Happy Easter to all who celebrate.
For those who don’t, I will tell you a more secular story of hope and regeneration.
Regenerative agriculture is a collection of farming practices that help crops extract carbon from the air and then sink it underground. This helps improve soil health, combat climate change, and increase crop yields. Talking about these practices can lead to a rabbit hole just as fast as the Easter Bunny.
Literally speaking, rabbit holes in topsoil that run through balanced ecosystems have many regenerative qualities. They allow air to reach the roots of plants and allow them to grow. Any critter can create tunnels that allow water to drain through the soil. The droppings of the critters, which are rich in nutrients, act as natural fertilizers.
Talking about regenerative farming can lead to some amazing and unexpected discoveries, in the Alice-in-Wonderland metaphor. For example, consider the dizzying arrays microbes and mushrooms that interact with each other in a healthy soil world. Consider how many crop rotations and livestock grazing programs can make fields rich in nitrogen and biodiversity. Even without a magic-looking glass, you can enter a world in which farmers can measure the carbon sequestered within their fields and then sell that capacity on the carbon offset market.
Amber Lambke, founder and CEO of Maine Grains, in Skowhegan, states that treating the soil as a living organism and acknowledging and even communicating with fungi is the best practice in farming. Maine Grains provides organic heritage grains sourced from Northeast farms, and flours made from them. Crop Rotation dried beans can also be purchased by the company. This is a method whereby farmers plant beans periodically in areas that have been affected by wheat production.
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Are the crops grown in soil that has been treated with regenerative farming practices more nutritionally rich than conventionally-raised crops?
Lambke says that we are becoming more aware of the fact that what we put in the soil affects what we get out. Although the evidence is largely speculative, preliminary results of a University of Washington study have provided some concrete data.
The experiment was conducted at ten farms across the United States. It included Sebastopol in California, Lebanon, Connecticut, and Sebastopol in California. All of these farms have used soil-friendly methods for at least five consecutive years. In summer 2019, a retired soil conservation scientist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited all participating farms and sampled their soil to determine the carbon content (also known as organic matter). To compare the crops grown on neighboring farms that use conventional agriculture methods, each farm had to grow one acre of peas and sorghum corn or soybeans. For nutrient density analysis, the farmers sent samples of their crops in to the University of Washington, Oregon State University, and Iowa State University.
Preliminary results indicated that crops grown in soil with regenerative agricultural practices had healthier nutritional profiles than those from conventional farms. Regenerative farming yielded higher levels of magnesium, calcium, potassium, and zinc. It also provided more vitamins, including B1, C, E, and K. There were also more phytochemicals compounds that lower inflammation and improve human health. These crops also contained lower levels of cadmium, sodium, and nickel, which are all considered to be harmful for human health.
University of Washington Earth and Space Sciences Professor David Montgomery was the lead scientist in the study. He was also researching for the book he co-authored with Anne Bikl, a biologist who has experience in watershed restoration, environmental planning, and public health. The book, What Your Diet Ate: How to heal your land and regain our health, will be available in June.
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Sounds like some good summer reading.
Christine Burns Rudalevige, a local food advocate, is the editor of Edible Maine magazine. She is also the author of Green Plate Special (a column about eating sustainably in Portland Press Herald) and the title of her 2017 cookbook. You can reach her at[email protected]
The cooked white beans (from Fairwinds Farms at Topsham), can be added to the chicken broth. It was made from stewing Apple Creek Farm hens in Bowdoinham. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
Regenerative Rye Berry Soup and White Bean Soup
You can support regenerative farming practices by using beans and grains from Maine Grains of Skowhegan to make this soup.
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Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive Oil
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped spring onion
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon smoked dulse flaflakes
2 cups of cooked beans
1 cup cooked rye berries
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Over medium heat, warm the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the celery, carrots, and onions. Allow the vegetables to cook gently for 5 minutes.
Add the broth, dulse, and cook for another 5 minutes. Bring to a simmer, and cook the carrots for 4-6 minutes. Stir in the beans and ryeberries, spinach, and parsley. Let the beans and the ryeberries warm up for a few more minutes. The spinach will begin to wilt. Season the soup with salt to taste.
Serve hot
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