Lately I've been feeling like I'm at the start line of a race and I'm waiting and waiting for the gun to fire so I can get started! It is often sunny and feeling Spring-like but it is still so cold that I'm holding back from getting more transplants outside and starting new varieties of seeds both inside and out; it feels like the cold will never retreat! This doesn't mean I have been idle though. I've been planting more peas - pole peas this time, and yesterday transplanted 100 or so endive seedlings outside and another 60 pac choi seedlings. Today I did start a flat each of genovese basil (let's hear it for pesto!) and three more varieties of tomatoes. These are all inside my house right now (in the heated bathroom) and I'm hoping by the time they need sunlight the weather will be at least a few more degrees warmer so that they can cope with the colder temperatures at night in the greenhouse.
I checked in on all the gardens to see how everything planted in the last few weeks are faring in the cold (it was 0 degrees C a couple of night ago!). No worries, everything looks awesome! I also spent a day this week, with the help of my son, finishing turning over the rest of the rye and clover at Lee Ann's. I will have to spend a day in a week or so going through the beds more carefully and pulling any morning glory roots I see. Regular readers of this blog will know that I have just a bit of an issue with morning glory - I hate it!
This week I discovered a website put together by a guy who is doing exactly what I'm doing, it is worth checking out: http://www.communityrootsboulder.com/
And here is a link to an article that you may find interesting, it presents various models for reclaiming urban land to grow food on it: http://arieff.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/cows-grazing-in-the-rumpus-room/?ex=1206676800&en=3f531372b17c66c7&ei=5070&emc=eta1
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Spring is in the air!
I continue to be very busy: turning over rye and clover planted last fall; succession planting more salad greens, oriental greens, parsley, radishes, peas in both the greenhouse and outside; planning the beds and plantings for this season; starting new varieties in the greenhouse: kale, celeriac, mustard greens and even tomotoes (these are a little early, but hey, you never know!) The peas, radishes, mizuna and arugula I planted outside February 25th are up and looking good.
Last week the organic Russian Banana Fingerling potatoes I ordered arrived. These are expensive but from everything I have read about them are well worth it. Apparently they taste great, have great texture and are in demand by chefs at chic restaurants. Fingerling potatoes don't look like conventional potatoes, instead they look like gnarly witches fingers!
This weekend is the One Straw Society's Seedy Saturday. I will be manning the membership desk in the morning but also hope I have time to shop. This is a great event to find locally grown unusual and heirloom seeds. Seedy Saturday is at the Roberts Creek School on Saturday from 10-3pm.
Last week the organic Russian Banana Fingerling potatoes I ordered arrived. These are expensive but from everything I have read about them are well worth it. Apparently they taste great, have great texture and are in demand by chefs at chic restaurants. Fingerling potatoes don't look like conventional potatoes, instead they look like gnarly witches fingers!
This weekend is the One Straw Society's Seedy Saturday. I will be manning the membership desk in the morning but also hope I have time to shop. This is a great event to find locally grown unusual and heirloom seeds. Seedy Saturday is at the Roberts Creek School on Saturday from 10-3pm.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
thank you!
Last Friday I sent an email out to friends and acquaintances asking a dozen families to join me, using the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, for the 2008 season. The response has been fantastic - I want to thank all those who have signed on as members already.
CSA brings together the best of many worlds: delicious, local organic food to your table, but also the satisfaction of being a part of a community effort. Small-scale farming is a challenging venture in these times, but with the support of the community it can and does work. The model calls for member families to invest in the season’s costs at the beginning of the growing season, the time when funds are needed most. In return, members are given first priority each week on what is available, and also pay less than non-members.
CSA is an economically viable way for small-scale farmers to produce a select quantity of vegetable foods of wide variety in an earth-friendly way. It puts people back in touch with their own food too, creating a real relationship between the grower, the consumer, the product, and the land on which the product is grown. Why eat food that lacks flavor, has been uniformly grown, chemically treated, harvested too soon, and transported long miles? Instead, at a cost not significantly more than elsewhere, CSA members regularly receive a cornucopia of fresh, ripened, pesticide-free vegetables throughout the harvest season. CSA is earth-friendly because it uses only organic farming methods, but also because it respects the land and it’s limitations, the weather, and many other growing conditions that require us to grow and enjoy our food working with, and not against, these variables.
CSA brings together the best of many worlds: delicious, local organic food to your table, but also the satisfaction of being a part of a community effort. Small-scale farming is a challenging venture in these times, but with the support of the community it can and does work. The model calls for member families to invest in the season’s costs at the beginning of the growing season, the time when funds are needed most. In return, members are given first priority each week on what is available, and also pay less than non-members.
CSA is an economically viable way for small-scale farmers to produce a select quantity of vegetable foods of wide variety in an earth-friendly way. It puts people back in touch with their own food too, creating a real relationship between the grower, the consumer, the product, and the land on which the product is grown. Why eat food that lacks flavor, has been uniformly grown, chemically treated, harvested too soon, and transported long miles? Instead, at a cost not significantly more than elsewhere, CSA members regularly receive a cornucopia of fresh, ripened, pesticide-free vegetables throughout the harvest season. CSA is earth-friendly because it uses only organic farming methods, but also because it respects the land and it’s limitations, the weather, and many other growing conditions that require us to grow and enjoy our food working with, and not against, these variables.
Once I have met the weekly needs of my CSA members I plan on selling additional produce either through email orders or at a local farmer's market. I'm very excited about this inaugural year; all the support and interest is very inspiring - thank you!
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