GEFA blog
It's cold and winter is definately here now, but your farmers are still busy planning to make this next season better than the last with more of the great tasting, fresh vegetables that you want. We are still accepting CSA members for the 2010 season, but it is starting to fill up, so get your name in as soon as you can to gaurantee your vegetable share.
If you are getting a craving for some local vegetables, we have two winter markets planned for this week. We will have eggs, honey, walnuts, squashes, white potatoes, heirloom potatoes, spinach, celery root and more produce as well as granola, stromboli, breads, and samples from our value added producer. You will also have a chance to meet some of the great farmers who grow the food in your shares.
Our first pre-holiday market is this Saturday, December 19, at the Forest Park Nature Center just off Rt29 north of Peoria. It will begin at 10am and end at 2pm.
The second market will be on Monday, December 21, at OSF hospital in Peoria. It will begin at 8am and end at 3pm or until we are sold out. Set up will be in their alcove near the old center of hospital near the front entrance elevators.
We hope to see you there!
Community Supported Agriculture
May through October, receive a share of the bounty from small sustainable farms throughout west central Illinois. For 22 weeks, the growers and producers of Good Earth Food Alliance will bring their highest quality and freshest fruits, vegetables, and herbs to drop sites in Peoria, Galesburg, Hanna City, and Farmington every Tuesday afternoon during the growing season. Good Earth Food Alliance CSA members will know they are getting foods grown locally and without the use of synthetic chemicals.
Through extensive planning, the Good Earth Food Alliance network of growers aims to provide more than 50 different foods to its CSA members. Members can experience foods from arugula to zucchini by utilizing the recipes, storage tips, and nutritional information that will come through a weekly e-newsletter to an e-mail inbox. Eating seasonally in central Illinois is an adventure!Here's how you can be a part of it:
- Read our Frequently Asked Questions page on the Good Earth Food Alliance website.
- Download and print out a copy of the CSA Agreement.
- Complete the agreement form, sign, and mail to the address listed on the form along with your payment.
by Good Earth Food Alliance director and grower, Anne Patterson
of Living Earth Farm
(read on to find out about fennel in "Just Call Me Florence")
I must confess I read seed catalogs like some people read novels. My favorite is Fedco Seeds of Waterville, Maine. Last winter I could not resist ordering a few “Long Pie “pumpkin seeds after reading about their story of survival. So for those of you picking up your GEFA CSA share who just thought those long oval pumpkins were just too weird to mess with, you missed an opportunity to try some real food history. This pumpkin is believed to be the same variety as Nantucket Pie Pumpkin. They arrived from St. George in the Azores to Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1832 on a whaling vessel. Burpee Seed Company offered them in 1888 as “St. George”. Like so many seed varieties lost to extinction, Long Pie was popular at one time throughout the New England area and nearly vanished. Fortunately an old timer from Maine showed up at Common Ground Fair, a huge event where organic farmers and folks gather each September in Unity Maine, with his Long Pie seeds and gave some to John Navazio who took them to Garden City Seeds in Montana. Thanks to him we can now grow them.
If you picked one yesterday that is still a little green with only a tinge of orange, not to worry because this is one pumpkin which can ripen well after it is picked. The whole fruit turns a little orange in a cool area of your house. Then it turns completely orange which means it is ready to be made into your favorite pumpkin recipe or used in one of the following recipes. Why not share the fun of making pumpkin recipes with your children, grandchildren or neighbor children? It would be a real shame if kids grew up to believe pumpkins are used only for Jack-O-Lanterns and pumpkin pies are made only from commercially canned pumpkin.
How to cook: Pumpkin can be baked whole (be sure and pierce sides to allow steam out) or cut into pieces, baked or boiled. Bake whole at 425 for 45 minutes to an hour. Or cut it into large chunks, remove the seeds, cover with foil, or invert on an oiled baking sheet, and bake at 350 for an hour. Don’t forget to roast the seeds on a cookie sheet at 350 for 20 minutes. They make a great nutritious snack.
Pumpkin Muffins
2 c, unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup cooked mashed pumpkin, or winter squash, well drained
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
4 Tbs melted butter
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup milk, at room temperature
Preheat oven to 400. Heavily grease a 12 cup muffin pan. Sift flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spices and salt into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, pumpkin, sugar, butter, applesauce and milk. Stir dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture, just until combined. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake until the muffins are golden, about 30 minutes. Makes 1 dozen muffins.
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
2 pounds pumpkin flesh
1 large onion, unpeeled, halved
3 leeks, white part
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbs olive oil
1 Tb butter
2 tsp ginger
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced
1 tsp curry powder
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut pumpkin into large chunks. Remove seeds and pithy pulp. Place pumpkin and onion halves, cut side down, on an oiled baking sheet, with leeks and garlic. Brush vegetables with the oil, cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool. Peel vegetables, including garlic and coarsely chop.
In a 4-5 quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil with the butter. Add ginger and apple and sauté until soft. Stir in the curry powder. Add reserved roasted vegetables and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Puree mixture in batches in a food processor. Return the soup to pot, add milk, and heat through just until warm. Add salt and pepper. Serves 6.
Just Call Me Florence
Yesterday at Hult Health Education Center as folks picked up their weekly share of GEFA produce, I sensed a real growing community of food lovers. Things have changed from the first couple of weeks when I thought no one is talking; no one is asking any questions; something must be wrong. Yesterday it was nonstop talking and questioning and bantering across the tables. I couldn’t have been happier. There was Erin explaining one of her products to someone. Jim was talking about apples at the center table. Pam was helping someone and I was promising to include some fennel recipes on the web site for those who asked, “Now what do I do with this white thing with the ferny top”? Let’s face it when was the last time you heard much talking about food at your local supermarket?
Apparently Thomas Jefferson was pretty taken with Florence fennel. After he received fennel seeds from the American consul in Florence, Italy and grew some he described it as, “The Fennel is beyond, every other vegetable, Delicious. There is no vegetable, equals it in flavor.”
How to store: Refrigerate, plastic –wrapped, for no more than a few days.
Try these ideas to get your culinary juices going.
- Lightly boil fennel slices and then marinate in herbal vinaigrette.
- Brush thick slices with a seasoned oil and grill.
- Brown quartered bulbs along with a few minced ferny tops in oil and butter. Moisten with wine or broth, cover and bake until tender.
- Layer fennel slices in a casserole dish with potatoes, broth, milk and cream. Top with crumbs or Parmesan or both. Bake until tender.
- Stir fry or sauté fennel slivers or dice with shallot, onion or garlic along with any of your favorite thin-sliced vegetable of your choice.
Braised Carrots and Fennel
6 large carrots, peeled
2 large bulbs fennel
1 large onion
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped dill
3 tablespoons chopped chives
Slice the carrots 1/2-inch thick on an angle.
Quarter the fennel bulbs lengthwise, cut into bulb to remove core and thinly slice, or roughly chop. Reserve 1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds.
Halve and slice the onion. Fill a skillet with 1/4-inch water. Add vegetables then sprinkle with sugar and salt and drizzle with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Simmer covered 20 minutes, and uncovered for 5 minutes and adjust salt. Toss vegetables with fennel fronds, dill and chives.
Creamy Fennel Soup with Herb Salad
5 bulbs fennel with stalks and feathery green tops (2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon finely ground fennel seeds
6 diagonal-cut slices baguette
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Remove the greens from the fennel stalks, chop them, and reserve. Cut the fennel bulbs and stalks into coarse pieces.
Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, 7 minutes. Add the 1 clove garlic and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Increase the heat to high. Add the chopped fennel and the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the fennel is very tender, 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
Puree the soup, in batches, in a blender until very smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean soup pot. Add the cream, and season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon juice. Add the reserved fennel greens and parsley, toss to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Set the herb salad aside
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the ground fennel seeds and stir for 30 seconds. Add the baguette slices in a single layer, and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes total. Season with salt to taste. Remove the baguette slices from the pan and rub each piece lightly on 1 side with the clove of garlic.
Warm the soup over medium heat. Ladle it into bowls, place a baguette slice on top of each, and top each slice with some of the herb salad.
Fennel Slaw
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, whisk olive oil and lemon juice. Add fennel, onion, parsley and toss. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
to Good Earth Food Alliance CSA members:
- If you've been following the weather report you might know that the temperature is likely to dip below freezing this weekend. Never fear! We've still got things growing in hoop houses and the root crops will be fine. We look forward to one more week of our 2009 CSA.
- Now is your chance to stock up on farm fresh eggs. We bring them to you very fresh so they will keep for several weeks in your refrigerator. Many Basil's Harvest products will keep well in your freezer. Stock up!
By Good Earth Food Alliance Grower, Amy Brucker
The machinery wove back and forth through the field, slowly dousing each plant with herbicide and stretching just beyond the rows to catch the weeds on the edges too. I watched with trepidation. Which way was the wind blowing? Did the farmer know I was there? Did the farmer know I grow vegetables organically and that my field is only 30 feet from his corn? As the farmer came over the field, our eyes met and I was relieved to know he saw me and took note of my efforts to raise vegetables by hand. He slowed and maneuvered his large machinery carefully around the rows near my field. The wind speed was minimal and I felt very fortunate to live next to someone who showed such responsibility and care in his farming practices.
About a week later I started to notice a difference. The last few broccoli plants in the row were turning pale. The last raspberry bush in the row had whitish leaves and was failing to thrive. The strawberries at the end of the row began to shrivel. Even under optimal conditions, it was likely that a small amount of chemical drift had hit my field. I began to understand why organic farmers are up in arms about chemical drift.
Yesterday in Springfield, the Illinois state Senate Committee on Agriculture and Conservation listened to 4 1/2 hours of testimony on farm chemical drift and decided to form a subcommittee to study what other states are doing to address this important issue. My friend and neighbor, Laura Collins, attended several of the sessions and listened intently to the dialog. She wasn't there because of wilted raspberry leaves; she was there because her two children were sprayed with a fungicide by an aerial sprayer. Here's what Laura had to say about the hearing:
As a mother of 2 children sprayed with the fungicide Quilt in August of 2008 (confirmed by an IDOA investigation) I was glad to see the well attended turnout at Wednesday’s hearing. I was only able to attend the first two panels so cannot comment on the 3rd panel or final discussion. I would like to thank Senator Koehler for his work in bringing this issue to a committee hearing and Representative Moffitt for asking several pointed questions regarding specifics in our case.
Regarding Mr. Bretthauer’s presentation on “Operation Safe Fly-In,” I was pleased to learn of its existence and scientific rigor in helping assure that crop sprayers are properly configured. However, Mr. Bretthauer’s testimony that 80-90% of pilots spraying in Illinois cooperate with the voluntary safety training seems overly optimistic. I believe in the case of aerial chemical application annual safety training and inspections ought to be mandatory, much like commercial vehicles are subject to annual safety inspections by IDOT. This requirement would help ensure that every aircraft capable of spraying chemicals was inspected and documented.
Regarding the sanctions imposed on pilots found to violate the regulations on safe spraying standards, I wonder as to the effectiveness of warning letters and fines of $500 - 750. The pilot found guilty of spraying our children last year was issued one of these advisory letters. What consequence does this equal beyond a symbolic slap on the wrist? What recourse do we have that ensures this same mistake of spraying over a house and humans will not happen again? I believe that some of the suggestions brought forth by Teresa Santiago, namely online registry for pilots, records of flight paths, and adhering to only spraying in prescribed weather situations are a decent start. In addition, I support a stronger enforcement for pilots and equipment, including required annual inspections of planes and up to date licensure and safety training. Consequences need to be stricter than a warning letter. A look at legislation passed in other states seems a good place to start. Opponents to these suggestions might give the argument that these steps would further burden financially-strapped farmers, however, we heard testimony of the dire financial consequences chemical drift can have on chemical free & organic farms while chemical companies continue to record healthy profits.
As a mother and citizen I believe additional steps need to be created to streamline a system of communication and information regarding chemical drift. In the instance where our children were sprayed last August, it took diligent and persistent efforts to uncover the facts of the parties involved and specific fungicide sprayed on the children. Full disclosure of chemicals used, their short and long-term health and environmental consequences and recommended remedies are certainly our right to know.
Finally, when Senators questioned Brian Poeppel from Broad Branch farm as to if he had tested his crops after a chemical drift incident I couldn’t help but wonder why the burden of proof should rest on his shoulders when he wasn’t the farmer applying the chemicals. There is no practice that I am aware of that small and organic farmers engage in that negatively impacts conventional farmers in the same way that chemical drift can financially, environmentally, and otherwise impact organic and chemical-free farms. This fiscal and moral responsibility should rest equally on the parties purchasing and applying the chemicals.
Today was a good step in the dialogue on this important issue. I am glad to that a permanent committee is forming and that Senator Koehler will continue his investigations.
Sincerely,
Laura Bush-Collins
Old Blue Illinois, Inc. / Trillium Dell Timberworks, dba
1277 Knox Road 1600 North
Knoxville, IL 61448
309.289.7921 office, 309.224.9980 cell
309.289.6031 fax
www.trilliumdell.comIt's evident that the time has come for more dialogue, better understanding of the farming practices of others, and to deeply question the global and human benefits of chemicals.
To Good Earth Food Alliance CSA members:
- Two weeks left. We'll keep you informed of plans for our 2010 CSA and will give you first chance to sign up.
Good Earth Food Alliance
1st Annual
Meet-The-Farmer Gathering
|
About this unique opportunity to become more connected with the food you eat, the seasons, the land and the farmer who is growing your food.
We would like to invite everyone interested to our
Season in Review
&
CSA Preview 2010
|
Erin Meyer of Basil’s Harvest, gourmet stuff, in Elmwood, IL assists with Public Relations for GEFA. A registered dietitian and chef, Erin has followed her passion for organic and local food by creating specialty products that add that little extra to your meal or snack. She grows a great deal of the herbs and vegetables in many of her creations; when she runs short she utilizes the network of farmers in the area to source as many ingredients as possible. 1. How did you choose the name Basil's Harvest? Basil’s was the name of my black lab, and a huge part of the family for 14 years. He was our first “child”so to speak. Family and tradition is a big part of how I grew up
2. Where is your business located? Basil’s Harvest is located in Elmwood, Il., a town of 1400 people. We believe in small batch, small town production.
3. How long has Basil's Harvest been in business? It started as a hobby in 2001 with the production of Herbal infused vinegar. From there, our focus was on the family traditions; like Nona’s Rub and Opa’s Sauerkraut.
4. What products do you make? Basil’s Harvest has a variety of products that meet our high standards. Whole wheat and white Pasta, sauerkraut, Nona’s Rub, herbal infused vinegar, vinaigrettes, rhubarb chutney, focaccia bread, soups, and other seasonal specialties are part of our product lines.
5. Do you have a signature product? Our brass cut Campanelle pasta is quickly becoming a part of the main stream, but our regular customers all have their favorites.
6. Do you use natural ingredients in your products? If so, where do the ingredients come from? Basil’s Harvest philosophy is to know where our food comes from. I source ingredients from GEFA producers, who farm using organic methods; I also work with other local farmers, an organic distributor and utilize the UNFI food coop that I am a member of.
7. What do you enjoy most about running Basil's Harvest? I enjoy sharing my passion of great tasting food and memorable traditions with people and listening to their stories.
8. What do you find most challenging about your work? I have a great staff, Mark, my husband, Emily, oldest daughter, Maggie, youngest daughter and Kelly, executive chef that works hard to help make Basil’s Harvest a success. I find the most challenging part of my work is developing a product mix that will provide a sustainable future.
9. What is your philosophy/perspective on farming, agriculture, and sustainability? I believe it is very important knowing where our food is coming from and who is growing it. I work with a group of 9 farmers from GEFA and network with other farmer’s in the area to resource ingredients. I am also a Peoria County Extension Board Member and a member of the IDEA committee where we work with people who want to become agriculture or value added entrepreneurs. I would like to continue to grow my network of farmers to create a community of slow food producers.
10. Is there anything else you'd like the Good Earth Food Alliance CSA members to know about Basil's Harvest? I would like to Thank the CSA members of the Good Earth Food Alliance for their support and encouragement of Basil’s Harvest.
1st Annual
Meet-The-Farmer Gathering
Join us to learn more about this unique opportunity to become more connected with the food you eat, the seasons, the land and the farmer who is growing your food.
We would like to invite everyone interested to our
Season in Review and CSA Preview 2010
Monday, September 28th, 2009
Peoria County Extension Office
4810 North Sheridan
6 to 8 pm
CSA: Colorful Swiss chard Appreciation
by Good Earth Food Alliance grower, Amy Brucker
Some drive more than 60 miles each Tuesday. Some experiment with an herb they've never heard of. Some tell their friends about it. Some google recipe ideas. Some try a vegetable they've never really liked. Some speak out on local TV or in the newspaper about it. Some walk away from their favorite foreign-grown vegetables and fruits at the grocery store and, instead, eat the seasonal vegetables provided by their CSA that week. The means are many, yet the intention is the same - to SUPPORT sustainable growers and producers through a membership to a CSA."Support" is the "S" in CSA. It's in the center. It's key. It's what sets it apart. Without the "S" we simply have community agriculture, which connotes local and something being produced off the land. This could mean shopping at your local farmers' market or using ethanol-based fuels in your vehicle (if you live in corn country like we do here in central Illinois). Let me tell you what keeping the "S" in CSA means to me as a grower for Good Earth Food Alliance.
Some of the first seeds I put in the ground this spring were swiss chard, a brightly-colored green that can be harvested as part of a salad mix when small, shredded and boiled for a side dish when bigger, and chopped and stir-fried when large. One of the most nutrient-packed and versatile vegetables, it is sadly overlooked and seldom appears in grocery store aisles, yet it grows abundantly all season long in central Illinois.
Because our CSA members purchased 22 weeks of seasonal central Illinois vegetables, they also had to be willing to experiment with ones they may not have tried before - including swiss chard. We provided recipes, verbal instructions for cooking, helpful storage hints, and watched contentedly as many made the leap into unknown vegetable territory. Every effort put forth by our CSA members to:
- be there to pick up
- work with the vegetables that were producing abundantly in our fields that week
- share what they learned with others
We know that lines never form outside the swiss chard stand at the farmers' market. But, by eating my swiss chard, my CSA members are helping to keep my crops diverse, helping me to stay chemical-free, helping me to be profitable so I will want and be able to do this again next year - and that's even before they realize how great it tastes and how good it is for them!
Support your local swiss chard patch!
to Good Earth Food Alliance CSA Members:
- We've got four more weeks of produce to bring to you before the cold weather hits. It's a great time to freeze up unused vegetables for winter soups.
- Our webstore has a few more lamb cuts and lots of seasonal breads by Basil's Harvest. Farm fresh eggs are available too.
- Basil's Harvest is still offering a Soup Share for the month of October (5 weeks). Follow the link here.
Monday, September 28th, 6 - 8 pm.
Good Earth Food Alliance will be sponsoring a community educational event on CSA's and collaborative efforts in sustainable agriculture.
Meet Your Farmer - Linda Prescott
Linda Prescott of Prescott's Farm and Petal Song Apiaries in Kickapoo. Linda has a degree in horticulture and has been a beekeeper for over five years. She and her husband, Pat, own a 34-acre farm with three barns, originally built in the early 1900's, which they are in the process of restoring and rebuilding. They are also restoring the land by planting lots of native and ornamental trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers. Linda and her husband have always been avid gardeners and are committed to growing crops in a way that will be beneficial to all, including the environment. 1. How did you choose the name Prescott’s Farm?
My husband wanted to use our family name so that people would make a connection to us as a family farm and not a large company. “Petal Song” came to me in a dream about three years before we purchased the farm as a name of a business I would have some day. The thought of having bees had never entered my mind and I didn’t make the connection between the two until I heard the hum of the bees on the flowers at the farm.
2. Where is your business located?
It is nestled into rural Fulton County, way off the road.
3. How long has Prescott’s Farm been in business?
We are a work in progress, and are in the process of restoring/recycling three barns. Laying the foundation for our specialty crops is an on-going adventure so this is the first year we have produced vegetables for other people. We have been selling honey for three years.
4. What products do you grow?
Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, onions, potatoes, garlic - basically every vegetable that grows in our area.
5. Do you have a signature product?
Honey, herbs and shitake mushrooms, specialty peppers.
6. What do you enjoy most about running Prescott’s Farm?
The connection to the cycle of life; working on improving my little spot on the planet from the soil up. Seeing and enjoying the wildlife, knowing I contributed just a little to a healthier lifestyle, and even how fat all the toads in my garden are - life's little pleasures.
7. What do you find most challenging about your work?
Time management, finding time to do all of the little things that need to be done while working a full time job, taking care of the house we live in while turning a barn into a house.
8. What is your philosophy/perspective on farming, agriculture, and sustainability?
Everything is connected. Every thing that I can do to improve the quality of my soil will improve the health of whoever consumes it. We all need to do as much as we can to leave as little negative impact as possible. I want to do that and more and planting trees, flowers, shrubs, and even vegetables, provides food and habitat for all the little creatures that share the farm with us.
To Good Earth Food Alliance CSA Members:
- Don't forget to bring your completed survey to your drop site next Tuesday, September 15th. If you don't have a copy of the survey, you can find a link to it on our main webpage.
- There are still a few cuts of lamb left from which to choose as well as salsa kits, sauce kits, seasonal breads, soups, vinegars, and farm fresh eggs. Ready to go shopping?
Meet Your Good Earth Food Alliance Farmer - Lyndon Hartz
The second in a series of questions and answers highlighting
the GEFA growers and producers.
Lyndon Hartz was raised in a family where they always had a large garden and everyone helped out - and Lyndon's parents and grandfather are still helping out. After graduating from Western Illinois University in 2004, Lyndon planted vegetables and fruits on 2 acres of his grandfather's land. His production has since grown to 10 1/2 of his own acres which include the winter production of greens in his hoophouses and perennial plants. Says Lyndon, "I never thought that I would become a farmer someday. It was something that my life drifted towards as I got older. I farm because I like being outdoors and seeing things start as a small seed into a large plant producing pounds of food. I farm because I believe there are flaws in the way people have become accustomed to flavorless, stringy, tasteless, chemical dependent food. I farm because there is a better way and I want as many people as possible to eat food like I do." 1. How did you choose the name Hartz Produce?
I combined my last name with a description of my business. Its simple and to the point!
2. Where is your business located?
Just outside of Wyoming, IL in Stark County
3. How long has Hartz Produce been in business?
Since the spring of 2004, after I graduated from college.
4. What products do you grow?
A wide variety of fruits and vegetables, a little bit of everything in the seed catalog.
5. Do you have a signature product?
Probably my green beans and carrots, I have a dedicated following at the farmers markets for both.
7. What do you enjoy most about running Hartz Produce?
Being outside in the sun, working the soil, planting and growing my crops. Being able to make the decisions, good or bad, that shape my farm into what it is.
8. What do you find most challenging about your work?
This year, the weather. It really takes a toll on a person to be out in the rain at least once a week, walking around in mud to get a crop harvested.
9. What is your philosophy/perspective on farming, agriculture, and sustainability?
I think conventional/industrial vegetable growing is a broken system and a system we shouldn’t move away from, but run like crazy from. When I can grow and harvest my crops, with the quality and quantity I am getting, I see no reason to use any chemicals. My fields are definitely weedier than most, but that doesn’t matter as much to me as a farmer.
10. Is there anything else you'd like others to know about Hartz Produce?
That I am very thankful to all of our customers who have helped us along the way. Without huge support from the customers, small farms like mine wouldn’t exist. And with continued support from our customers this alliance can grow and reach a bigger audience and start to really make an impact on the way people think about food and the earth in this community.
Good Earth Food Alliance CSA members:
- In a few days we'll be sending you a survey and asking for feedback about the CSA. We want to know what is working well for you and what isn't so we can better plan for next year.
- Linda Prescott is putting together some salsa and sauce kits. Look for those to be uploaded to our webstore Thursday.
- Basil's Harvest will be offering lamb cuts another week. Don't miss out. Once they're gone, they're gone!
By Good Earth Food Alliance Grower, Amy Brucker
First it was the chocolate zucchini bread. My 8-year old daughter had made the mistake of telling the kids at the lunch table that she was eating something with a vegetable in it. Then it was the catastrophic strips of green pepper discovered only days later. Before long, she was begging me not to put any vegetables in her lunch box and would only allow a short list of fruits. It wasn't that she didn't like eating them. It was that the other kids didn't like her eating them.It seems that kids and vegetables part ways when school starts up each fall. School lunch programs offer the obligatory vegetable and fruit (in my day, ketchup was considered the vegetable!) but Mom isn't standing there to make sure it goes down. The busy-ness of the school schedule and the parent's work schedule often set the stage for meals of convenience in the evening. I wonder how many meals consumed by busy families each week actually contain the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables?
I don't remember as far back as elementary school, but I do remember vegetables being served at the dining hall in college. Broccoli, in particular, was the color of faded army-green pants and it flopped over double when the food service employee picked it up with tongs and placed it on my plate. It usually landed in a clump. It's no surprise, then, that my love affair with vegetables didn't start until many years after college. In fact, it didn't start until I began to plant seeds in my backyard, tend to my own plants, harvest the fruits crisp and juicy, and quickly devour them. Fresh vegetables, especially those just picked, are the means of change for those who loathe anything green.
The Illinois State Board of Education came up with a great idea. Through their Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, elementary schools can receive funds to purchase FRESH fruits and vegetables that are offered at times other than meal times. So, when the kids come in from recess in the morning, they can grab an apple or a pear to eat. As they line up for music class in the afternoon, they can snack on some carrots. Some of us are hopeful that kids will eventually try some lesser known veggie snacks like edamame and grape tomatoes. What's the next step after that? Teach the kids to grow their own!
My daughter started at the community college this week and guess what she packed for a snack? Fresh sweet pepper strips from the garden! Some things never change - thank goodness.
to Good Earth Food Alliance CSA Members:
- arugula, edamame, tomatillos - lots of new foods this week means lots of new recipes. Check out what's been recently added to the recipe page.
- Basil's Harvest will be selling cuts of lamb this week. Because the packages are of varying weights, the invoices will only be approximations of the actual cost. So, hold off on writing out your check until you pick up your order on Tuesday, September 1st. The Place An Order webpage will be open again Thursday evening for business.
Meet Your Good Earth Food Alliance Farmer - Kate Potter
The first in a series of questions and answers highlighting
the GEFA growers and producers.
Kate Potter of Cramer, IL grows laying hens and goats on her farmette. She and her son moved back to central IL a year ago after many years on the East Coast, where she studied German literature, worked as a natural foods chef, was a secretary in the Empire State Building and a caretaker of a colonial mansion, all the while learning about grass farming. Kate lets her broody hens hatch their own chicks, but there are plenty of extra eggs from her bug-eating, no-soy-consuming, pasture-roaming mixed flock of old-fashioned breeds for the Good Earth Food Alliance CSA. Kate's other passions include traditional foods and dairying.
1. How did you choose the name Kate’s Cottage Farm? I love the phrase “cottage industry”, the idea of people living and working at home, intensively caring for a little piece of land that feeds both family and customers. I wanted people to know it’s a small farm with a lot of diversity. I also do live in a very little house. And I’m a hopeless anglophile; someday my cottage will be rose-covered!
2. Where is your business located? In Cramer, a tiny place between Trivoli and Farmington in Peoria County.
3. How long has Kate’s Cottage Farm been in business? One year.
4. What products do you grow? Eggs, chickens, goats, cows, raw milk, onions, potatoes, kale, beans, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, corn, peas…
5. Do you have a signature product? Mostly I sell eggs to the Good Earth Food Alliance. I love my chickens, but my passion is dairying. Right now I milk one jersey cow and make lots and lots of butter as well as every other dairy product you can imagine. I also milk goats and make chevre. Some day the dairy here will be a commercial enterprise.
7. What do you enjoy most about running Kate’s Cottage Farm? Well, it’s thrilling to be making some money at farming! And I like doing a lot of different things every day. I love animal husbandry. My farm is grass-based, meaning my goats, my dairy cow, the steers I raise with my dad, eat only grass, no grain. So I have to think a lot about our pastures, how much forage is available, how long the grass needs to rest before I put stock on it again; that’s mentally challenging and really fun for me. I get an immense amount of satisfaction when I sit down to a great dinner and realize that every single thing on the table, from the milk to the meat to the vegetables - everything except the salt - was grown right here.
8. What do you find most challenging about your work? Just the amount of work there is. It’s truly never-ending, and it’s hard to stop thinking about it. If I’m playing with my son, I’ve always got one ear cocked for the sound of a chick in distress; if a storm blows up in the middle of the night, I awake and go down the list of who might be in danger: Are the goats in? Will the cow be struck by lightning? Are the broilers in their pasture pen sleeping under the roof of their pen, or are they getting rained on?
9. What is your philosophy/perspective on farming, agriculture, and sustainability Well, I think sustainable agriculture is the future. We just can’t keep going with the big industrial farms, and I think they are on their way out. I actually think the future of the human race depends on small farms. We have to take care of our soil; that’s what sustains us. Farms that depend on a lot of inputs and can’t produce their own fertility can’t make it in the long run. Small and local is where it’s at.
10. Is there anything else you'd like others to know about Kate’s Cottage Farm? Just a recent joy I’d like to share: my 3-year-old son is getting into milking. Because I’m a single mom, he’d go out with me to the goat barn, of necessity, when he was only two months old. For a couple of years I think he’s resented the attention I have to pay to the animals. But now he wants to milk with me! Sometimes he sits on a bucket in the corner of the cow shed and talks about whatever (there’s a great spider web on the gate that we observe and discuss every day), but more often than not lately he’ll stand between my knees and milk one teat, while I milk another. That’s bliss for me.
to Good Earth Food Alliance CSA members:
- for those of you wondering how to use those fresh aronia berries - try adding them in small amounts to existing recipes. Freeze them and add a tablespoon of berries and a few drops of lemon juice to your next fruit smoothie. Add a cupful of berries and a few tablespoons of lemon juice to your next berry cobbler. Add 1/4 cup to your next loaf of sweet bread. The aronias are naturally tanic so adding lemon juice will help to counteract this. Try them in pancakes, muffins, or as additions to your grape jelly and let us know how it goes.
- Linda passed along two recipes for lemon balm. Try some new lemon-y beverages!