Acres USA's December Issue - The Untold Chapter

Earlier this summer I was interviewed for a story in Acres USA’s magazine, known as “The Voice of Eco-Agriculture”. Acres USA is “North America's oldest publisher on production-scale organic and sustainable farming". The magazine is available at various book stores and news stands and you can read the full article there.

The interview was about specific challenges I experience as owner of an urban farm. And writer Rita Cook notes in the magazine index tease; “…..she has overcome these challenges and continues to focus on growing in harmony with nature…” Staying focused on the end result, “….to produce fresh, healthy food for the local community.” is the best way I know of to be successful.

One of the questions I was asked, concerned any benefits there might be to owning an urban farm. There can be several, namely accessibility to the farm for consumers, which could be considered a built-in market. However, I explained it is only a potential market. As with any business, just because you build it – doesn’t always mean they’ll come; even if they can walk to it. Marketing plays an important role in consumer’s choices.

I added that along with that built-in market, came built-in competitors as well. As the popularity of local food and all things related has increased since I opened in 2007, about a dozen or so other well financed, neighborhood “farmer’s markets” and “CSA’s” have popped up all over the DFW area.

Do they have farmers who actually grow the produce being sold? Some of them. Is it clear which ones don’t? Not always. “Why is this a big deal?” you might ask. It’s a story in and of itself that I’ve touched on many times, but probably bears repeating.

I replied to that question in a part of the story that wasn’t published. With a few additional thoughts I’ve added since the interview, here’s what I said.

I’ll let you decide what the big deal might be, from the farmer or a consumer’s perspective.

Accessibility is of course one of the certain pluses. It is not only convenient for customers, but it makes deliveries of produce to the farm’s restaurant accounts less costly than for many out of town farms.

As far as the larger customer base, this has its up and down side. The extra people living in the area means the market is also desirable to many other businesses vying for the same thing. And I’m not talking about other small farms. Medium to large food buying clubs, middle man run food co-ops and out of town large farms that use their marketing dollars to tout “to your doorstep” deliveries of “local” food are all here, too.

This gives the consumers what has become a wide, yet confusing, choice of ways to eat better. However, it has also put a sort of wedge between the farmer and the consumers' plates by encouraging the old “get bigger or get out” mentality in order to be able to compete. Right in our own backyards.

I don’t think many consumers really understand that when a middle man gets involved between the farmer and the end consumer, about half of the gross profit for the farmer is lost. The one who made this food possible in the first place.

Try to think of it this way; if he, or she, gets paid 50 cents of the retail dollar for those tomatoes the customer paid $5-$6/lb; a farmer is working tirelessly to grow and protect 10 acres of the most gorgeous, delicate, hard to transport and delicious fruit around – and essentially gets paid for only 5 acres. 

I’ve recently seen several farmers stop farming because they just couldn’t afford to do it anymore. This is a sad, and scary, trend. Especially when we're talking about trying to replace the ever aging current farmer base. 

Small farmers can’t afford to donate half of their time or product any more than anyone else can. And yet, in the form of their net profits, it’s often given to a middle man who can choose to buy from any source, local or not, big or small, based on price, (read profitable - to the middleman). This is often done in order to supplement their customers' “shares” with out of town, out of season produce, just to keep a bounty in their customer’s basket. If local weather or other conditions are affecting actual North Texas local farms’ yields, this practice is a direct conflict of what the original CSA movement was meant to be about, and has confused many customers. Or at the very least, has certainly not done a very good job exposing them to the reality of farming. Which is a large part of what the whole "local food" movement is about, right?

The customer doesn't share any risk with the farmer in a food co-op or an on-line grocery ordering system where its "pay as you go". And as far as I know, neither does the food co-ops' owners.  CSA is also supposed to be about sharing the risk with the farmer - to help keep the farmer's supported, “bounty or bust”. The farmers plan, plant, cultivate and hope for the best. But committed CSA members of a farm don’t bail out if grasshoppers or an early, hard freeze ends the season unexpectedly.

Instead, these customers have developed a relationship with that farmer, their farmer, and know he or she will do their best to make it up the next season. Cash refunds are rare, as CSA funds are collected and used as "seed money" at the beginning of a season.  That's part of the concept, too. Banks aren't as forgiving of crop failures, and many urban farms sit on prime tax base properties that are under agricultural valuations. (Even if it takes many more years to achieve than it should have.)

The pressure is already great to provide our customers with the best we can grow for them, because most farmers take a lot of pride in what they do. But it’s really difficult to compete with the marketing campaigns and misuse of descriptive terms, like co-op and CSA, when even major local media coverage interchanges the words and doesn’t make clear the differences between the various programs. 

This difficulty is especially true if the consumers' main objective the convenience of a weekly selection of a wide variety of what they are used getting from the supermarket, dropped off at their doorstep. They may not even realize that the small farm touted when they joined, may no longer even part of their "share" because of a crop failure or had a crop that was rejected by the distributor for a few bug holes in the leaves of a crop grown organically. (Excuse me, do you want us to grow without synthetic pesticides? Then you're sometimes going to have a few holes in your cabbage leaves.)

We waste so much food in this city; food that healthy meals could be made from, and given to the people starving right here in our own back yards. People living in food deserts, where, ironically, my farm is located along the edge of. But that topic, is again another story in and of itself. One I'll try to cover another day.

But some customers are so out of touch with the differences between these middle man food delivery services and CSA's, that in the same year that Eden’s and another small local farm were named “Best CSA” in a tie by the magazine’s staff, a readers choice award in the same publication for “best farmer”, went to one such local food distribution company, instead of an actual farmer. (I didn't even notice farming as a category in this year's "best of" version. Probably just as well.)

Abraham Salum - one of my farm's first local chef supporters

There’s still seems to be a real disconnect, even though the topic of local food and being in touch with its source, has risen to new levels in the past 5 years. Locally, that is in large part thanks to the publisher of the 5 year old magazine Edible Dallas and Fort Worth, Chefs for Farmers, a number of prominent chefs, as well as the various food documentaries that made it to some of our local theaters. National Eco-conscience companies like Chipotle have sponsored local expert panels to answer questions from the audiences after these films as well as large food festivals. Educational opportunities are out there, and growing bigger. I have hope for the future.

(If you missed them at the theaters, some films really worth seeing are Fed Up, Food Inc., Cafeteria Man, GMO OMG!, GROW!, Fast Food Nation, and Fresh!, the film my farm premiered here in Balch Springs back at our periodic fund raiser BarnAid a few years ago.) 

So, really the best thing I can do to not look like a sour grape, is just tell the story of what I’m trying to do here, and rally the support of those who want to help achieve the goals I’ve set.

I try to encourage people who really want to be on the front lines of food justice and eating locally grown, clean food, to join me and pledge their support with a CSA membership or to buy as much of their family's food as they can by other farmer-direct methods. 

As Alice Waters so eloquently put it many years ago, and I paraphrase here; everyone has the right to eat good food and to make a fair living. I think that there are plenty of ways to do both, without doing so at the expense of others.

 

And I think the, successful on-line fund raiser I recently held for the farm, is perhaps a testament of the achievement of this farm’s outreach. 

But not all farmers have such prominent public voices. Being urban has also afforded me that privilege. So holding a small market here on my farm to help give fellow farmers a place to sell their wares, has become an important cornerstone for my farm's mission. 

I still host the only market in DFW that allows only food grown or produced organically, meaning, without the use of synthetic pesticides, etc., or GMO's. Certified or not, I know these farmers and producers personally, and my customers have come to know them as well. We don't need a government sticker to back up our word. We work in our own fields and eat, and serve to our families and friends, the food we produce.

Let the local growing continue, and let’s hope convenience and price doesn’t always win out over small, local and real food, grown with integrity. The more demand for transparency there is, for food grown naturally and truly grown locally, the more it will become available.

Buy direct from the grower or producer as much as you can. It's really what the big benefit of having local farms around, is all about. And get involved! There's a current movement going on to help loosen restrictions on community gardens and urban agriculture in the City of Dallas.

Now Go on and Eat Your Food - Naturally!
Farmer Marie

The Kids Are Going to be Alright

Everyone generally has some purpose behind what they have chosen to do for a living. Some choose their career for fame and fortune – no, not too many but it is a purpose for some. Certainly I don’t know many people who choose what they do for a living that have done so because it’s going to make them famous or rich.

They often choose it because a particular skill needed came naturally to them; it's what their parents encouraged them to do; it’s in an environment they enjoy being in; or it supports some specific cause they feel strongly about.

I’d have to say that, for those of you who do not know my story, the latter is what drew me into this world of farming and local food. I’ve always been an advocate for the little guy getting a fair shake, the underdog you could say. (In fact, that was one of my favorite cartoons growing up.)

And, the latter is what keeps me persistent about developing this place into a sustainable food production “hub” for the community of south east Dallas County where I’ve lived nearly ever since I moved to Texas some 22 or so years ago.

I don’t know too many who own and run small farms for a living that do this solely for the money either. Although, it can seem to bring “fast” cash after only a few hours of selling at a market. But let me tell you, if you have put your full time self into making sure those crops are selected, planted, cared for and harvested with dedication and purpose, it doesn’t feel like “fast” cash. The only part that is fast is the rate at which one runs out of one dollar bills for change…..

Having come from a family that sat down to eat most all of our dinners together as a family, (and even breakfast and lunch was served at home, in the kitchen at the table with my brother), I feel pretty privileged compared to many kids that I hear about today, who eat on the fly. My mom was able to stay home to plan and prepare balanced meals, three times a day, seven days a week. We weren't wealthy, she just cut lots of coupons and shopped sales like everyone else. And eating “out” was reserved for special occasions, or, a family owned pizzeria's pizza was delivered with the Sunday night family TV programs. That, incidentally, was also the only time I remember being allowed to drink soda. At home or in most cases, at all. It just wasn’t served to children that much as I remember. Not that those artificially flavored/colored, sugary fruit drinks that left u with brightly colored smile all over your face were much better for us; but even those were not common in our diet. It was OJ and milk for breakfast; milk for lunch and dinner. We were growing kids. We didn’t drink coffee, frozen or otherwise, or soda. It stunted your growth! Ok, ok, but that's what we were told.

I also learned to enjoy a wide variety of vegetables in my meals as a kid. Granted, often they were frozen and not garden fresh; but I lived in my grandmother's apartment building which had a concrete slab for a backyard. We didn’t have a huge garden in our yard from which my mom could pluck fresh our side dishes and salads. (An option I do now have that I find quite cool.)

 

But we were fed everything from Artichokes, thanks to a Sicilian grandma, to Zucchini. We missed a few letters in between like kale, Swiss Chard, turnips, and various others I suppose. But overall, I feel like I developed a wide pallet for produce. And cook as she did, my mom was a simple cook. Not a lot of fancy sauces or seasonings. I knew what Brussels sprouts tasted like, and I liked them! Cabbage was great to me – until they turned it into “sourkraut”! And I remember her growing beans or peas on the chain link fence along the alley and grabbing some on my way out of the gate to go play. That sweet flavor didn’t need any seasoning according to my taste buds.

And, much to the dismay and horror of many, all winter long we scooped the poop of our building’s 3 canine residents right into the usually snow covered opening in the concrete slab that became my mom’s spring garden. The tomato plants, cucumbers and corn she grew didn’t seem to mind that it wasn't on someone's approved list of items "ok to compost". 

The stories about kids’ diets that I hear nowadays though, don’t reflect the same kind of food variety filled options that my memories are full of. Many a modern day kid is seen sipping on a $4 coffee "ice cream shake", or even a regular hot cup of java; soda like it’s water, all while toting a bag of some kind of cardboard-like artificially flavored snack “food” or the less than prime parts of an animal shoved into an artificial casing wrapped in sugary filled dough slathered with preservative filled condiments. (Yes, I've been told I can be a bit dramatic, but I'm making a point.) 

I was recently told about a young boy who was participating in some kind of after-school or summer program and had been asked if he liked squash by one of the adult volunteers. The child looked up, puzzled a bit, and replied, “What’s squash?”.  The adult inquiring probably had the same puzzled look on his face and asked another question of the child about their normal meal contents. To which this child responded that his busy mom would bring home a loaf of bread and “cheese”. He would make himself 2 cheese sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and again at dinner. He did however get to decide whether he wanted mustard or “mayo”.

Wow.

How do our children function on such diets? How do they grow? How are they not sick or full of allergies? How can we expect them to make good food choices later in life?

A diet of no one at home to nurture their mind or body, pretty much sets them up for specific issues later in life. And while many will be able to overcome these issues, many do not. If they’re never taught how to eat properly and why they should want to, much less how to prepare, heck, how to IDENTIFY a vegetable; how can they be expected to do this for themselves as adults. Or, if they have them, for their children? And so the cycle we seem stuck in today, had begun.

We were the first of the “latch-key” kids, learning to grow up on our own without a lot of parental benefits often afforded those with 2 folks around. But at least we had regular food in our fridge to choose from because before she went away, my mom taught me how to cook, make a grocery list and shop for food. Real food. And, they still taught "basic foods and nutrition" in high school. Many kids our age had healthy bodies despite the broken or dysfunctional homes some came from. But when you have neither, a healthy diet or a healthy family of origin, the odds have really been stacked against you. And it’s not always something folks really understand the consequences of until many years later into their lives. If ever.

This is something I feel pretty strongly about and something it seems is only slowly starting to be better understood. While the first 13 years of my childhood were filled with good meals, there were things going on around me that kept me from being able to say I came from a “Walton’s” type family life. And my younger brother, only 7 at the time we earned our place as a statistic, only had me to look to for the limited guidance I could give him regarding life. At least he ate well most of the time, but how could he really absorb a real sense of why it was important to feed himself well if I hadn't really been taught it yet?

At first we thought it was all A-ok to be on our own, because hey, now we could make those cool, sugary pop out of the tube cinnamon rolls for breakfast, whenever we wanted. Not just when it was our birthday or something. (IF our mom even ever made them. This may have been a food we discovered from our Saturday morning cartoon binges, and now shopping unsupervised, took home with us.) But even to us, Chef boy R Dee got old and we remembered certain things we had grown used to eating. Like artichokes and tuna casserole with peas. Our taste buds wouldn't let us get away with this silliness all of the time.

Thankfully, I knew more or less how to cook, and so I did my best to follow old menus my mom had previously used, with the aid of the cookbooks she made margin notes in; most of which are still on my bookshelf today. Artichokes, corn on the cob, green beans, and various other vegetables still adorned my aged 14, 15 year old prepared lunches and dinners. And breakfast was still milk and OJ – even though my brother insisted on Captain Crunch peanut butter cereal a lot. I wasn't really equipped to know how to reason with an 8 year old, so he often got his way.

But what about those kids who aren’t blessed with 13, or even 7 years, of good eating habits and guidance to fall back on? Maybe that six-a-day cheese sandwich child’s mom grew up on microwave popcorn and “cheese-food” sandwiches herself. This is the sort of situation that breaks my heart and makes me cry. Literally. And if I accomplish nothing else with this 14 acres I call Eden's, I will make sure that I do everything I can to show as many children as I can that good food can be just as cool as they think those pop out of a tube rolls and cardboard salt sticks in the shiny foil bags are. Adults, once educated with more information than they may have had previously, usually have a bit more power over their choices. And providing them with opportunities to gather that information is also something on my agenda. But a child is pretty much at the mercy of what’s in the pantry or fridge at home; whether or not he or she knows a cucumber sandwich would be better for them. And if they don't know how to prepare something, they're likely going for that bag of chips - even if it's not the only thing available.

Seeing kids grow up overweight to the point it has critically affected their health, not just their self esteem due to normal childhood teasing, is not fair. And I’m all about fair and justice, remember? At least give someone a chance to do things differently. So many times we choose the easiest solution, instead of the best one. Nothing here against busy moms and cheese sandwiches, but there has to be a better solution than that. Sometimes it takes nudging a person in a different direction, but it takes a community to raise a child. Right?

Our media bombards them at every turn. In our schools, on billboards as they ride down the street on their way to school or soccer practice – fast “food”, snack “food”, and anything other than images of healthy fruits and vegetables, bombard their minds everywhere they turn. If you have not ever been given anything other than false information, how can you be expected to choose differently?

Many kids, and I daresay adults alike, are not only bombarded with negative media about food choices, but are also under constant pressure to “go-go-go” without much time to let their natural instincts even try to kick in and encourage them to go for the apples instead of the fried salty snack. Quiet time is something used as a punishment – not a rewarding opportunity to listen to their little bodies tell them what it wants.

In the spirit of this goal, I have had it as part of my business plan to develop a children’s educational program here at the farm ever since I decided to expand my business from a garden center to an agricultural operation. I always encouraged parents to include their kids in gardening classes, but now I was becoming even more aware of the need to not only teach them to play in the dirt, but to also play in the kitchen with what they pulled out of the dirt. 

So, enter in FARM CAMP. It’s my first attempt, as I am the full time grower here, it's my first opportunity actually, to offer something at a really organized level that is very pro-active towards connecting younger children with food. With nature. With themselves.

The woman who is bringing FARM CAMP to Eden’s this summer has a long history of working with kids, and from what I’ve seen, living at a pace of life that allows one to hear and respond rather than observe and react. I really think this is a great and important first step for not only the farm, but for up to 10 lucky kids who get to be the first ones through this inaugural program. Jennifer will move on to open her own children’s education facility, but my hope is that it has started the momentum towards a full time, year round children’s educational program here at Eden’s that will bring many, many kids face to face with a chicken, a carrot and a squash. Some, for their first time ever.

Seeing the smiles on their faces as they come here to my farm, without fail, brings one to mine. And it does wonders to make those long, hot or cold, wet or thirsty dry, days – worth every uncomfortable minute. 

We borrow this planet for a short time – and leave it to those not even thought about yet. I hope to do my part to not only keep this slice of nature healthy for whoever follows me, but to help bridge that gap of knowledge about a lot of things like healthy eating, that came about whenever our society seemed to stop choosing the solutions that build strong minds, bodies and families and going for easy or convenient, forgoing potential consequences.

Eat Your Food - Naturally!

Marie

From Sunny CA to Chilly Dallas

The winter season plants have started to arrive! Now they still have to get in the ground and grow, but I estimate some of them will start to be ready to harvest in late February/early March if winter is kind to our farm.

We have a great opportunity this weekend for you to get your hands in the dirt and help plant them, mulch and harvest from our fall crops, too. What a neat chance for children to see plants going in and then come back to harvest and eat what they planted months previously. And be sure to bring them by once in awhile to see the progress of growth, too, of course! Community Supported Agriculture is about the farm and the community - that is YOU! So please, always feel free to be a part of what is going on out here at the farm even if you are not a work share member.

One of our members is actually a co-worker of mine at my "day-job", Dave Shepard, and he was kind enough - not to mention very excited - to snap some pics of the arrival of the veggie plants. Surely they are shivering from our cold welcome - they were growing in CA until Monday! But, I'll harden them off gradually this week and we'll treat them with kid gloves till they go in the ground. Last night, in fact, some of them even got to spend the night in the dining room - talk about spoiled plants! Now, my dining room wasn't heated, but I think it was still warmer than being outside - even in the greenhouse. They are tiny but numerous and they'll cover a lot of ground once planted.

There is BROCCOLI-ARCADIA, BROCCOLI-PACKMAN , CABBAGE EMERALD CROSS, PAK CHOI JOI CHOI, PAK CHOI MEI QUIN CHO, CABBAGE RUBY PERFECTION , CAULIFLOWER SNOWBALL, CAULIFLOWER VERONICA , MESCLUM BLEND, RADICCHIO RED PRECO & SPINACH BLOOSDALE! Whew! The grower had a crop failure on the Brussels sprouts unfortunately. We'll try to get them another time.


Let me know what you would like for me to try to secure for spring growing - now is the time to think about that. If you want to do some growing at home, let me know as I'll be ordering 4" organic plant starts for the shop this spring. As Eden's CSA members I'll work out some kind of special discount for you.

And watch your email for a survey soon. I'll be putting one together and I hope you'll take a few moments to answer a few brief questions as to your relationship to Community Supported Agriculture and connection to this farm and local food in general. It will help me understand what your goals and objectives are for supporting the farm.

Looking forward to seeing many of you soon!




Marie
Eat Your Food - Naturally!

Growing - Physically and Spritually

Yesterday, I attended an all day farmers' workshop that was put on by our friends of TOFGA. The Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association is an organization of state wide farmers, ranchers, retailers and individual gardeners who share the same mindset about growing things naturally. Some are certified others are not. TOFGA's main goal is to educate those who farm and ranch and to encourage those who don't - to get busy!

Local farming really is an important part of our country's future. Some even say it is critical. Everything I read about our current food situation is pointing more and more in that direction for various reasons. Some parts of the country don't raise enough food to support their own people should there be some kind of natural disaster that kept food from being brought in - such as a severe snowstorm or hurricane, etc. They could feed on the corn raised that is stored in the silos - but I don't think they'd like it much. Heck, the cows are force fed that stuff. And you don't have to look far to see the deteriorating health of our kids and many peers. It is hard to sustain much of a quality of life on sugar free this and that, processed frozen food chocked with preservatives and chemicals and fast food diets free from fresh vegetables and full of sodium and who knows what else. But that is how a vast majority of America eats - and barely survives. Nutrition - it affects our bodies, our minds and every other part of our lives.

The point is that what we all are a part of here at Eden's, is actually on the cutting edge of what is coming. No, I'm not a doomsday person, not at all. I'm just a pretty practical girl. It makes more sense to me to grow what we can for ourselves, and export any extra perhaps, sure if there is any, - but why rely on others to import to us, what we can already grow here? OK - you want strawberries in January, or in August for that matter. Maybe we can cheat and get in a California shipment at the local grocery store. But to import things year round like meats, dairy, common veggies and such - all that does is lower the value of what is being grown at home - and put farmers out of biz. History has shown us that.

The saddest part perhaps of all is that what is being imported isn't nearly as fresh or valuable as what is now unavailable locally because the farmer couldn't survive on the lowered prices for his or her products and had to take a day job or lost their farm - or both. His or her crops were far superior to those imported from who knows where and in storage for how long? But, many people don't have an inkling about the importance of eating really fresh food. As long as it looks like a tomato it is one, right? Well, sorta. Unfortunately, the tricks they use to make things look fresh are unknown by many people and many more are sold by the pretty pictures on the boxes - even though the taste inside is far inferior to homemade freshness. Sadly, I think many have forgotten how good fresh, home made food really tastes and nourishes, not only our bodies, but our minds as well. Why does special Thanksgiving dinner really taste so good - probably because much of it is really food - not out of a box or can. (hopefully anyway)

At our workshop yesterday we talked all about the nuts and bolts of growing and ranching. Then, one speaker took us on an interesting path. Energy and Intent.

With what intent are we growing our crops? Many believe that plants grown by someone with a true respect for nature and a love for the process, are going to be far superior plants with less pressure from pests, disease and other problems. When you raise animals with respect and dignity, their bodies don't produce various enzymes or release natural chemicals that can make the meat less palatable as when animals are crowded and abused, scared or neglected. Sure, we still have to work hard and take necessary steps to grow plants and feed the animals, but doing so by using our energy and the energy that exists on the earth in various minerals, etc., in a positive way, can make a big difference in the end results.

I really think there is something to this theory; as "out there" as it may seem to some people. We all have energy - positive and negative. Everything puts off vibes or energy of some sort. These vibes or waves, etc., can be picked up by instruments and measured, so we know it is true. And, we know people tend to do a better job at something when they love what they do. Perhaps part of that is the belief in what you are doing is important, even a mission or a life calling. And perhaps part of that is the energy or vibes you send out are apparent in the final product for other reasons. All I know is that many people who follow a holistic way of doing things, tend to be pretty successful at what they are doing.

Having said that - know that I LOVE growing for you all! It is important to me to be successful for reasons that go way beyond the monetary ones. It pains me to see people unable to get the nutrition they need because they can't afford it, or can't find it, don't know how to prepare it or just don't know how badly they need it. This is personal for me and it is to many who farm. For some, it may be just what has been passed down and expected of them to carry on, although for those who have had a farm passed on to them and welcome it with open arms - they know how blessed they are. Yet for others, we chose to do this, to farm, and have found a way to make it happen, many of us amidst growing metropolitan areas and rising property taxes, pollution and other various societal pressures. It is very heartwarming to think that what is grown locally can have such a positive effect on the people's health and lives who are also local. Many of you are my neighbors! I know what isn't available around here to eat. That is in large part, why I decided to do this. To farm. And even though it has been frustratingly slow to get started, every time I come around that corner by the pond and see those plants coming along - I can't help but smile cuz I know the good stuff is coming! Yeah, there are some weeds out there among the fallow areas - feeding the birds; but the tomato plants, cucumber, squash, beets, peas (yep, guys, your seeds are up!), and the other various things we've planted are all growing and just as healthy as can be. And that is without much water as irrigation issues continue to plague us.

But, as I walk among the plants inspecting their growth (with a flashlight sometimes as it is often dark when I get up and out there especially before the time change), when that sunrise comes up over the horizon, I can't hardly think of anything else I would rather be doing at that given moment. Except wishing I didn't have to rush off so soon to sit at a desk for the next 9 hours. But, that day will come, too. More people need and want what our members are getting ready to enjoy - fresh food grown locally and with care, by someone they can see and get to know and someplace they can visit and feel a part of. Connecting to the food - especially when you have been able to help grow it - just seems to make it even more satisfying when you get to eat it. I can't wait either!

Growing with love and faith. Your prayers for healthy food to nourish your bodies and those of your kids are heartfelt and I believe they are heard and being answered in a positive way. I feel the positive energy through the notes, blog comments, and emails I get from you - and I thank you and appreciate them all as well. It reassures me I'm on the right track even with the setbacks. I can't tell you what all this project will net or who or how many it will ultimately affect, but with the good intentions that are involved by everyone participating, from the paying members, working members and unpaid volunteers who just want to be part of this - I can tell you - it is going to be great!

I'll be out watering soon - with a pump I'm going to rent soon as the store opens. We're still finessing the solar irrigation system (more on that soon) - trying to find a pump that will keep up with our needs till the shed is re-assembled and rain water system is in place. And then of course, we'll need rain...

Bless you and your families this beautiful Sunday morning.

Marie
Eat Your Food - Naturally!

Ken Meter: Building a Local Food Economy (part 1)

I subscribe to Farmer Brad's blog because, in part, he always finds such good stuff to post! I think you'll find this interesting...





Marie
Eat Your Food - Naturally!

Great Steps Forward

Working share member Monica Walker shows
volunteer Emily how to plant Eden's way.

Last Saturday was a great day for Eden's Garden! We had several volunteers come out to help weed and plant seeds, yep more seeds, and water and fertilize. Things are growing slowly, but they are growing and I have seen some buds for the tomatoes, squash and cucumbers - so if ol' Jack Frost will stay away long enough, we could be getting some fruit soon. Perhaps our first season has gotten off to a much later start than I had planned, but I'm basically pleased with the current progress the farm is making. I do wish we'd get a bit of rain, as it would jump start the seeds that are in the ground waiting for moisture to arrive. But, help is on the way....

Saturday late morning a gentleman approached the field to inquire about joining the CSA. He asked some of the typical questions such as what we were planting and how much we were planning to harvest, etc. While I was answering these questions, as I usually do, I mentioned that I was striving to create a sustainable environment on the farm by using wind and solar power to fuel the water pump and future lighting. I shared my plan for the irrigation holding tank and rain water barrel system that will feed the elevated 55 gallon water tank which feeds the drip tape via gravity.

The gentleman nodded, and noticing two of my CSA workshare members fussing over the electric fencing set up, walked over to offer his assistance. That is when he began to share of his ability and interest in helping us with our energy goals.

Herb and his wife, Barbara, have pledged to help the farm achieve its goal of a sustainable energy program. His experience in designing and installing a wind turbine system is going to enable me to skip a lot of trial and error time and his generous offer to donate his expertise and time will save money, too. I'm still not sure about all of the watts and such, but that is where Herb has said he can help simplify things for us non-engineer types.

This is going to be an expandable system and so in the future, it can power much more than the little water pump and a few lights. I am very excited about this opportunity to move even closer to being sustainable out on the farm! Harnessing nature's power to work for us, working with nature instead of against it - is a part of what the organic spirit is all about to me. Why create or use something artificial, if it already exists in nature? And, perhaps more importantly, why pay for it!? Wind is free, sun and rain - free! Right?

I know everyone is anxious, as am I, and as with almost any start up of anything - the set backs have been plentiful, and we're all still wondering about the first harvest dates. All I can say is that things are in the ground and growing. I'm planning and planting for successive harvests, so our winter season should come in more on time. But, I've got my calls out for sweet potatoes and other goodies for your Thanksgiving baskets - things that would have had to be planted much earlier if this were an established farm - and will next be year! I didn't envision it taking so long to get the ground plowed up and ready, but with the lack of rain - it would have been damaging to a plow with that ground as hard as it was. That is all behind us now....

CSA member Sara Barnard works side by side with

volunteer Leo and Sam, a working share member of

the Walker family.

I am so looking forward to future seasons! For those of you who have been in this with me since before we even turned a spadeful of dirt - we have come a LONG way baby! and it wouldn't have been possible without your support. Those of you who have chosen to jump in on the ground floor of this farm, are to be commended and applauded! You are making a difference by supporting local farming - organic farming and a sustainable one, at that. We may not have the bounty we hoped for this first season, but we are laying the ground work for a future of many to come.

This will be a special Thanksgiving. To have this opportunity to farm this way for folks that want to take better charge of their health means so much to me. There are adults, seniors and children all over the metroplex who will benefit in the long run from this farm as it grows.

I'll give thanks for all of you jumping in there with me this first year. And thanks to those of you who are spreading the word and recruiting more members. The best thing I think could happen is that I'm able to break away from dependence on working outside of the farm full time so I can devote more time here. 2 hours of daylight before or after work is not a lot of time to get a lot of things done.

Thank goodness for our workshare folks and volunteers! Here are some of them from this weekend - THANK YOU! What a hardworking group of folks.

Sara Barnard, Butch Gordon and his camera shy son Bubba,

Emily and Leo. Not pictured, but equally as tired,

the Walker kids and Jennifer Smolinsky-Ross.

The plan as it stands right now, is that I will have something for everyone for Sunday, November 24th. For those of you who took advantage of the Heritage Turkeys, you'll be heading down to the farm anyway that day. So, we'll make the first official day of share pick up that Sunday. If you haven't ordered a turkey and can't make it on Sunday, let me know and I'll have yours ready on the regularly scheduled day of Saturday. We'll share more details as the date draws closer and I have a better idea of what will be in your shares.

Keep praying for some rain and thanking Him for all of our members!

Marie
Eat Your Food - Naturally!

We Made the Front Page!

Check out the story about your CSA in the DMN NeighborsGo - Mesquite/Sunnyvale/Balch Springs edition or online at http://www.neighborsgo.com/stories/21140

Jenice Johnson will be around from time to time to talk to our members about why they joined a CSA and what it means to them and their families. First up was one of our working share members, Butch Gordon and his family, wife Charity and their 5 children.

I must say as a business person, I do see opportunity to make myself a living doing something I really enjoy, playing in the dirt and helping people eat/be healthier. When in the past, farming meant risking it all on your own, the CSA helps make it happen faster as I can focus on the planning and planting instead of how much debt the farm is racking up and worrying about who will buy the product and where I have to go to sell it, etc. This is the ultimate "work from home" job!

As a person who loves people and cares about helping them be healthy, I can't tell you how good it makes me feel to know what I am privileged to do for some of my neighbors. Some of that warm fuzzy feeling I have gets lost in newspaper articles, but I assure you, your stories of how you found me and why are very touching, important and inspiring to me. Growing organically is so cool and rewarding I hope more people take out plots in their own yards to do it on a small scale just for the fun of it.

Some of you have searched and searched for good, healthy, naturally and locally grown food for yourselves and your families - I'm the fortunate one who gets to work the land that has been here all along. I take what I am doing seriously, while having fun and enjoying it every day - and I truly appreciate your support and faith in this project.

Marie
Eat Your Food - Naturally!

Ike took a hike!

Well, I have lived in the DFW area for over 16 years now, but I guess I'm a slow learner. I managed to get taken in by the panic over Ike that swept across the state, even to my mom's weather forecast in Washington state, who called to make sure I was "battened down". I made the mistake of watching too many weather forecasts and local news reports via the Internet over the past few days - and it seems they hyped it up a bit when it came to how it would affect us in North Texas. They didn't really know - it was really anyone's guess.

Where I grew up, we didn't have weather that may or may not come in, could or could not hit. I tell you, if they said it was going to come a storm - IT WAS COMING! All we generally had to do was look to our Iowa neighbors in the west a bit and we could see exactly what our weather was going to be like - and then intensify it a little if you lived nearer to Lake Michigan.

So, when all the buzz about a hurricane the size of our great state here in Texas began, I guess I took it literally and got a bit shook by it. The barn over here is still in a state of disrepair from the tornado, although I finally have some bids to begin working with, and my goodness, I live in a house that is nearly 100 years old and I venture to say that the roof is not very young either! So, had I been feeling a bit more secure in the integrity of the structures around me, I'd probably have been like most native Dallasites - "what storm?"

Well, I'm glad to say we did get the barn roof re-secured and all the misc things you keep thinking you're going to do to tidy up, done. If I could only get that darn spring hooked back up to my riding mower so I could've mowed before the rains....oh well, the horses will get to have a snack in the back yard I suppose.

When served lemons, I'm an expert lemonade maker as a rule. This time I just forgot to squeeze enough.

The good news is that the field is tilled and ready for the final steps and planting. We'd have worked today but the winds are pretty gusty and they'll take the fertilizer to places we don't need it to go. So, we've scheduled a CSA workshare work-day for next Saturday, which again is a market day, and the place will really start to look like a farm. We'll hoe rows, spread the amendments and mix them in. Cucumbers should be ready to go in the ground and even some of the little bite size tomatoes. I didn't plan for too many "summer" veggies as I wasn't sure how early we'd get to plant things, but we'll have a few favorites to enjoy for a little bit. And pickles for the winter!

Well - having said all this, it is time to get some work done. We had moved all the seedlings inside to protect them from what was supposed to be this horrible 8 inch rainstorm with 70 mph gusts of wind - now, I think I'll let them back out so they can enjoy a drink of rich rainwater that comes from Above!

See ya'll soon - batteries are charged again, check back for more pics soon!

Marie
Eat Your Food - Naturally!

We're Plowed!

Just a short entry to update everyone following the farm's progress. I know you all are anxious and waiting for our first harvest - well, as I can feel your excitement, remember this is a fall garden, meaning it gets planted in the fall - think October....

The field did get its second round with the tractor and it looks awesome out there. (Batteries died in the camera, so I cant' post a pic right now -you will have to take my word for it.) Jack, an ol' farmer from these parts in days gone by, ran into me at the feed store the other day and told me he'd come over with Larry to watch him plow. "You've got some good soil over there!" He told me. All righty then! Now I'm really chomping at the bit to get that last tilling done so we can really get stuff planted in the ground.

I've got some 250+/- plants started in seed trays. Another batch will get planted this week and our workshare helpers will come next weekend, postponed from today, to plant more and put up the fence around the field.

There have still been some inquiries about shares and we may still have a few join. Technically, I guess we can add folks up to harvest for the season. We have plenty of land ready to go and I have more than enough seeds and plants to grow. So if you have a friend looking to join, just have them get in touch with me.

I'm getting caught up around the house and shop this weekend and praying for a bit of rain, just for good measure, before the final tilling. We want those weeds to be exhausted! Then, compost and other soil amendments will get turned into the soil, fence goes up, rows get hoed, irrigation gets set out, seeds and plants go in and things get growing!

Next Saturday is Market Day, so we'll be open to the public from 9-4, (market is till noon). Come on out and see us! Be sure to bring the kiddos so they can feed the chickens and see the new baby chicks, too. Here is a pic of a few....




Marie

Eat Your Food - Naturally!

After the rain....

8-24-2008

We wait for the rain, wrought with anticipation that it will come. Then, it won't stop! But, the seasons just happen. There still are certain things we as humans, can't control! The "trick" is, we have to learn to sit still, listen, watch, really observe and even feel nature at work so we can work with it. Sounds a bit mysterious, but I think the more you are out in nature, the more you see it differently. So for some reason, I'm really not frustrated at the week or so I felt like I "lost" to the rains for getting the gardens ready for planting. I think we're right on time.

Now it is true, sometimes you can "feel" a time where there is an opportunity to get a head start. Brad and Jenny, my farmer friends near Bryan, had that slot this summer and are just about to enjoy some really late summer or very early fall, however you want to look at it - squash. And, when you have beds that are established you can generally catch those windows - if the prior season's plants are all done, the beds are clean and you've been able to re-work and prepare them for the next crop - before that short window closes.

It is amazing to watch the trees seem to cry out for a break during the summer dry spells - you can really almost hear them! Then, even more awesome, is to watch the skies open up and give them what they ask for! Why the floods then? Sometimes, it is because we have used up too much of the precious ground that should be drinking in the precious rains. It has nowhere else to go. Coming from a family of construction industry workers, my thoughts about development are not always kindly received. I'm sure there is a balance somewhere - I really hope for future generations we figure it out - soon.

(OK - it is Sunday morning and I'm feeling a bit spiritual I guess - but then, you come out here and see all that just "is" and I don't know too many who won't feel it, too. It is hard to escape, even if you wanted to.)

We're going to get to really plow the plot up today - it should be awesome now that the ground is good and soft - a far cry from a few weeks ago when it was like a dust storm! Our friend from Canton, Glen McIlvain, is bringing in his tractor for us again. After he plows, he'll hit it with the disk once more to smooth out any big clumps. If it is smooth enough then, the amendments can get added and our work share members will be putting up the fence next weekend. We're also going to be starting more seeds throughout the week and hopefully everyone will have a chance to hoe a row next weekend! Y'all can come out and see us if you want, you are certainly more than welcome, to help or just observe. We'd love to have you!

The Dallas Morning News' NeighborsGo on line paper is going to follow our progress by stopping out from time to time and filming things. This blog will have links to the on line video series by our friend and editor, Jenice Johnson, called "Life on the Farm" when it starts, and my Life on the Farm blog, seperate from my normal "Eden's Gardner" gardening blog, is on NeighborsGo for those who are not CSA members but that might be interested in seeing a new farm popping up right in their town but don't know about this blogspot. Feel free to visit both. I'm not a professional writer, these are just my attempts at tracking the process. Who knows, maybe it will inspire someone else to start farming a small plot of land! That is the goal of TOFGA - to grow more farms, locally, organically and bring more healthy and naturally good food to the tables of the folks who live nearby; eat local. We're on our way to do our part! All of us together can make a small splash and watch the ripples......

Enjoy your Sunday - try to stop and watch some nature today - you'll be rewarded for it if you can.
The beautiful rainbow shot above was taken by CSA member David Sheppard after one of the first of the thirst quenching rains came through - look closely, you'll see the double rainbow!

Marie

Eat Your Food - Naturally!

What's that falling out of the sky?

oh it is R A I N!!!! And a nice, steady one at that. We really need this - and we're supposed to get rain for the next 3 or so days! This means the plowing will probably take place mid week next week.

It is Friday the 15th and there are still about 10 spaces open for the fall season's CSA shares. We're going to go ahead and move forward even if we don't get 26. I've kept my "day" job, so I can still pay my bills for now. And the grocery bill will go down a lot!

I have several folks who've requested working shares, which of course, will help with the work load, especially while I need to keep my regular job. (Sorry, there are not any more working shares available at this time.)

If you have signed up, look for a short note from me this weekend and we'll talk about pick up days/times, the carpool idea and a few other things that have been brought up.

That is all for now - enjoy the rain!

Marie
Eat your food - naturally!

Breaking Ground

August 9th - D Day - or should it be P Day (for plowing day)? At any rate, I went out to the pasture this morning, it was relatively quiet for an urban farm - the quiet sounds of roosters and a bullfrog or two mixed in with the sound of highway traffic. Almost perfect.

Here is what the pasture looks like at this moment, early sun coming up over the trees. Breaking ground is exciting. I am waiting on the tractor and plow to arrive to get started. While I waited, I went to see my feed store friends, Jacky and Matt, about some fencing. Jacky is going organic! Well, at least on one of his acres of garden anyway. It is a start. He wanted to know what to do to "go organic". Turns out, last year he already was. He keeps rabbits and used manure over the entire garden last winter and let it mellow the soil - had the best tomatoes of all his friends! It's catchy - once you see how well it works. He'll be hooked in no time.

Well, here is the video and some sounds of the morning - listen closely, you can hear the bullfrog's song. I plan to tape some of the ground breaking so you can see the transformation from pasture to gardens.



Marie
Eat Your Food - Naturally!