Another Good Read

Need a little inspiration for local eating? Check out Plenty: One man, one woman and a raucous year of eating locally by Alisa Smith & J. B. Mackinnon (the creators of the 100 mile diet) and prepare to laugh and be amazed. I am shocked by the resources that they found within 100 miles of home. Because of them, I feel hopeful about our quest for local organic flour - it has to be out there - do you have any leads?

Jen just sent me this great article about an Indiana community's 100 mile potluck. We should try it here.

Oh my gosh!

Real people read this blog besides myself! I'd better post something! Well, it bears telling that Graber Farms was AWESOME, but it's a good thing we went when we did because the blueberry season is short, and so were those bushes. We got just under six pounds of berries, though I think we only got that many because a spunky kitten followed us to the fields and kept our kids happily busy. We have been thrilled with the flavor of the berries, and were sad they were out by the following weekend.

Going to Graber...

We're going blueberry picking with friends at Graber Farms, a local organic farm next Saturday. We'll let you know all about it!

Barr Street Market to open soon!

The Barr Street Market is a farmers market with a great variety of locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey, beeswax products, baked goods, organic produce, fresh-cut flowers, live music, a kid craft table, and more! And it's kicking off Saturday, July 12th at 9:00 a.m.-- just in time for Three Rivers Festival. The market will be on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. at the corner of Barr and East Wayne Street.

We can also pick up a Green Guide by Grassroots Green that contains money-saving coupons as well as articles about green living. They cost $15-- a cost that can be partially recouped right at the Barr St. Market (some of the vendors are right there at the market and have coupons in the book). Proceeds benefit Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana, who put on the market each year.

There are even more local food choices available this year-- let's check it out!

Side Yard Eats

This is a photo of the herb patch that sits outside of our kitchen door. It is my favorite part of our garden - it is so easy to grow herbs. I had no idea. And it is rewarding to step outside and snip something to flavor dinner. We are still using basil that we dried last summer.
We purchased most of our plants at the Botanical Conservatory plant sale in May, but they have plants for sale year-round at the Conservatory. Give them a call to see what they have available. I have also picked up herb plants at Schmucker's Produce Market (12815 Doty Road- 46774)

More people saying no to high food prices

While researching rain barrels online lately I came across yet another article describing a family that decided to rip out a huge portion of yard to garden in reaction to high food prices. The Wall Street Journal blog post is a couple weeks old now, but the sentiment is completely salient. More and more people are discovering gardening, and for more and more reasons.

As first-year gardeners, we've already made a lot of mistakes with our three raised beds. We started far too late for many things. But this week our family rejoiced over spinach, bronze lettuce, a new crown of broccoli, three green cherry tomatoes, a tiny patty pan squash, three lil green peppers, bean blossoms, and sweet peas. We knew it would probably happen, and yet it is still amazing and slightly surprising. We sit back and laugh in wonder at how it all works, and creep back out to see what has changed by the end of the day. Our eldest child is convinced that her singing is helping, a la one of her favorite stories, The Giant Carrot. (There isn't room for her to dance like the character Isabelle). And who's to say? Even with our late start, things seem to be going well enough, so the singing might be just the thing.

Co-op update

OK, Kat has her own blog going now, and will have updates going soon. You can find it here. Check it out if you're interested in joining a food co-op where you'll have one place to go for fresh local produce, eggs, meats, and other products you've ordered.

You will be the pick-up person from time to time as well, but only occasionally-- as opposed to near-constantly (as the person who is not currently producing everything needed for sustainable living in their own backyard might be doing now).

I'm feeling great about a new way to feed our bellies with healthy, fresh, local foods, boost local economy, utilize the possible cost-savings of a co-op, and reduce my carbon footprint by not driving to five places to get the items I want for our family. Way to go, Kat! This project will assist many people in many, many ways.

Think global, eat local!

Kathleen Hickey, TD(DONA), mother of four and a birth doula, is presenting information about thinking globally and eating locally at our local Holisitic Moms Network meeting today. Kat's also the coordinator for a local farm-to-consumer food co-operative. The mission of the co-op is to help connect families with the resources to eat locally. I'm headed to the meeting in order to learn more about how to eat more healthfully, economically, and locally. It's better for our family, for local farmers, and for the environment.

Interested? I'll keep you posted here.

Egg hunt in June

We found a local source for eggs and not only went to pick them up with a friend-- we got to pick them out, too! Chickens, as it turns out, don't lay eggs in wholly expected places. It requires a careful collector to find all of them. Fortunately, our kids had a patient teacher to show them all the likely hidey holes.

They also got to see pear trees, plum trees, apple trees, two large vegetable gardens, and a shade garden, one renegade cat and two happy dogs along the way. It was quite a fun farm trip! We learned about the benefits of the color red for tomatoes, about "June drop" in fruit trees, and why some plants had netting over their tops. We also virtually watched sweet peas growing on the vine. They're fast!

Our garden has a long way to go, but it does give us an appreciation for the way things grow to visit such a large and thriving farm. Thanks! We're looking forward to visiting again!

3-2-1- compost!

Today's a day we've been working toward for quite some time-- we built our compost bin! The neighbors, who have been studying gardening topics with us for quite some time, helped us put it in. We're really excited and are looking forward to using our leftovers in a new way as much as we're eagerly anticipating the rich, black soil we'll get for our Garden Experiment.

Square foot gardening

Bought the wood for square foot garden beds this weekend, and posts and poultry wire for a compost heap today. Now we're looking for someone who has a sledgehammer so we can get those posts down into the dirt. Anybody?

Must Read

I must now, before I am even done with it because it is THAT GOOD, recommend Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. If Animal, Vegetable, Miracle spoke to you, this one will too, but louder. Oh my, will it ever.

Helpful Books

I read quite a bit on gardening, farming, and the like, but only some of the titles I read are truly, wonderfully helpful.

Gardener to Gardener: Seed Starting Primer and Almanac was so wonderful, I tried to buy it. Alas, could not get it through Baker & Taylor. You can, however, borrow a copy from the library!

The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food is the other book I found that I actually used (as opposed to looking at the pictures and wishing my garden looked like that). This one I was able to buy, and I read it at night when I can't sleep. Amazing that I don't dream of strawberries and asparagus!

Seed starting stuff

Today a friend sent me home with:

• two boxes of seed starting supplies on loan
  
• a personal walk-through
  
• a book to figure it all out
  
• and a vow of support should I need it

Other friends were going on vacation to a Bountiful Gardens store location, and will pick up our seeds while they're there. This gardening thing is beginning to feel real... except for we haven't DONE anything yet!

Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply

Yet another amazing organic growing catalog-- this one from the fine folks at Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply is on my nightstand. I've enjoyed it a great deal, and am happy to pass it on to anyone who might wish to see it next...

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

I just got a lovely, glossy catalog from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I have pored through it to my heart's content now, and am happy to pass it on to the next planner. Any takers?

The sugarbush

I was talking to a woman who works at Science Central, another locally-minded person, and she recommends the sugarbush for those who would like to volunteer at a real maple syrup farm (chopping wood, collecting sap, carrying said wood, etc). It sounds like an amazing opportunity for those with older children (Kindergarten, or so). Also, you can purchase maple syrup there as well. By the way, has anyone ever been to the Christmas tree farm on St. Joe Rd.? It is also a maple syrup farm, but everytime I've gone to get information there they are closed. Has anyone been there and if so, could you please give us the information you have?
Here's the link for more info on the sugarbush:
http://www.goshen.edu/merrylea/sugar/MAPLE.HTM

Lovely local eggs

Our friend Christine knows a local egg supplier who usually only has enough eggs for her normal customers, but around the holidays she has more than she can use. Guess who just got eighteen big beautiful brown eggs for $1.75/dozen? I think I have to make oatmeal cookies right this moment! Who knows what may happen if this egg entrepreneur finds our area to be more and more interested in local food sources... And thanks, Christine!

Seven Sons Meat Sale!

I just received an e-ad from Seven Sons. Cut-up free range chickens and whole turkeys are 50% off. Visit the farm store to get this great deal.

More yogurt lids, please!

OK, I already turned in my offer for a free subscription to Organic Gardening, but have two lids for the Organic Gardening offer if anyone needs them. If not, I'd appreciate ANY Stonyfield Farms yogurt lids because now the first 250 customers who turn in 25 lids to Stonyfield Farms dairy or soy yogurts can get a free autographed copy of Stirring it Up: How to Make Money and Save the World. I want to read that book, but wouldn't argue about a free copy-- I'd even donate it to the library once we're all finished with it!

Thanks, all!

Earth Laughing Farm

Yesterday morning we visited Earth Laughing Farm in Leo to buy raw wool and eggs. The eggs are beautiful and reasonably priced at $2/dozen.

The wool is, well, it is raw wool (read: stinky) and just what I needed. I am going to use it in a fiber art program to show kids the process from sheep to finished product. The farmers were extremely helpful and even gave me some carded wool and yarn!

We are on the egg list so we should be able to pick up more eggs in a few weeks. If you would like eggs, contact the farm OR comment here and we'll pick some up for you and make a smaller CFP.

The farm will have produce in the summer, chickens in the spring and turkeys in November if you order them soon.