Oh, Baby! All About Baby Greens
“We’re really excited to be able to share what we’ve learned, because we believe that baby greens can be a make or break for a lot of direct-to-consumer farms. especially in Santa Clara County, where space can be very limited.“
- Farmer Sam
A Brief S&P History of Baby Greens:
The year was 2017. We had knives, a tub, and an industrial-sized salad spinner.
We’d harvest the spinach by hand, grabbing handfuls by the broadleaf, then slowly and meticulously serrating the base of the stem, just above the dirt line. Once we had a full loose bin, we’d dunk it in a large tub, toss the weeds, and then give it a second rinse in another tub. From there, the greens got sloughed into that big orange industrial salad spinner, and we’d churn and burn ‘til our arms got tired. The freshly dried spinach would then get bagged and sold at market.
As for the salad mix, we’d harvest the Salanova lettuces, and then cut and process them the same way as the spinach.
Fast forward a couple years to 2019. We’d added arugula to the baby greens circuit, and started to dip our toes in a couple varieties of baby mustard. The Salanova was too costly to process, so we decided to keep the whole heads for sell, and experiment with a few varieties of baby lettuces, grown and cut the same way the spinach, arugula, and mustard. The demand had begun to far outweigh the time it took to harvest them all by hand with a knife. We invested in a 40-line planter, Farmer Nick invested in a fancy-pants contraption from Farmers Friend to facilitate the baby greens harvest. The more we planted, the better our yields got. We were harvesting a dozen or more totes of baby greens a week. Acquired were a second, and then a third, industrial-sized salad spinner. All of our arms felt like noodles. We couldn’t keep up with the drying! And our biceps were bulging.
As for today, we are still growing the program. We ditched the salad spinners, and jerry-rigged a washing machine, turning it into a baby greens dryer! It’s true. We’re looking at building a second. The farm has also invested in equipment that will facilitate a cleaner, more efficient protocol for sorting and washing, and we plan to begin using it once we fully transition to the new property.
Baby greens are a very unique item in the vegetable world. They require a different level of accuracy across every step -from bed preparation, to planting, to harvest and post-harvest. If there is one kink in the chain, it makes each step down the line much more challenging. Baby greens have been our ‘baby’ the past few years, and most significantly, the past 18 months — during the thick of this crazy pandemic. We’ve spent a lot of time and energy dialing in the program, and though we have a ways to go, it shows. We’re really proud of how far we’ve come.
The Greatest News for the Greatest Greens:
Spade & Plow very recently applied for — and received — a big grant! It’s a huge deal for us, folks. The funds will be dedicated towards implementing and experimenting with new planting methods for baby greens. The goal? To stretch the growing season a little bit, reduce production costs, and most importantly, increase consistency and quality. Through a little trial (and error, no doubt), we’ll experiment with additional composting methods, bug netting, and remay cloth to find the best fit for our baby greens program.
The absolute best part about the grant? It is educational in nature! The research and data collection required by the grant is intended to be shared with other local farms. Ideally, we can serve as the guinea pigs to set our local farm partners on the right foot, right from the start, should they want to grow a baby greens program. Farmer Sam suggests that, “Baby greens can be a make or break for a lot of direct-to-consumer farms. Especially in Santa Clara County, where space can be very limited.” We are thrilled to be able to share what we’ve learned — and continue to learn. Onward!
The Lineup:
Spade & Plow Salad Mix:
Not a head lettuce, as you might think. Red oak, Green Oak, Red Rosalita, and green tango are varieties we use for our popular salad mix. Our salad mix stays fresh since we harvest just days before market or being placed into CSA boxes.
While our salad mix is well favored among our customers, we may have an even better salad mix in the near future. We just received a grant to dial in the data around planting, harvesting, and processing of our baby greens! With that, we’ll be trialing new varieties over the next year to find the best combo of lettuce!
Favorite way to prepare: Toss with your favorite Toppings and Salad Dressing!
KX-1 Baby Red Kale:
We call it “The Robot Kale” around here. Not just for its name, but for the fact that it’s annoyingly perfect. An undoubtedly stunning variety, KX-1 kale is an excellent source of calcium, iron, and vitamins A, C, and K1.
Try a little tenderness with this one -Hearty and substantial, but without the extra grit. It’s not nearly as bitter as the normal bunched varieties.
Favorite ways to prepare:
Kale Caesar Salad -extra anchovies encouraged!
Lightly sauté with onions and garlic.
Spinach:
So, there are Savoy spinaches and there are Flat-leaf spinaches. The one we grow is a Semi-Savoy, which is the perfect balance of the two. With the meat of a Savoy leaf and the sweetness of a Flat leaf, this one offers less withering or wilt. Oh, and you know the film that you get on the roof of your mouth when you eat spinach now and again? We haven’t experienced it with this variety. Happy palettes, happy hearts!
Favorite way to prepare (ahem, raw OR cooked!):
Add to your favorite Frittata recipe.
Perfect for spring berry salads.
Pictured: Astro Arugula
Astro Arugula:
In the coming weeks, you may notice some changes to our Arugula, as we are switching varieties from Astro Arugula to Uber Arugula. While the Astro variety has leaves that are more lobed, with a shape that looks like a dogs tongue (see photo), in order to accommodate the warmer seasons, we’ll soon debut the Uber variety, which has darker, more serrated leaves. It has a sturdier leaf, which will allow it to withstand warmer temperatures, and will make harvesting easier and more efficient as well. Though a little “rougher” around the edges, the new Uber variety has a more mild bite. Well-rounded, and perfect for incorporating into any dish!
Favorite ways to prepare:
Raw! Raw! Raw! Throw it on top of a pizza after it comes out of the oven, or nestle it into a sandwich or wrap.
Hello, pesto! Looking ahead at those summer cherry tomatoes to pair with a fresh walnut arugula pesto pasta [insert big googly-eye emoji here].
Baby Red Mustard:
Recognizable by its reddish-green leaf with violet overlays and bright ruby streaks, Baby Red Mustard takes its name from its spicy mustard taste. Though deemed “spicy,” the degree in which this variety is spicy can vary depending on the season and stress it undergoes in the field. It’s much more tender than its mature, often bunched, counterpart. We love its versatility!
Favorite ways to prepare:
Think creamy sauces and dressings to drizzle atop these greens (& purples)
Pairing with healthy fats — or unhealthy fats — helps mellow the bite: pistachios, hazelnuts, pork, and lamb are sure-fire, show-stopping wins!
Baby Greens Production at Spade & Plow Organics:
Video by:
Chelsea Dimyan, Chelsea Photography Design