foodmuseumblog

Report from an Organic CSA in Poland, Maine

Yesterday afternoon, and this morning ( in drenching rain,) comprised "harvest day," at Summit Springs Farm, Maine. The greens have been washed, and everything else sorted and bagged or binned. The beets are beginning to look weary, having fought off bugs and rot all summer, the spuds are hearty, the greens luxurious, the kohlrabi--why do so few people eat these?--gorgeous but a tad scarred.  Ah, the peppers, fab!   Multi tomatoes, squash, eggplant....The CSA-ers will pick up their shares at the farm from 3 to 7 pm today, and a few from other locations, methinks. 

Growing and harvesting food is haaaaard, to quote a past president known for his penchant for days off,  and so each time you eat, thank a farmer! ( And buy locally....)

 

 

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Speckled Troutback Lettuce Rises in Maine

"The origins of the Speckled Lettuce date back to 1660 in Holland.  From Holland, the lettuce was brought to Germany, where it was widely .  Finally in the late 1790s the Speckled lettuce was brought to North America, first arriving in Waterloo County, Ontario.  The name, Speckled lettuce, comes from the German Forellenschluss, which means “speckled like a trout”. "

via SlowFoodUSA

Photo by John Sayles of and at Summit Springs Farm, Maine, a CSA.

 

 

The Gals, Workin' It, at Summit Springs Farm, Maine

Summit Springs is moving into spring, are you?

(Photo by John Sayles.)

 

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition » Archive » GMO Alfalfa Approved With No Restrictions? Stay Informed & Take Action

The Obama Administration’s recent decision to allow unlimited, non-restricted commercial planting of genetically-engineered (GE) alfalfa resistant to the herbicide commercially known as Roundup was a huge disappointment to the sustainable and organic agriculture community.

via sustainableagriculture.net

And apparently sugar beets, too.

Tks to Summit Springs Farm, Maine, for the link.

Summit Springs Farm, Maine: Yes, Virginia, There is A Spring(s) Out There Somewhere

Buried in this luscious snowscape is an organic farm, a CSA, run by delightful Mainiacs who happen to be family. They tell me the plan for 2011 is in place, the apprentices lined up, and in less than three weeks seedlings will begin to wiggle forth in the greenhouse.

The sous-farmer, an English major, writes the farm's blog. It's well worth a read.

We at The FOOD Museum salute the sowers and the seedlings of SSFarm, and all growers of good food everywhere, for their vision, pluck, and labors of love. And as for "pluck," how many among us knew that this perky noun also means " the heart, liver, lungs, and trachea of a slaughtered animal especially as an item of food," according to Merriam-Webster?!

Everything comes back to food, eh?  We all learn to make hay while the sun shines, we know certain things are not worth a hill of beans, we'll never bet the farm on derivatives, and at dusk, the chickens always come home to roost. 

Giving ( and Getting) Chicks for Christmas

Thank you to the farmers plus (little) one of Summit Springs Farm, Maine, for the gift in our names of a flock of chicks to a deserving family somewhere in the world. Thanks to Heifer International for making such gifts available.  That's all lovely. ( And as we adore hens, and labored hard to move the happy hens of SSF in their insanely heavy coop this past summer, the gift is especially appropriate.)

But it started me wondering about this: 

• How are such chicks are transported?--not to mention goats, sheep and cattle.
• How do the impoverished folks who receive these animal donations feed said animals?
• Is there an equivalent effort to send people live plants/seeds to plant and nurture?

Animal rights groups have been critical of Heifer because they think the entire planet should stop eating meat altogether, an utterly unrealistic notion, especially in areas where people eat little meat but need what they eat for basic nutrition.

Perhaps I should know the answers to these ponderings, but as yet I do not.
Anyone??

( Pic from Heifer.org.)

Toasting Early This Year, As Lydia Makes Her Entrance

A new person entered our family late last night so the time for cork popping is clearly now. Welcome to the world,  Lydia, of Poland, Maine!  ( Over 9 pounds. )  Her parents, the farmers of Summit Springs, likely think she's cuter than chicks, noisier than their cats, and more cuddly than any of their parsnips, though I'm not quoting here.

So to salute her--ok, we did so earlier today, coffee mugs raised high --my choice is a Gruet Brut, grown and produced here in New Mexico by a French family that knows its methode champenoise.

From the Gruet website: "At 4300 ft. the vineyards are some of the highest in the United States, so regardless of how hot the days might be, the temperature at night can drop as much as thirty degrees, cooling the fruit and slowing down the maturation process on an otherwise short growing season. Sandy and loamy soil, and a lack of humidity that might contribute to rot, give us a consistency of fruit year in and year out, and allow us to produce our award winning wines without the use of pesticides."

Do not hesitate to try this bubbly---you can grab a bottle for as little as $12.95, and know that the bubbles will be just a tad reserved, not intent on exploring the inner caves of your nasal passages, and the taste pleasing and crisp.

Happy New Year, one and all, large and small!

Consider the Friend Who Brings You Local Garlic

 Now I have such a friend, of very long-standing, who was kind enough presumably to  go out of her way to buy up the remaining harvest of a garlic vendor at the Santa Fe Farmers Market's last Tuesday offering of the season.  Said friend had listened politely while I ranted about the Chinese garlic takeover of America--every grocer I speak with says  "they're so much cheaper!"---and I feel they lack flavor and,  in fact, exude the mediocrity of a uni-variety.  Alas, they even look alike, as if turned out on the same lathe. And the three cents an hour the Chinese garlic farm worker makes, well....

Anyway, thank you, friend. I am hoarding these delightful, pungent purplish-white darlings.

I thought I might have a chance at some of the garlic harvest of my family farmers in Maine, but , alas, all was utterly swept up by their CSA members, with nary a bulb for Aunt.  Ah well, next year.

(Magnificent garlic pic found here: http://faithandgender.wordpress.com/2007/07/07/chicken-with-100-cloves-of-garlic/)

Though Summit Springs Farm CSA Season Ends, Eggs Continue to Flow

As I digested the end of my fine butternut squash/spud/tomato/beans and pasta soup, today I chatted with John, one of the two young farmers up in Maine we've been following. He was standing in the turnip row, the last crop of anything, apparently, pulling out some small, sweet 'nips, and reporting that, yes, the parsnips we elder gardening gals had weeded had come out fine, and the overflow was stored  for their own use this winter. 

Meanwhile, unaware of the absence of all those CSA customers until the following summer, the clucking ladies are putting out 30 eggs a day, on average. Selling for $4.50 a dozen, the eggs are available to anyone who drives up Summit Spring(s) Road and inquires--and a local co-op is also selling some cartons.

All in all, Season One was a success, with steady, satisfied customers, and the SSF show will not be cancelled. ( Don't ask about cover crops--too wet, too cold, too late. The weeds will have to do.)

ps  The farming duo are expecting a particularly precious  sprout mid-December, a crop being well-nurtured with plentiful, healthy food.

Maine Farmers Sample Others' Provender

Our Mainiacal Summit Springs Farm-ers, Sonya and John, recently stepped out of their mud-encrusted togs and into clean jeans and headed out to savor what their colleagues in the growing biz were providing.

Here's John's report: 

"The Savoring the Harvest dinner was put together by the Oxford County Ag Group, who describe themselves as “a coalition of organizations and individuals who support agriculture in western Maine and believe working farms produce healthy economic growth“.  Along with local chefs and producers, they staged the dinner to celebrate the bounty of the season and promote the “buy local” message.
    As you all know by now, we love food--both the growing and the consuming--and this event was right up our alley.  The five-course extravaganza began with fresh bread from LolliePapa Farm in South Paris (the baker is Jeanette Baldridge, a friend and fellow vendor at the Bridgton Farmers’ Market) accompanied by a butter/herb spread and a goat cheese/roasted pepper spread, plus fresh crudites.  The official first course consisted of goat cheese and caramelized onion crustini plus  cucumber and green bean “guacamole“, roasted red potato stuffed with carrot puree, and a tomato bursting with quinoa taboule.
  Excellent creamy roasted pumpkin or corn and potato chowder came next,  followed up by a mixed green salad with maple mustard dressing.  Then  vegan veggie pot pies or a chicken breast with a pear sauce atop sweet potato “haystacks“.  We went for the chicken, and it was divine.  The sweetness of the pears and the sweetness and saltiness of the roasted sweet potatoes complimented each other wonderfully.  Dessert was another hard choice:  apple crisp or a 5-layer chocolate/raspberry/almond torte. We gorged on the towering torte.
    Throughout the feast, the chefs responsible for each item would come out  to explain to the crowd their creations,  reveal where the ingredients were from, and speak their piece about the importance of local eating:  the quality, the freshness, the satisfaction of helping local farmers and retailers, etc.  All in all, it was a wonderful evening of eating amazing food and mingling with other like-minded folks who care tremendously about the health of their bodies and of their communities. "

And as a bonus, our farmers discovered they need not drive into Portland in order to eat out well--they'll be trying the Rising Sun Café and Bakery or the McLaughlin Garden Café, both in South Paris; the Taste of Eden Café in Norway, an all vegan breakfast, soup, and sandwich establishment; the Brick Restaurant, a family-style place on Main Street in Norway; and Café Di Cocoa over in Bethel. 

(Norway and Paris are not as distant as one might think, apparently, though Beth-El has not been seen in at least 2000 years.)

(Diners at McLaughlin Garden Cafe .)

Farming and Electing---Kids, the Adults Are Here!

Back in the high desert after a vacation along the east coast, I can report A--a lack of rain here; B--the aroma of roasting chiles in the air, and ; C--a need in yours truly to vent.
I hear a "har-har" radio story about a man who happily has eaten a BigMac every day since the early 1970's, and I reflect on the inanity of much of what is labeled" news" these days. (Incidentally, the report said the guy walks 10 miles a day............!)

Even food news as noted in effete east publications endlessly focuses on the same boutique farms like Stone Barns, outside of New York---why?  because it's close to NY and easy to get the story. Kidstuff.  We had a terrific time there ourselves, but the notion that its all-natural restaurant, Blue Hill, is accessible to the average mortal is utterly bogus. It's hideously costly and difficult to book into. And many other places across the country serve up tasty, locally-grown food as well. Thankfully, this is a trend.

Having just spent about a week working on Summit Springs Farm in Maine with two old pals,  in the farm's first summer as a CSA, I can attest to the fact that growing food is exceedingly hard, satisfying, down and dirty, frustrating, joyful, tiring, and all the rest. In other words, the undertaking is full of contrasts, of gray, of subtlety. It is serious stuff,  the work of adults, of grown-up people who comprehend its importance. 

Case in point re contrast---The giant horn worms that found the tomato plants in the greenhouse are spectacular beauties, busily going about their mandate to destroy said plants. Feeding them to the happy hens in their enclosure made me both utterly satisfied, ( as were the "girls,") but also a twinge remorseful--these creatures are perfectly designed, and turn into hummingbird-sized hawkmoths, if they make it that far in their lifecyle. Of course they fancy many of the solanaceae--tomatoes, tobacco, eggplant, and potatoes, too, though I have never seen them on any spud plants in my realm.  I plucked them from my bin-grown tomatoes earlier this season, after finding two giants decimating a datura ( Jimson weed) plant not close by.

As the farm is headed towards its organic rating, it uses no pesticides. So the tomato plants are fading away earlier than they might, under onslaut from the lovely green worms. And the squash bugs are working away in the winter squash rows, though thus far the squash are holding their ground. ( I know, as we weeded the hell out of them...)

Each week the farm decides what to offer its CSA members, and sometimes, these choices are tough--rain rotted many of the potatoes, the chard is fading, the new lettuces not yet ready--and yet satisfied customers roll away from the small garlic-festooned barn with what IS available. Apples just picked from one fecund tree by Sonya. Jewel boxes of yellow and red cherry tomatoes, and plenty of "blue" spuds.

We are looking at a crucial election this year, by the way, one that will impact the nations of the world, as well as the planet, and, of course, these United States. While some wish to pretend we are electing junior high student council personalities, and that up is down and backwards is forwards, sorry, kids, the grownups are here, and when we are not weeding, planting, harvesting and selling,  we are voting like responsible adults.

(Two of the Rockin' Goddesses weeding away in the eggplant row.)

The Pleasures of Dirt-Riddled Labor and Good Eats

For a few days now, I and two old pals have been working at Summit Springs Farm in Maine, owned by my nephew and his wife.  Picking beans, weeding parsnips, beans, and eggplant, picking tomatoes, and moving a chicken coop, afflicted with too-small tires, and filled with over 100 pounds of hen.
( There are 48 laying ladies on the farm.)

And today we finished tending the strawberry bed, yanking weeds,  plucking out runners and tossing them in buckets for planting tomorrow, possibly.

After days of rain the fields are dense with moisture---the sweet dirt quickly becomes embedded in our fingers, as well as our clothes, and earthy warpaint  blotches our faces.

Glorious!  Between rounds, we stretch out on the grass, sucking on water bottles filled with the finest spring water, straight from the tap. We enjoy superlative meals from veggies that need never know a fridge, and eggs warm from the straw.  ( Plus fried clams with fat bellies, from a local joint nearby.)

Shouldn't these young farmers turn this place into a retreat, a spa, a B&B, a farm holiday destination??? 

Further Shameless Pandering to the Press by Summit Springs Farm, Maine

Apparently earmuffs were invented by a Mainiac but those are not needed at the mo' in the rain-soaked state. Our favorite Down East farm couple, John and Sonya, are working long days to bring produce to the vegetable-deprived of urban Maine.  Watch Sonya unveil the current CSA offering in the latest videogram from local tv reporter Sharon Rose of WCSH.
( Go to the upper right corner.)

Bok choy, turnips, turnip greens, salad greens, beet greens

A family member sent out an email headed with the greenery above, stating that these were the first goodies taken home from a local CSA---and--how to cook them?

All greens not eaten in salads are delightful when lightly cooked with olive oil and garlic, no question. Some then add soy sauce, some maybe balsamic vinegar, but just make sure the o.oil and the garlic are in place first. Don't forget the ginger! ( The Mainiacs with their own new CSA in Poland agree with the o.oil and garlic, BTW.)  "Lightly cooked" can mean simply wilted, as with young beet greens and spinach--turnip greens may need just a tad of steam--put a lid on them once sauteed.

Little fresh new peppery turnips are crispy,crunchy raw eats--you can slice them and eat them like apples--roasting them is for later in the season, with a nice rosemary roast chicken.

Mainiac Farmers Make The TeeVee

Our own young Summit Springs Farm duo, Sonya and John, star in a video report that ran on WCSH-TV, Portland, recently. The camera person kept their faces in the shade throughout, but, hey, young seedlings need a tad of respite from the sun. More importantly, the reporter, Sharon Rose, has joined SSF's CSA or Community Supported Agriculture endeavor this spring and plans to report back at intervals on her experience with it. Huzzahs! Farmer John outstanding in his new-found field.

( To see video, click on link above and then click on Play Video.)

Spring, Really?, Invades Summit Springs Farm, Maine

The greenhouse-from-Hell is up, fully up and running, and actually occupied by young seedlings as well as baby chicks.  What's not to like! For those of you who live near the Poland, Maine farm, there are still a few openings in the CSA program. ( Contact Sonya, [email protected])

Perhaps more importantly, the garlic ( above) is poking through its bed of seaweed, having finally tossed off the last (?) of the snow.  Don't know about you, but I prefer homegrown garlic, rather than the symmetrical, fully white, perfectly formed heads in wide distribution from our pals in China.

Glorious Grandiose Greenhouse Weathers Another Storm

The hard-working and frost-bitten farmers on Summit Springs Farm in Poland, Maine have reported in positively that the friggin' greenhouse they labored to erect last fall now is up and sporting  2 layers of plastic sheeting. The monstrous growing environment measures 100 by 30 feet.

Someday, maybe in July, plants will be thriving inside. Apparently it snowed for the umpteenth time just after the plastic was installed.

SSF Mainiacs Visit Fabled Indian Farm

The Summit Springs Farm-ers, ( you may recall their ongoing effort to erect a large greenhouse on their spread,) recently have returned to Maine after an incredible 5-week trip to India, and their spokesperson on all things ag, John Sayles, sent us this report:

" One of the most rewarding experiences of the trip was a visit to Navdanya, an organic research farm and seed bank about 10 kilometers outside the city of Dehra Dun in the Indian state of Uttranchal. The 20-acre site was founded in the 1980’s by Dr. Vandana Shiva, a scientist, environmentalist, and activist, “to support local farmers, rescue and conserve crops and plants that are being pushed to extinction and make them available through direct marketing.” The Navdanya website also notes that the farm is “actively involved in the rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge and culture. [Navdanya] has created awareness on the hazards of genetic engineering,  ( and)defended people's knowledge from biopiracy and food rights in the face of globalization.”

After looking through the small bookstore and administrative center, we walked around this unique farm with a guide. In small plots, different combinations of crops are grown together to see how they do. One plot may have carrots and onions together; another may have carrots, onions, and coriander (cilantro). Crop density is also studied. One plot of wheat has been intensively planted, and another less so, and another even less, but perhaps also interspersed with another grain or even another variety of wheat. Dozens and dozens of these plots cover the farm’s open spaces. Nearby is an orchard, and in the opposite direction is the seed bank.

We took a short walk down a tree-lined lane with bright green parrots flitting about overhead, to reach the seed bank, a modest rectangular building with an adobe appearance. We all took off our shoes and filed in. Over 300 varieties of rice are kept here in metal boxes, plus about 70 varieties of wheat, numerous other grains, and vegetable and fruit seeds. It is probably the most extensive private seed bank of its kind in all of India. The building itself, though, was much smaller than expected, quite modest, and decorated with lively paintings of flora and fauna on the walls. Outside, the spirit of experimentation and variety continued with the compost area. We saw four or five different composting methods being tried, everything from pit composting to compost bins with removable sides to elaborate composting trenches designed to make the worms happy.

  Our friend and traveling companion, Nicole, is an amateur herbalist and was thrilled to spend some time with the farm’s herbal guru. He showed us around his modest plots of medicinal and cooking herbs and also allowed us a peek into his rooms where he dries and prepares the herbs. All of this was followed by an excellent buffet-style lunch in the farm’s mess hall. We took a brief look around the farm’s library and bookstore and purchased a few books, including an Indian cookbook, before thanking our new friends and hitting the road for the drive back to our ashram in Laksman Jhula. The Navdanya experience was moving, inspiring, and thought-provoking. I would love to return for a longer stay and perhaps do some volunteer work there as a way to help this noble effort. "

For more information on the remarkable visionary Dr. Vandana Shiva, a physicist trained at the University of Western Ontario, click here.

(Pix by shaggy, baggy Farmer John who can be seen just above on the right.)

Summit Springs Farm, Maine , Redux--The Damn Greenhouse

The young couple struggling to erect the first-ever greenhouse on their farm in Poland, Maine have made considerable progress since we last looked over their shoulders. But this entry comes in the chill gray of the onset of winter, with the greenhouse not yet complete, and the duo in the dumps. Wisely, they have laid down the greenhouse struggle for now, and will readdress it come spring, perhaps with the aid of a nimble band of volunteers.

Summit Springs Farm--Garlic Salvation

I invite you to read the first entry in an occasional diary--that of a newly minted farmer, my nephew, John Sayles. ( NO, not that John Sayles.) Together with his wife, an experienced farmer, they are creating their own organic spread in Maine.   

October 2007

     Once we’d returned home for good from our season at Riverbank
Farm in Connecticut and taken a few days to unpack and organize some
things inside, garlic became our priority…getting beds ready, planting
the cloves, and mulching the beds.  We picked a spot on the western
side of the house, an area recently cleared and plowed by our helpful
neighbor and fellow farmer, Pete Bolduc.  The area was now carpeted with a
spray of weeds and grass, so we measured out what we needed--two 5-ft
wide, 100-ft long beds--and began weeding.

     We still don’t have a tractor, so we’d decided to try a
technique called “double digging” for the garlic.  Here’s how it
works:  You dig a trench about a foot wide and a foot deep across the
width of the bed.  The soil you remove goes into a wheelbarrow for later
use.  Once you’re a foot down, you then use a pitchfork to loosen the
next foot or so of soil.  Then, you move back another foot, and begin
digging your second trench, this time placing the soil you’re removing
into the first trench, then loosening the next layer, etc.  In this way
you move down the length of the bed, really aerating the soil and
preparing it for planting.  It’s a great idea, and while Sonya continued
to weed, I started digging.