This isn’t brain surgery !!!!

OK, it is 2011 and we are already getting ready for the Spring and Summer season.  Truth be told, we starting getting ready on October 16th, the day after we ended the 2010 season at Saylorsburg.  This year we will be back at the farm in Williams Township (a big and furious HURRAH !!!  Missed being there last year).  It is the hub of everything we do, so it makes sense to sell from there.  We are still going to be at the Blue Ridge Flea Market (Saylorsburg) and one other.  We are not sure which one.  Both are Thursday markets, so we shall see.

We still will be selling exclusively locally grown, pesticide and chemical free, in season produce.  A larger percentage of what we sell will be grown at the farm in Williams Township.  Added to the mix will be a larger percentage of herbs.  We have sold herbs in the past, but are ratcheting that up more for the 2011 season.  I am very excited about having solved (hopefully) one of the problems of selling herbs off site.  They wilt so quickly and look terrible when we try to present them.  This year we are taking the entire plants to the market and cut them when we sell them.  It will be a little more tedious to do that way, but the added benefit will be worth the trouble.  It doesn’t get any fresher than cutting while you wait to buy it.

Also, Chuck is already picking out the seeds for planting in our raised beds.  We are moving to a raised bed system rather than the traditional garden set up we used the last three years.  It will allow for a larger yield per square foot and be able to secure a little better to keep our flock of chickens from eating all the vegetables.  We love the chickens but they have to learn what is their food and what is crops to be sold.  Since I don’t know how to get that across to them, the second best way is to secure what is being sold.

Third, we are moving toward using more ‘heirloom’ or  ‘pure’ seeds.  We are not 100% YET, but I see the day, very soon (maybe as early as 2013) when we only use pure heirloom seeds.  Heirloom seeds are ones that can be collected from the plant and produce we had the year before.  Seeds bought commercially from most places are ‘genetically altered’, ‘hybridized’ or worse.  They are marketed as being a better seed, better yield, safer, and easier.  They are none of the above.  They are not a better seed since they aren’t totally pure.  They may yield more, but statistics show that their nutritional value is significantly less.  Some studies show that an altered seed produces at only 50% nutritional value from pure or heirloom seeds.  That is significant.

Honestly the real reason large agri-companies want us to buy these seeds is profit.  When we buy genetically altered and hybridized seeds, we have to purchase every year, as we cannot save the seeds from the plants.  They don’t produce a guaranteed product second generation.  The only guarantee we have on second generation is that they will NOT be the same as the first generation.  The become a gamble of “Frankenfood” monsters, not knowing what we will get.

We have purchased seeds in the past from a company called Baker Creek Heirlooms (rareseeds.com) It is owned by the Gettle family.  This company is stand up and responsible in what they do.  I have no illusions that they don’t look at the profit margins or bottom line, as we all have to do if we call this a business, BUT they don’t do it at the expense of high standards.  They only sell heirloom or pure seeds from around the world.  Their selection is beyond belief.  They have varieties of seeds that are vast as rainbows.  We bought from them when they were in MO, but now they have purchased Comstock Ferre Seeds in CT.  NOW, they are in driving distance to hand select and not have to mail order.  That is a huge difference.

I have ranted and vented about chemical foods before.  This is our FOOD.  This is what keeps us alive.  You really don’t have to look hard to figure out why we are obese;  why we are sicker than before;  why we need more and more chemicals to offset the ones before.   It is our FOOD.  The more we ingest chemically altered and chemically added foods the more our bodies are revolting.  I know this first hand.  It is not hearsay.  I know when I have had too many processed foods.  I also know when I have been doing the right thing and eating better.  I did not say eating less, just eating better.  That does not mean grazing on the meadow, either.  The better food even tastes better.  It is truly a win-win situation with good food.

As we head into the new year, I am always interested in hearing your ideas of what we might do to make your experience with us at the farm or markets better.  Let Chuck or I know.  And have a great 2011 with healthy food.  Buy local, Buy fresh, Buy from US !!!

Killer Veggies?

"4 deaths tied to bacteria at food processing plant" in Texas. What was the food in question? Celery. What was celery doing in a processing plant?

We've seen the same story before, with eggs, luncheon meats, organic tomatoes, spinach, and so on. It seems like the frequency of these crises is increasing.

Are these foods all inherently risky?

I think that's beside the point.

The problem is that when food is processed on a large scale by people who really don't care, trouble is around the corner. Government oversight is not enough, because (a) the interests of the regulatory agencies are often not aligned with individuals' (in fact, sometimes they are diametrically opposed!); (b) even when their interests are aligned with ours, the agencies are spread too thin to actually do their putative jobs; and (c) they often step in only after the fact, if at all.

Your best defense against getting sick from industrial supply chain food is to avoid it when you can. Rather than buying pre-cut, plastic-wrapped, packaged, processed food from a supermarket, convenience store, or bad restaurant, consider buying whole, unmolested food from a small-scale food producer such as a local farmer. It's not always possible, but it's something to aim for.

While Chuck and I don’t sell there, I read this morning that the Easton Farmer’s Market is closing for the season.  They come back in May of next year.  Chuck and I will be in Saylorsburg, New Hope, and Williams Township next May for a three location selling spots. 

Lucky 16 on the homestretch

  We managed to get between the raindrops this weekend of the October 2nd and 3rd for a great fall weekend of selling.  The product line is far different in just a few short weeks.  I have a wish that if I could sell cantaloupes and corn all season I would move around like a migrant farm worker and just sell.  Maybe think of going to sell in Florida and Texas for the winters.   I don’t think it is a real viable idea, but it makes sense in my warped concept of what I would like to do. 

  Last week saw some of the worst rainstorms in a long long time.   We had rain from Wed-Fri. That made for a ‘wait and see’ attitude about what to do for selling last weekend.  We got the weekend in, but it started raining again on Sunday night and is raining this week as well.  This week should not be nearly as bad, if you listen to the predictions.

  What we had this weekend were pumpkins of many variety.   Part of our vision of selling is to educate and engage our customer as well.  We started that with only selling locally grown, in season, picked fresh, pesticide and chemical free vegetables and produce.  It has taken a bit of time to get across to some that is what we do.  We may not and are not the cheapest produce, but we are a fair price for what we sell.  There is a competitor at the market that is very up front about the fact he goes to the Philadelphia docks for his product.  He buys as floor prices produce that has not been accepted by the distributors or wholesalers or markets.  He buys items that have very little shelf life left.  He buys regardless of country of origin or method of growing.  He can sell for the lowest price because by Sunday much of his product is rotting on the stand.  We chose NEVER to be that type of operation, even if it means always being a bit smaller.

   The second area we hope to engage and educate is that there are hundreds of varieties of most vegetables.  The easiest one this season to do that with is pumpkins.  Everyone, given the first glimpse, sees a pumpkin as the one we grew up with making Jack-O-Lanterns out of.  However, that is only one type.  There are pumpkins of all colors, sizes, shapes, textures.  Much like the potatoes which have the same variety, the U.S. market has focused on only selling one or two types with mass production and advertising and marketing so that we all believe that is the only type of pumpkin or potato we want.  We have blue pumpkins, pumpkins with what looks like peanuts attached to them, long neck pumpkins, goose neck pumpkins, Cinderella pumpkins and more.  We don’t even scratch the surface of what is available in variety.  That is a goal for 2011 and beyond to do more of that.

   We have only two more weekends to go for the market, but are already planning for next year.  This Saturday, at the T&R Farm Shack, Chuck will be demonstrating weaving techniques.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

The 12th Weekend and the Countdown Begins

  We start weekend #12, The Labor Day weekend and plan a really great weekend of fresh produce sales.  The weather is forecast as being as nearly perfect as weather gets.  They highs are going to be in the mid – 70’s and the overnight lows near 60.  There is little to no forecast of rain, though the remaining part of Hurricane Earl is making its way up the coast toward New England tonight and tomorrow.

  Bought in both Kutztown and Lancaster this week.  Tough buying.  The prevailing wisdom is that buyers from the “Jersey Shore” are buying where they can retail corn back out for $10.00 dozen.  A seller told me today she sells corn this season for $1.00 ear and $10.00 dozen.  She can buy wholesale higher than we can sell retail.  That makes it tough on the local sellers.

  We do have some corn and cantaloupes.  If I could sell just corn and cantaloupes all season, that is all I would carry.  We do better on those two items then anything else.  Not even close third to these two items.

  We have three variety of apples.  Macintosh, Gala and Free Red.  All are great apples and we will do well for the season of apples.  We have squash, cucumber, corn, cantaloupes, peppers, tomatoes. 

   Many of these items are likely the last week we will have them.   For those wanting farm fresh, in season produce, picked to fresh sale and NO chemicals or pesticides….. THIS IS THE WEEKEND. 

   Buy Fresh, Buy Local, Buy from US !!!!

… and then the rains came !

  We had a great weekend, even with the ending rain.  We had the largest selection of PA locally grown, freshly picked, chemical free produce we have had all summer.  13 varieties in all.  We had corn, watermelons, tomatoes, several types of squash, eggplants, onions, potatoes, peaches, apples, zucchini, cucumbers.  I think that is it.

  Friday at T&R  Farms we had a great day.  That very small farm market has picked up very well for being pretty much its first year.  We go in there with low expectations, but are always surprised at the number of people that show up to buy.  It is not the easiest place to find in Kunkletown.

  Saturday was decent.  No records set, but a great day at Saylorsburg.  We went into Sunday in the profit margin which is always how we like hitting Sunday.

  We expected big things on Sunday and we were not disappointed.  The problem became that it started to rain just before noon.  That is right before out end of day push where we do really well.

  We were OK with ending a little early as we had to go to a party for our nephew, Josh, who is home from Pakistan and the Navy for 15 days.  His father gave a really great “Seafood Boil” party.  WOW, the food.

   Still have a couple good weekends left.  So we are set for them.  It is all to quickly coming to an end.

It ain’t over until it’s over

  This has been a strange selling weekend.  I guess we got a little cocky after Chuck did so well on Friday.  We never do that well on a Friday, so, of course, we were sure it would last all weekend. WRONG !

   Saturday was average or even a bit below average.  The weather was near perfect, the produce was fresh, had a variety, priced to sell, and ready to go.  So, what went wrong?  Who knows, but folks just were lukewarm about buying.

   We sold Sunday, though we thought on Friday if Saturday did really well, we would be sold out on Sunday.  The market was so full of vendors, they were turning them away.  Problem there becomes you may have twice the vendors, but not twice the buyers.

  Produce seems to be saved some from that, as there aren’t that many of us and very few who just come on nice days.  By the end of the day and the end of the weekend we were sold out.  Didn’t happen as cleanly as we hoped but it did happen.

First Full Weekend of August – WEEKEND #8

This is turning out to be a very odd and strange selling weekend.  We opted to only use farmers in Kutztown area on Thursday.  A gamble as the Amish of Lancaster had much better prices last week, than the Mennonite farmers did.  May end up a gamble that pays off.  We did exceptionally well on Thursday.

  Chuck sold Friday in Kunkletown (I took off first day in six weeks.  Needed a mental health day alone. )  Sold corn, squash, tomatoes, cantaloupes, potatoes.

  Surprisingly he nearly sold out on FRIDAY !!!!!  Means we head out on Saturday with everything we have left.  The stuff we were going to sell on Saturday, plus the hold back we normally keep for Sunday.  Plan is that if we do well tomorrow, we will not be selling on Sunday and take the day off. 

  Not exactly what we planned, but makes for a great plan if it works that way.