MIDDLE GROUND

FARM NEWS

FROM THE FARMERS

Over the last week I’ve been working on an organic grower grant proposal to get resources to improve our packing shed. Part of the grant writing process is of course to step back and take a bird’s eye view: how will we use grant resources to achieve greater sustainability? It is accepted that there are three aspects of sustainable agriculture: the financial, social and environmental. At first, I focused on the financial and emotional/social challenges we endure. Take, for instance, the strawberries. Everyone has a broken heart when the strawberries don’t come in, especially us since we take the results to the bank. Strawberries are hard to grow on a large scale. They are susceptible to x, y, and z. When we first started raising strawberries we mulched them with straw, and pulled weeds for 8 hours a day, and weeks on end only to watch the blooms freeze during a late frost and the remainder turn to mush in a rainy harvest season. So this year, as in the past, we went against our high-minded principles (and our desire never to have to pick shreds of black plastic from the fields, ever again) and planted on black plastic mulch. It takes a lot of the variables out of the equation (lots and lots of weeding, and reduces risk of mold without using fungicides), but adds a few also (more waste and lots of plastic to pick up after harvest. Not that we want to darken your sunny picture of those full quarts of strawberries we hope to have in the CSA come spring. But like so many things, it’s a balancing act. We need your feedback,  so we can go at it together.

-Bryce

p.s. There are corn based biodegradable plastic mulches available, but to our knowledge they are yet to be approved for certified organic use. We have heard these products are up for review before the national organic standards board.

 

 

WEEK #22 CSA SHARE CONTENTS

ALL OUR PRODUCE IS NOW CERTIFIED ORGANIC!

• ACORN SQUASH
• BELL PEPPERS
• BEANS
• SWEET POTATOES
• ZUCCHINI
• OKRA
• BEETS
• NAPA CABBAGE

WEEK #23 CSA SHARE CONTENTS

• SPAGHETTI SQUASH
• RED AND ORANGE PEPPERS
• POTATOES
• BASIL
• BEANS
• SWISS CHARD
• NAPA CABBAGE

FARM NOTES & EVENTS

THIS THURSDAY:

FIND US AT THE LFUCG GOVERNMENT CENTER 3:30-5:00 PM

• TUESDAY – BEREA FARMERS MARKET, 3:30-6:30 PM
• THURSDAY – MADISON COUNTY FARMERS MARKET, 10:00-1:00 PM @ EKU
• SATURDAY – BEREA FARMERS MARKET, 9:00-12:00 PM
• SATURDAY – LEXINGTON FARMERS MARKET, 7:00-12:00 PM