To grow the best arugula you need fertile soil, but to achieve an intense green color requires an alive soil full of micro-fauna. I am continually amazed at the improvements we have seen in our soil over the past few years. We have had chickens for many years now, but what has changed is the rotation of the pasture and the vegetables and what we feed the chickens. About two years ago we started soaking whole organic corn and organic wheat overnight for the girls, and they loved it when we were able to secure a supply of organic cheese whey from Cowgirl Creamery. The whey is full of lactobacillus, and this ferments the grain producing lots of probiotics and making the food much more available to the chickens. We believe that once the bacteria has passed through the gut it continues to work in the soil, which has a wonderful sweet, bacterial smell all year, not just in the spring as in past years. Jose and I cannot believe how well the crops have grown in the past two years since we have started to use the whey.