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Beyond honeydew and cantaloupe: On the Wind Farm offers variety
• by Pat Eby
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No matter which way you slice your muskmelon, cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon this summer, one thing is certain: The heady smell of ripe melons just cut is nearly as intoxicating as a first kiss. And when those melons are vine-ripened within a few hours’ drive of the local markets, expect maximum nutrition and vitality.
“When you eat a food right off the plant you are on time with the universe, with the moon, the stars and the sun,” said gardener Ron Jones of On the Wind Farm. “You can almost feel a tingle in your body when you eat good food.” Jones planted a healthy quantity and a staggering variety of melons this summer, but he isn’t sure how many melons he will harvest. “I would lose my crop before I would spray anything, even sprays approved for certified organic farmers,” he said.
Sounds pretty drastic, but then Jones is a neck-or-nothing kind of guy. He left the French Quarter in New Orleans and the world of high-fashion hairstyling to hitchhike the United States, working and learning on organic farms. It was the early ’80s, but still, blow dryer to spading fork is a pretty big leap. Jones saw opportunity in Missouri, on 70 acres tucked away in the Ozarks. He was working at a biodynamic dairy farm adjoining the 70 acres when he decided to buy his farm. Even though he had no cash, Jones called the Philadelphia doctor who owned the land. Because the doc originally bought the land to preserve it, he let Jones work the farm a bit for free, to see if things would work out. Things did go well. Jones bought the acreage.
Twenty-five years later, he crops what grows best in Missouri, including 14 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, blockbuster basil and melons to make mouths water. He’s got the familiar red watermelons, like Crimson Sweet, a 1964 All-American selection, and Picnic. For variety, he’s planted the dark-yellow-fleshed Mountain Sweet Yellow and the sweet Chelsea, named for the Iowa town where it once grew plentifully.
Jones planted D’Algiers, a pre-1800 heirloom and a true French cantaloupe, distinguished by its ribbed shape and smooth, dark-green skin splashed with silver. The rare Boule d’Or, a honeydew type with pale green flesh and a sugary, rich taste, found a place in his fields.
Hopefully, Jones will have a full melon crop this month. Part of his crop may go to the earth, and bugs and wildlife will eat some, but Jones believes when he stays in harmony with nature, he will reap his share, as well.
He coexists. He is a naturalist. When aphids appear to suck the life from his plants, he waits for the lacewings to swoop in like bright green armies to eat them. He plants mulberry trees and puts perches in his fields for birds that eat the bugs eating his crops.
You can find Jones only at Kirkwood Farmers’ Market. Some of his produce is now sold at Whole Foods, too. And even though he leaves the Ozarks at 3 a.m. each Saturday during market season, he thinks he’s a lucky guy. “We have to let nature work, to have patience. I believe there is a natural unfolding, a universal breath. All things ride on that breath. Plus, I have this amazing relationship,” he said. “I feed people.”
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Melon master knows exactly when fruit is ready
Melons develop full flavor and optimal sweetness on the vine. Once a watermelon is picked, it won’t continue to ripen. And that’s where the experience of the farmer comes into play.
“You don’t want to pick a watermelon that’s slick and shiny, like it’s been rubbed with WD-40,” said Donnie Beggs of Beggs Family Farm near Blodgett, Mo. “You want one that’s bleached out a little and a bit rough to the touch. When you roll the melon over, the belly should be yellow.” Beggs is the fourth generation to grow watermelons in Scott County, where William Arthur Beggs first planted them in 1895.
Donnie Beggs guarantees every melon, just as his father, grandfather and great-grandfather did. Today, he plants 200 acres in watermelons to harvest for the Labor Day weekend. He and his crews ship nearly 6 million pounds of watermelons a year. “Our most popular variety is Starbrite. It’s a high-yield melon, seeded, really sweet.”
Look for Beggs’ melons at grocery stores, or take a drive to Beggs Family Farm and pick out a guaranteed-ripe Starbrite watermelon.
Iron Barley’s Watermelon Salad
Courtesy of Tom Coghill
Serves 2*
For dressing:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. orange juice
pinch salt
1 cup olive oil
• Mix first six ingredients in a deep-sided bowl.
• Drizzle and whisk the olive oil into the mixture to emulsify.
• Set aside.
For salad:
4 to 5 cups of ripe watermelon, cut in 2-inch-square chunks
1/4 large red onion, sliced vertically into 1/4-inch slivers
4 cups mixed baby greens (include some bitter greens in the mix)
Pepper
• Mix the watermelon and red onion together in a large bowl.
• Pour the dressing over the melon, turning to coat all sides.
• Let the melon stand for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Layer the field greens on a small dinner plate.
• Place the chunks of watermelon and the onion in the center of the greens.
• Grind pepper to taste over the salad.
* This serving size is a main-course salad. If you plan to serve it as a side salad, the chunks of watermelon may be cut a little smaller; the dish would then serve 4.
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