Where´s the rain? Hopefully tonight we´ll be surprised with showers. I´m watching the radar and it´s again everywhere around us but not on us. The serious drought that is upon us isn´t hindering the growth of all of our fall crops, as you will see this week. You´ll be immersed this time with an abundance of greens, from the common arugula and Swiss chard to the rarer Asian greens with names like komatsuna and Tokyo bekana. Each is yummy in it´s own way, and there are many ways to prepare them. Some ideas include simple salads, steamed greens atop pasta or alone, sautéed greens with garlic and olive oil, pizza topped with greens, wilted greens over rice, burritos stuffed with mustard greens, and I´m sure you can find much more about preparation methods by searching on the internet. Here´s a great recipe that I came across: http://www.prairienet.org/pcsa/recipes/asiangreens.htm.

GARLIC: This is a great time of year when the summer crops are hanging on (hopefully you´re not tired of okra, eggplant, and basil yet!) and the fall crops are exploding out of the ground. The combination of the two seasons creates so many more options in the kitchen. Another notable thing in this week´s share is a new kind of garlic. Every bulb that you´ve picked up thus far is the common California strain of garlic, a softneck variety. The softneck denotation refers to the flimsy stalk down the middle. This type of garlic is characterized by its ability to store for long periods of time and by its mild flavor; it´s easier to grow in warmer climates. This week, we´ve got hardneck varieties in stock. This garlic doesn´t typically store as long and has a much stronger, more pronounced flavor. The hardneck garlic is rare around the Southeast because it enjoys cold winters. It´s more prized in the culinary community and usually sells for twice the price. Of course, since this garlic doesn´t grow as well in Georgia, our bulbs are a bit smaller than the other garlic you´ve been receiving, but it´s well worth using, especially quickly since it won´t store as long as the others you´ve gotten lately.

LOCAL FOOD ISSUES: As I was pondering what to write about today in the field, I thought of a topic that is very important to me, the ethics of eating locally and knowing your farmer. I recently gave a farm tour and educational program for the food school at the new grocery store in Serenbe, Harris and Clark. I realize that all of you are already eating locally and supporting us as your farmers and I want to thank you all so much for your contribution to the cause of sustainable agriculture. So here is some information that you likely know, but which I though would be fun to share.

Small farming was the way of life decades ago. Most food was grown on one´s own land and produce would never travel if it could be grown in one´s region. The Industrial Revolution changed all this and we were soon turning weapons into fertilizers. The leftover ammonium nitrate from bombs and ammo in WWII was converted into fertilizer with the chemical symbol NH4NO3. This compound is made up of an anion and cation conjunction both containing nitrogen, what was believed to be the solution to all crop fertility problems. The excess of this highly unnatural solution, combined with research stating that crops only need 3 key nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, sent many farmers to look for a solution of cheap amendments that could help the soils. Industry provided this in a highly unsafe chemical form and farmers began growing what was in high demand. New government subsidies favored large commercial operations and supply and demand was abandoned when legislation began paying for the collection of commodity crop surpluses. This surplus is now shoved back into our food supply in the form of corn and soybean oils, corn syrup, and a number of other processed foods and is now being tortured into many new GMO varieties, so that larger operations can easily deal with weed and pest problems. In addition to the chemical fertilizers, many new pesticides were being developed which has helped to deplete the biodiversity on the farm and beyond.

The result of all this hidden surplus food on the American diet has manifested as obesity, diabetes, cancer, other disease, and an overall wasteful mentality. Our industrial meat operations create huge amounts of toxic waste from the excrement of the animals which have consumed a diet completely unintended for their particular species. The waste, which typically equals free fertility, is stored in huge ponds or lakes and is unusable for any application due to contaminants of antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals. In a small farm setting using past wisdom (some of which is still alive in this area today), the cows graze on pasture; the fertility is added back to the soil; and the system stays alive with a complete cycling of nutrients, health, and energy, so that little is needed to add to the land or the animals to complete the cycle.

I believe sustainable farming is minimizing inputs, localizing outputs, decreasing dependency on fossil fuels (the average conventional food item takes 10 fossil fuel calories to produce 1 calorie for our consumption), helping the local economy by keeping dollars circulating, and preserving genetic diversity. Here, we try to represent as many of these "sustainability ideas" as possible. Because our soils are so severely depleted by the erosive cotton farming practices, we do bring in nutrients from other sources, which because of our organic certification sometimes travel long distances to come from an appropriate source. But, because nutrition is so important, instead of feeding our soils just 3 nutrients as large commodity conventional farmers sometime believe, we feed our soils 90 nutrients.

The reasons for buying local break down into environmental, nutritional, and socioeconomic issues.

The environmental impact of eating locally is probably the most profound. The reduction of fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions, and conservation/organic practices saves much stress on our land. Chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and over complicated machinery create huge amounts of pollution and health risks for those who consume the products. Small, organic farms are homes for all kinds of biodiversity, from microbes to larger animals.

Nutritional benefits of your local organic farm are dependent on the soils in which the produce is grown. Selenium can help fight off cancerous cell growth, but most of our farms don´t pay much attention to these "less important" micronutrients that are needed for complete crop growth,and are also each probably incredibly important for our health. I read too that most crops now are less nutritionally dense than those raised only 35 years ago. I personally attribute this to our demineralization of soils. North America has seen an 85% demineralization in our soils over the last 100 years. While the rest of the world is at a rate of over 50%, our continent has by far the highest, likely due to our depleting agricultural practices.

Taste and freshness is a top reason why many CSA members choose to participate. Most of our food takes 7−14 days to get from harvest to grocery store shelf and then sits even longer in the store. Most of our food is harvested the very day that you enjoy picking it up from the farm. Nutrition is depleted over time and the varieties that are grown to store for long periods of time typically don°t taste nearly as good.

Social and economic reasons for buying local food are important too. Up to 90% of a dollar purchased from a local farmer goes back into his operation, whereas a grocery store produce purchase can only be traced up to 25% back to the farmers´ hands. Organic farming requires more labor, creates a community of farmers, and provides jobs. In the past few decades, so much value has been drained from the joy of sharing food with others. Food has become looked upon as a chore or a quick meaningless activity. By knowing the story behind the food and being able to labor over its preparation and enjoying the outcome with those you love, it takes on a new valuable meaning in our lives.

So, after all my rambling, here are some guidelines that I´ve come across when deciding how to become a locavore.

Locavore´s Guidelines to Food Choices

Locavore (n.) someone who eats foods that are grown or raised locally

Foodshed (n.) borrowed from the concept of a watershed, this term was coined as early as 1929 to describe the flow of food from the area where it is grown into the place where it is consumed, now revived as a way of looking at and thinking about local, sustainable food systems.

∗Whenever possible, buy, eat and cook local − i.e. within the foodshed.

∗ If not locally produced, then organic. This choice generally protects the environment and your body from chemicals and hormones.

∗If not organic, then family farm. If it comes down to Kraft versus Cabot (a dairy co-op in Vermont), choose Cabot.

∗If not family farm, then local business. Coffee and wheat products may be difficult. At least support a local coffee−roasting house and local bakery.

∗If not a local business, then go for terroir (taste of the earth). Purchase foods that express the region they are grown in and support the local agriculture. If you're buying Brie, by it from Brie; Parmesan from Parma. Publication List

Omnivore´s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Fatal Harvest by Andrew Kimbrell
Harvest for Hope by Jane Goodall
Coming Home to Eat by Paul Nabhan

www.organicconsumers.org

www.attra.org

www.localharvest.org

www.foodroutes.org

www.sustainabletable.org

www.ilsr.org

www.themeatrix.com

www.georgiaorganics.org

Enjoy the return of the greens!

Paige and the crew

PS: Thanks to Justin, Stephanie, Javier, and Melissa for their hard work and time on the farm. You volunteers rock!