious and we hope you get to try one; they are available year-round as we grow in our heated tunnel all winter so you can get fresh green in February!