News From The Farm

Week 17--- September 6, 2010

The following report was done by Colin and Brendan, the 10 & 12 year old sons of Jeff, our Packinghouse manager. They are home-schooled and took parasitic wasps on as a research project. Please see the photos of their work on the website newsletter page this week. You may contact them jeffd@spiralpathfarm.com

Save the Tomatoes

By Brendan & Colin Davenport

Parasites are animals or plants which live on or in another animal known as the host. There are six hundred thousand species of parasitic wasps. Most are smaller than the head of a pin. These insects are generally called braconidae wasps. Typically, parasites are bad news, but for farmers they are good news.

Parasitic wasps are a natural pesticide. This is useful to organic farmers because the wasps lay their eggs on garden pests eventually killing them. Scientists have studied parasitic wasps and found that they may be even better than pesticides. Parasitic wasps are nature's way of controlling garden pests.

They will always lay their eggs in or on a host insect. To do this they have a special "stinger" called an ovipositor, with which they insert their eggs. Some species choose caterpillars but if necessary will lay elsewhere, while others have no preference. Because of the wasps' size the host insect is often several times larger. The wasps always need other bugs for its eggs to hatch.

Inside the host, the eggs hatch and the larvae feed on its internal organs thus killing it. There are different ways for the wasp larvae to get out. Some develop entirely inside then eat their way out killing the host. Others are injected and start developing, then eat out and make themselves a cocoon and continue feeding, so eventually the host dies.

One day Mrs. Brownback gave us a tomato hornworm, which is a voracious eater of tomato plants. It had been infiltrated by a parasitic wasp and had little white cocoons covering most of its body. We watched the caterpillar and over approximately a week it shriveled up and died. Even so, the little wasps hatched in large numbers. They were about the size of large ants with wings. Eventually, on Farm Day we returned with the dead caterpillar and the hatched wasps. Mrs. Brownback was so excited that she let them go right then and there next to the tomatoes. Soon there will be many more wasps to save the tomatoes.

Featured Recipes

Sweet and Sour Peppers

Sauce:

¼ cup catsup

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

¾ cup water

1 tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tbsp water)

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3 tbsp oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large red bell peppers, cut into thin strips

2 cups very thinly sliced onions

2 large green bell peppers, cut into thin strips

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1 ½ cups raw or toasted cashews (whole/half pieces)

Combine sauce ingredients in bowl. Have remaining ingredients ready before beginning to stir-fry. Heat oil in wok or large skillet. Add garlic and onions; stir-fry 3-4 minutes. Add peppers; continue to stir-fry. Add 2-3 tbsp water if necessary to prevent scorching. When peppers and onions begin to soften, add corn and cashews. Stir-fry 1 minute, then add sauce mixture and simmer another minute. Serve immediately. Four servings