Tag: freshfood

Resilience

My wife and I started our farming adventure to build a lifestyle around family and caring for a portion of the world we could eventually call ours. When Covid slowed the supply chain while raising the strain on the food production we saw a new problem that hit us in a particular spot and a new chapter started for SFP.

We realized that we needed to evaluate our farm operations and capabilities with resilience to any number of issues. For example, what happens to our garden if there is a drought? An evaluation of various watering methods led to the decision to use a drip irrigation system- our research told us it was more efficient than using sprayers.

Another question we had to consider: what happens if the power fails? I worked out how to use a generator and gravity to move water. Each regular use item had to be assessed, from the freezers to the lights. Additionally, we had to consider food supply, and how our own garden would come into play. Slowly I worked out each problem. It was an extremely lengthy project. I heard the counter arguments, and many sources stated interruptions in supply chain are rare and minimal in impact.

Just this past month, we got to test some of our plans and preparations when we lost power for several days. In some ways, it was a surprising success. We ran the generator to keep long term food storage cold and to run lights in the evenings. Our animals were contained by solar electric fences. We were able to harvest in the garden and send the scheduled CSA boxes out on time.

Sure, daily life was different and there will be continued work into improving the resilience of SFP. Every activity and each chore was slower and required more effort. But it was a satisfying small win for why we farm the way we do and how we try to accomplish it.

A Farmer’s Work is Never Done

Barely five years ago, I had a very naive view of gardening. It wasn’t a bad view, it was just far away from how I approach my garden and farm now. But back then, I thought that sometime in the middle of May (based on our zone), we would till the garden, plant our 4 crops, and hope for the best. Sometimes, there would be watering and weeding, but other than that, my time would be spent on other household tasks and routine summer activities. Once the end of the summer started to creep in (sometime around the middle of August), beans would be picked and maybe canned, tomato sauce was made, and pumpkins were counted in anticipation of their late September harvest. We’d clear the garden once the plants died back after the first frost in October, and I’d wait for the next growing season to start.

But now I know I was wrong. Well, wrong for me and what we do here on the farm.

For me now, the growing season starts before the snow even melts, with tomatoes and peppers and sometimes flowers under grow lights. When the snow has melted, the cool weather plants get direct sown in the grown- typically peas, radishes, kale, and beets. Those are tended, and if we’re really lucky, maybe we have a quick harvest before May even comes. But then there’s succession planting. More radishes and beets to ensure a later harvest. Then come the warm weather crops. Beans, cucumbers, all varieties of squash, and moving the tomatoes and peppers outside in the middle of May.

As I have now learned, beans, summer squash and cucumbers should probably be planted at least twice, to avoid pests and hopefully to extend the harvest. The cool weather plants are harvested and replaced with a round of warm weather plants. Harvest can start as early as June with some varieties, and some plants will continue to produce throughout the season, or can be replaced with a quick turnaround plant until the end of July. In August, as the green beans and zucchini are coming in regularly, the cool weather crops can be planted again. Some in fact do better in August than in April, and may produce passed the expected early October frost.

Even after September, when the pumpkins are finishing up and everything is dying down, I begin planning the following spring’s plantings. I make note on what did well, and where it was planted. I try to keep crops rotated to avoid nutrient depletion.

What I used to think was a few months of work is nearly a year-long process of preparation and maintenance for us on the farm.

While my vision was once rather relaxed and idyllic, I love the yearlong pattern of it all now. Picking out a few new varieties to try among the old favorites that have done well for me for the past 4 years, writing out harvest and planting plans. It is all some form of work; we are never really at rest, just different stages of labor. But definitely a labor of love.

What is a CSA?

Here on the farm, we are passionate about providing a sustainable, close to home, food source for those nearby. Hence this year’s creation of a CSA. Community supported agriculture, or CSA, provides an opportunity for local families to take part in both the risks and rewards of small scale farming.

As an amateur historian, I took it upon myself to research more about the origins and development of the first CSAs. Here I found that CSAs had a longer history than I expected, and that small farmers have struggled with the same issues for many years- how to grow more for others without having to absorb all the cost. Subscription farming fails to deal with the beginning of the season financing, while utilizing the CSA model helps farmers start the growing season with stable financing. Michigan State University also offers a similar explanation– as we grew toward a global economy, we lost touch with the people who produce our food. By supporting a CSA, you are able to know who grows your food. Sometimes you can even participate in the harvesting!

In doing additional research for the farm, I’ve worked through some of the writings of Virginia farmer Joel Salatin. His ideas of livestock helping improve the land has been inspirational to us as we pursue reviving the land from decades of soy bean farming. While he doesn’t run a farm on a small scale like ours, some of his ideas have bled into our methodology for our own farm. We want people to have a hyper-local food source, to have a dependable source of fresh food in the summer months.

Do you want to know where your food comes from? Do you like trying new varieties of foods? Do you want produce that was picked less than 12 hours ago? A CSA might be for you! Many CSAs, including our own, grow a larger variety of veggies then you would see in the store. This year, we will be growing different colored carrots and beans, several different types of salad greens, and many colored tomatoes. 

We are getting really excited for this year’s growing season, and are offering more variety than ever before. From more than 8 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes and peppers to kohlrabi, radishes and bok choy, our CSA will help you experience the best of summer’s produce. 

Please contact us if you would like to learn more about what we are offering this year.