Here it is September 28th and change is in the air.
Yesterday Josh and I and the kids along with Lydia moved her cow and 8 chickens to the farm. It was a rather exciting event. The cow spent the night reminding us that she was here. Each time I smiled. She is a Jersey cow named Isabelle.
Today Lydia is watching the children while I catch up on the office work that gets so quickly piled up. I had a meeting for a bit the morning. When I arrived home Lydia had her first batch of butter made. She milks the cow each day, separates the cream, makes butter, the whole thing.
So for lunch I had a piece of brown bread that my cousin Katharine and my Grandmother made with homemade fresh butter.
I've been living local - but not this degree of local - it has been a very cool day.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Celebrating Communities
Today and yesterday I have had the privilege of participating in the celebrating communities conference in Truro. I was speaking with one participant this morning about the three day long conference (I wasn't here for Wednesday, share day:)). She was commenting about how the focus of this conference was very much about food. There was discssion around the capacity in communities to bring more awareness, learning/education and connectedness to each other and our culture through food and food production.
So often these days regardless of where I am, the topic is focused on food and food production. Not very often are these discussions happening with farmers in the room. This leads me to wonder if farmers realize how many people are focusing in on them and more importantly on the job they do. I am not suggesting that farmers need to be a part of all these events, they don't - but I do hope that farmers know that there are many people in many places and in many forums, talking about food security in this province.
Anyway - this posting really is me just needing to say how much I realize that the people living in this province are supportive and with more outreach, education and partnership - things will continue to improve.
I just want to say thank you for being a part of our CSA community. This community has certainly changed me. I have always believed in people, but now since the CSA started, I am overwhelmed by the sense of community I feel with all of you. Great things are happening! Thanks so much to each of you!
So often these days regardless of where I am, the topic is focused on food and food production. Not very often are these discussions happening with farmers in the room. This leads me to wonder if farmers realize how many people are focusing in on them and more importantly on the job they do. I am not suggesting that farmers need to be a part of all these events, they don't - but I do hope that farmers know that there are many people in many places and in many forums, talking about food security in this province.
Anyway - this posting really is me just needing to say how much I realize that the people living in this province are supportive and with more outreach, education and partnership - things will continue to improve.
I just want to say thank you for being a part of our CSA community. This community has certainly changed me. I have always believed in people, but now since the CSA started, I am overwhelmed by the sense of community I feel with all of you. Great things are happening! Thanks so much to each of you!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Canning Session #2
Today five of us gathered together for the 2nd and final canning workshop this year. We decided to make tomato sauce. The recipe yielded fewer pints than the salsa recipe - everyone went home with 6 jars of sauce. Thanks for coming. I really enjoy meeting you and learning more about everyones lives during these sessions. We will plan more for next year.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
passion tea
I just got back from two days at the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture Council of Leaders meetings. I am currently the president of the Kings County Federation of Agriculture. All of the county presidents or representatives along with the commodity board representatives sit around the table to work towards moving the agricultural industry forward. I am usually quite frustrated by the time I get home because the challenges we have right now in this industry are so great. I do a lot of deep breathing, stretching and work hard to remain calm. This time I drank a lot of passion tea.
This was also the first time I think in the 26 weeks of our CSA together that I haven't been around on share day. That was a bit hard too.
Anyway - most of you who are reading this blog are in the grouping of people who care about what is happening with your food and I assume to some extent you are informed and concerned about the food system in general. Assuming where you are coming from, I feel rather safe in unloading a few things.
First off, I am not sure if you all know this or not, but I grew up on a farm. We have a medium sized farm here in Kings County - Noggins Corner Farm. Josh and I first purchased a farm 5 years ago that Josh farms in conjunction with the family farm. We are still very connected. But the Organic farm has been my focus and I am hoping to move more of our activity in this direction. Anyway - the reason I say this it that I feel like I can appreciate the large scale farmer issues along side the small scale farmer issues and have the benefit of really feeling the effects of both. (Benefit some years, not so much benefit others)
No matter which scale of farming we are talking things are tight. And I know that things are tight with many people in Nova Scotia. Right now is a very tight time.
First off - I think you should know that unless you have a free range connection or a small scale producer connection for turkey this year, you will NOT be able to find a Nova Scotia turkey anywhere for Christmas (maybe even Thanksgiving). AND most certainly nothing fresh. To my knowledge, and I have been known to be wrong, there are no more turkeys entering into turkey barns in this province unless there is an agreement with a processor outside the province. This is really serious.
Serious - very few pork farms remaining in this province. Beef farmers are continuously working to find ways to keep afloat. Vegetable farmers are dumping into their fields perfectly good produce. And we are not talking a few dozen like we harvest for the CSA, we are talking transport truck loads that go into our local grocery stores, if I can even call them local. Not to mention that when strawberry time was here the price for berries was good for a week but then they put some cheap imports on special and drove the price down.
You are all doing your part - you are making a serious effort to support yourselves in securing food that you know where it comes from and you are supporting our ability to carry on farming activity. Honestly, if it wasn't for this CSA we would not be able to get a return from the wholesale market that would cover our mortgage payments.
Here we are, a civilized nation and we have farms going out of business at an alarming rate. We have retailers that are having price wars, we have people who are starving, we have a consumer base that is wanting everything very cheap, including food, and we have a group of farmers, me included that is trying to sort out what to do and how to stay afloat throughout all this.
Somehow we need to get more people engaged in what they are eating. We need to have people demand local only at their grocery store. And, as all of you who are participating in the CSA know, that will require people to maybe sacrifice a few things. Like ease and variety. The other major issue is that we aren't asking people to pay more at the store for their products, we are asking that a more fair share of the amount you do pay gets back to the farm gate. (I should becareful when I say we - I am speaking only for myself here, making a few assumptions)
The Ecology Action Centre has been doing great work, they usually do :), on food miles. And on our consumption of food. Can you even believe that their stats show that we, Nova Scotians, of the food we eat, only 7.2% comes from this province. This is entirely unacceptable in terms of any sort of food security.
Here is where I ask you to help. Please - tell me, as a farmer, what should I do to bring change to this situation. What will people respond to? I read today in the paper that the farmers in Belgium are dumping millions of litres of milk. What do we need to do? Demonstrate? On the way home I was thinking as I stopped at the lights heading to the 102 near the Halifax shopping centre, what if people had signs walking that strip of grass, asking people where their supper tonight is coming from, would it make anyone think or do anything different.
I was talking with a friend about the turkey situation. With very rough calculating, if every household in this province purchased three turkeys in one year at a fair price to the farmers (which would be much less than the price in the grocery store these days) then the current production could carry on. The turkey situation is complicated, but it still comes down to retailers and consumers. Retailers have all the power these days because we as consumers are not taking the risks to make change.
So - there we have it. Add in an hour or two about biosolids and the environment and my two days at meetings are complete.
Sign off for tonight.
This was also the first time I think in the 26 weeks of our CSA together that I haven't been around on share day. That was a bit hard too.
Anyway - most of you who are reading this blog are in the grouping of people who care about what is happening with your food and I assume to some extent you are informed and concerned about the food system in general. Assuming where you are coming from, I feel rather safe in unloading a few things.
First off, I am not sure if you all know this or not, but I grew up on a farm. We have a medium sized farm here in Kings County - Noggins Corner Farm. Josh and I first purchased a farm 5 years ago that Josh farms in conjunction with the family farm. We are still very connected. But the Organic farm has been my focus and I am hoping to move more of our activity in this direction. Anyway - the reason I say this it that I feel like I can appreciate the large scale farmer issues along side the small scale farmer issues and have the benefit of really feeling the effects of both. (Benefit some years, not so much benefit others)
No matter which scale of farming we are talking things are tight. And I know that things are tight with many people in Nova Scotia. Right now is a very tight time.
First off - I think you should know that unless you have a free range connection or a small scale producer connection for turkey this year, you will NOT be able to find a Nova Scotia turkey anywhere for Christmas (maybe even Thanksgiving). AND most certainly nothing fresh. To my knowledge, and I have been known to be wrong, there are no more turkeys entering into turkey barns in this province unless there is an agreement with a processor outside the province. This is really serious.
Serious - very few pork farms remaining in this province. Beef farmers are continuously working to find ways to keep afloat. Vegetable farmers are dumping into their fields perfectly good produce. And we are not talking a few dozen like we harvest for the CSA, we are talking transport truck loads that go into our local grocery stores, if I can even call them local. Not to mention that when strawberry time was here the price for berries was good for a week but then they put some cheap imports on special and drove the price down.
You are all doing your part - you are making a serious effort to support yourselves in securing food that you know where it comes from and you are supporting our ability to carry on farming activity. Honestly, if it wasn't for this CSA we would not be able to get a return from the wholesale market that would cover our mortgage payments.
Here we are, a civilized nation and we have farms going out of business at an alarming rate. We have retailers that are having price wars, we have people who are starving, we have a consumer base that is wanting everything very cheap, including food, and we have a group of farmers, me included that is trying to sort out what to do and how to stay afloat throughout all this.
Somehow we need to get more people engaged in what they are eating. We need to have people demand local only at their grocery store. And, as all of you who are participating in the CSA know, that will require people to maybe sacrifice a few things. Like ease and variety. The other major issue is that we aren't asking people to pay more at the store for their products, we are asking that a more fair share of the amount you do pay gets back to the farm gate. (I should becareful when I say we - I am speaking only for myself here, making a few assumptions)
The Ecology Action Centre has been doing great work, they usually do :), on food miles. And on our consumption of food. Can you even believe that their stats show that we, Nova Scotians, of the food we eat, only 7.2% comes from this province. This is entirely unacceptable in terms of any sort of food security.
Here is where I ask you to help. Please - tell me, as a farmer, what should I do to bring change to this situation. What will people respond to? I read today in the paper that the farmers in Belgium are dumping millions of litres of milk. What do we need to do? Demonstrate? On the way home I was thinking as I stopped at the lights heading to the 102 near the Halifax shopping centre, what if people had signs walking that strip of grass, asking people where their supper tonight is coming from, would it make anyone think or do anything different.
I was talking with a friend about the turkey situation. With very rough calculating, if every household in this province purchased three turkeys in one year at a fair price to the farmers (which would be much less than the price in the grocery store these days) then the current production could carry on. The turkey situation is complicated, but it still comes down to retailers and consumers. Retailers have all the power these days because we as consumers are not taking the risks to make change.
So - there we have it. Add in an hour or two about biosolids and the environment and my two days at meetings are complete.
Sign off for tonight.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
September Member Survey
Taproot Farm Survey Link
Please take a minute to complete the survey - it will help us get a sense of how things are going.
Thanks so much!
Patricia
Please take a minute to complete the survey - it will help us get a sense of how things are going.
Thanks so much!
Patricia
September Member Survey
Taproot Farm Survey Link
Please take a minute to complete the survey - it will help us get a sense of how things are going.
Thanks so much!
Patricia
Please take a minute to complete the survey - it will help us get a sense of how things are going.
Thanks so much!
Patricia
Friday, September 11, 2009
September 11
How can it be? I am sorry it has taken me so long to give you an update.
Today is Friday. It is quiet around the farm. Josh and I were both up last night at 4 AM wondering about frost. I was very supportive of him getting up and heading out to cover up and to spray water on the crops to prevent frost damage. We really don't want to loose the tomatoes and peppers that are planted outside - not yet anyway.
Nicole is working in the kitchen this afternoon making relish. We have a bunch of oversized cucumbers that we didn't want to loose to the compost so it seemed logical to make relish. She will get close to 60 jars done this afternoon. Something to look forward to in the winter.
The pac choi isn't injured from cold and is doing quite well in these cooler conditions.
I hope you have a great day!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Saturday September 5th
Today Calvin is planting spinach for the winter shares. He harvested some melons today. We are thinking that this week we will have melons ready. Yippy!
This picture was taken last week. Gerald is in front with the red hat and Calvin bringing up the rear.
Last night Josh and I had a few friends over for a full moon bonfire in the field. It was very nice. I was thinking I should have taken pictures, but I didn't. Earlier in the evening Izaak, Lily and Frank were helping to set up chairs. They were having fun in the alfalfa field and they looked so cute with the alfalfa up to their waists. Throughout the evening there were lots of kids running around, roasting marshmallows and just having fun. It is the kind of night that keeps me going for a long time.
This picture was taken last week. Gerald is in front with the red hat and Calvin bringing up the rear.
Last night Josh and I had a few friends over for a full moon bonfire in the field. It was very nice. I was thinking I should have taken pictures, but I didn't. Earlier in the evening Izaak, Lily and Frank were helping to set up chairs. They were having fun in the alfalfa field and they looked so cute with the alfalfa up to their waists. Throughout the evening there were lots of kids running around, roasting marshmallows and just having fun. It is the kind of night that keeps me going for a long time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)