CSA Extension Week #4 - November 28th - December 1st
Be sure to take a look at the Vegetable Directory for pictures, tips, recipes, and inspiration. Click on each vegetable for details.
Not sure what to do with something – Look at the Vegetable Directory for pictures and links to information on each vegetable.
Beets Black Radish Celeriac Garlic Spinach Turnip - Hakurei & Scarlet mix Red Cabbage
Farm News and Happenings
We hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast! We certainly did here. We purchased a local certified organic turkey from Good Life Farm in Interlaken, NY. They really do a wonderful job and their turkeys are raised very much like the ones we raised years ago – on true pasture. It may be a possibility to pre-order for our CSA Members for next season. If you are interested, please let us know.
Know your Farmer!! – It Matters
Organic has a history. The United States National Organic Standards rules for Organic were not written and implemented until 2002. Our farm began in 2005 and we have been Certified Organic from the start. Some interesting and sometimes disturbing things have been going on in the organic world. As organic becomes more and more mainstream and a marketing strategy, Big Agriculture has been digging their claws in. We read a very informative article about Organic Certification allowing hydroponics into organic. There has been great disagreement with this allowance. Organic is more than just about the pesticides. It is about the soil along with the impact the process has on our environment and health. There is a video at the end of the article. It is up to you to be an informed consumer and your own watchdog. Purchasing “organic” from a small farmer is a lot different from purchasing “organic” from a large-scale industry.
Don’t be misled by packaging and imagery when voting with your food dollars.
Here is a link and excerpt from the article – Please take a moment to read it.
The Night They Drove Organic Down – by Dave Chapman November 20, 2017
http://www.patagonia.com
“All of the organic philosophy is about building the health of the soil.”
After massive scandal and fraud in recent years, this was our last chance to regain the lost integrity of the organic seal. The regulatory issue up for a vote was whether soil is the necessary foundation for organic farming. If soil isn’t required, hydroponics will lead the way to a new USDA Organic. But the bigger issue was the integrity of the National Organic Program. Does it stand for real organic, or has it become a marketing tool for industrial agriculture?
This has become an international issue, as a debate takes place between the organic movement and the hydro industry. Organic has always been about the soil. In our world of Walganic, soil is easily forgotten by recent converts. They ask, “Isn’t it just about pesticides?”
No.
Here is an informative graphic from the Cornucopia Institute showing how large industrial processors have been purchasing up the organic processors as consumers have shown increased interest. Who Owns Organic
If you ever have any questions about our farming practices or organic certification – please ask!
You must be logged in to post a comment.