Buying Local in Floyd County

One of my passions is supporting the local economy. A fun way to do that is by helping The Floyd County Farmer’s Market which has just started up for the season. Another way is by spending the money John Paul has entrusted to me through the Grow Appalachia grant in stores and businesses that are locally owned, like The Hardware Inc. a small eclectic hardware store/gift shop in Hueysville, Kentucky.

The Hardware Inc. is located on KY Route 7 just outside of Hueysville in a two story building which was part of the TVA projects of the 30’s and has been a hardware store since the 70’s. The steps are steep and the front porch wood and at first glance you don’t think much of the place. That is until you walk inside. Your eyes see shelves of tools, gloves and hardware type stuff but your nose says, “apple pie!!” and that’s because the Hardware Inc is a hardware store and gift shop. Wander around the store and you will see water heater elements next to cast iron skillets next to country décor wall hangings next to “A miner and his family lives here” yard signs next to Candleberry Candles-the source of the apple pie aroma. The Hardware has a bit of everything.

When I asked owner Martha Davis how she decides what to stock in the store she told me, “we just listen to what people need and we get it.” And Martha listens good. As we were talking a man came in and walked around back and after a few minutes Martha asked him if he was finding what he needed. “I.ve just about got my pockets full” was his reply. They went back and forth for about 15 minutes. When he had what he needed, Martha rang him up. Total sale--58¢ and that’s the beauty of buying local.  It is people not profit driven. Martha had lots to say about the big box stores and how hard it is to get distributors to send out sales reps. “We’re rural and we’re small and they just don’t want to fool with us.” But she doesn’t let that stop her and she is keen on buying local herself. The candles, candy and knives that she carries are all made in Kentucky and she buys vegetable starts and flowers from Todd Howard of the Greenhouse Mentoring Program.

In fact, I met Martha on Todd’s advice when I was looking for a local source for spinosad. She carries Bonide products and was willing to order cases of the insecticide and fungicide I needed-at a cut rate price with no shipping. Even Amazon.com couldn’t beat her price. The day of our interview I found 9# wire for our row cover hoops at half the price of Johnny’s Seeds, again with no shipping.

But it’s not really about getting the deal. It’s about people as shown by another story Martha shared with me.  Two years ago on Christmas Eve, Martha got a phone call. A family had the gas go out in their home and the kids were freezing. The gas company said they would come out to replace the regulator if the family could find one. The box stores were closed and so was The Hardware but these were real people so Martha opened up and the family got heat for Christmas. And that, my friends, is why I buy local. The Hardware Inc. is on Facebook. Check it out and like them. I sure do.

The Hardware Inc. on Facebook

Our Livestock---and The New Addition

Hello everyone, as you know it has finally rained, or should i say stormed. We all have been praying for it, and this past week it has payed off. While the rain has been falling and giving the gardens a much needed drink. We have been spending our time with our live stock. Chickens, Rabbits, And Pigs.

Fresh Eggs!

The Chickens- They are Giving us penty of fresh eggs. We ran into a'lil bad luck thow, had an outside critter get hungery. We lost some, but it wont get us down. We move all the hens out of the coupe and set some live traps, so we could catch the critter. Making some inpovements on our fencing, so hopefully this wont happen again!

 Laying Hens!

Rabbits- Our rabbits are fuzzy and beautiful! We have 3 White, and 3 Gray bunnies. They are 11 1/2 weeks old. One full grown momma rabbit. She is gray, and just had 2 babies. They were born on the 4th of July. And are completely black, no white, or gray spotts anywhere. The rabbits are fairly easy to care for. Just make sure they have feed and water and they are good to go.

11 1/2 week old rabbits

                                            3 week old bunny!

 

PIGS- Last, but not least at all. We added the pigs to our program. This is my favorite of all the animals in our program. We started with 2 female pigs, expecting babies. On Friday 07-20-12, one of the momma pigs went into labor. About noon they started coming. It took about 2 1/2 hours, and alot of hard work from the momma pig, but in the end we had 14 baby piglets... I am so excited!!!

Minutes after delivery!

Just after all the 14 babies were born!!

One day old!

one day old                      

This is the runt!

Our plan is to raise the pigs and share the meat with families, and to place them in homes of families who can help raise them. To create an income, and to also give back to the program to feed, or to start other families.

                                                                                    07-23-12

                                                                               Salena Henson

Fair Share: Jessica (BDVP)

This blog post goes out to all you growers out there.  I was inspired to write about this after connecting with several Grow Appalachia participants at our recent event in Laurel Co.  We were discussing how it can be challenging to convince our gardeners to participate in a farm stand in some of these rural areas.  We looked at the economics of folks driving all the way across a huge county to bring some veggies to a shared market stand in hopes of making enough money to even cover gas for the journey.  We agreed that  this wasn't exactly feasible for alot of folks considering the markets they were participating in aren't necessarily large, established markets with lots of consumers. In response to this, I would like to share some of the things we have tried at Watershed Farm of BDVP.

Now first of all, we are not located in a rural area and travel isn't as big of an issue for us as in some other places.  However, as a former market grower, I can certainly sympathize with the idea of harvesting a bunch of nice looking produce only to bring it to market and let it sit wilting in the heat (or in coolers...but, it is still losing shelf life) for a few hours looking pitiful only to bring it right back home with you.  This just doesn't seem time or energy efficient in a lot of cases... particularly for small growers.

One option that we have found around this is by offering a pre-ordered "share" to a few specific consumers.  A share is basically a basket of seasonal produce (valued at a certain dollar amount) that we put together and give directly to our customer.  We have several folks that will order a basket of whatever is in season  and enjoy the surprise of discovering it's contents at pick up.  They also enjoy the challenge of having to experiment with different vegetables they may not have considered purchasing individually. 

This idea is modeled after the concept of Community Supported Agriculture or CSA.  Some farmers opt to pre-sell season long shares in their harvest at the beginning of the season. This share entails a weekly pick-up of produce that can last anywhere from 8 weeks to 22 weeks to... in some cases....all year long (impressive)! The value of the "CSA" basket can begin at $10 up to $30 or even $50 depending on the contents of the share (meats, eggs, fruits, dairy).  This is the ultimate local grocery and some consumers are happy to purchase these shares as they are unable to grow their own and want to support local producers by eating seasonal, healthy food.  We can see why this model is so beneficial to farmers.  If we are aware of what we have already sold before we harvest (or in some cases plant) that cuts back on waste and gives us more of an incentive to market our crops.

I really wasn't interested in committing to provide for a long term CSA so, I offer shares by the week of whatever is in season at our farm.  I have 2 customers that are happy to receive a share every week and a couple of others who purchase a share once or twice a month. Shares are $25 each and are probably worth a little more than that to sweeten the deal.  Even though our farm is not certified organic, we grow our produce using organic methods and our consumers know that.  They are happy to pay a premium for our crops.  I just love the CSA model because it is a great way for us to make a little extra money off of our surplus produce without the stress of managing a traditional farmers market stand.

Our most recent share included:
4-5 cucumbers
3 yellow squash
3 zucchini
1 bunch beets
1 bunch of onions
2 heads of garlic
3 pounds of potatoes
3 large green tomatoes
4-5 peppers
a HUGE bunch of basil (enough for pesto)

....sometimes I include flowers in the basket for fun
....or berries if they are in season

Grow Appalachia project sites may be able to help facilitate this option for their grower participants by handling sales and/or marketing shares for some growers. Perhaps site managers who are operating through a farmers market already can accept EBT money for shares and reimburse growers. Another great option is for growers to find a couple of folks, neighbors, co-workers, friends from church who might like to purchase a weekly share from time to time.  It may be as easy as calling up or emailing these folks when you've got produce coming out of your ears and letting them know. I know that it is important to give away produce and share with neighbors to build community.  This is awesome but, it is also ok to let folks give back to the garden or the grower in some way (I am also a huge fan of bartering for vegetables!) for their hard work.    Growing is hard work, it is an investment of time energy and even cash at times.  If you were able to sell 2- $15 shares a week for 4 weeks in the summer when you have more veggies then you can handle... that's $120 made off the garden that can be re-invested the following season. I mean this may not necessarily make a huge amount of income but, it could create more and more opportunities for self sufficiency..... If seeds and supplies are paid for by the previous year's crop....then it really is a community supported agriculture project! 

I'm just putting this out there because it has been a very manageable option for us. We are able to bring in a little cash without a ton of extra work. Maybe this could work for some of the other sites... never know until you try!

The Food Revolution at High Rocks --by Erica

As much as they look forward to the end of the school year, lots of teens start to get a little bored by midsummer.  Eating junk food and watching re-runs on Nickelodeon gets old after a while.  Meanwhile, a group of teens have been gathering high on a mountain side, plotting a food revolution.  Learning the ins and outs of our industrialized modern food system, visiting farms and gardens, cooking produce from the High Rocks gardens, and sharing fresh, healthy meals, the young women in the “Future of Food” class are anything but bored.   


At a two-week sleepover camp called Camp Steele, they are among a few dozen girls who are spending 6 hours a day in experiential classes that explore one topic or theme in more depth than they can do throughout the school year.  The Future of Food class engages girls to think critically about how food is produced and consumed in the U.S. and across the world.  Here are some pictures from their recent trip to Grow Appalachia market gardener, Karline Jensen’s farm where they gathered eggs from her new chicken tractors. 

So much rain (in Abingdon, VA)

Heather here.

It's been a wet week. We've been blessed with a lot of rain. Everything is so lush and green and muddy...we haven't been very active in the garden because of this. Not just because of the mud, but working in clay soils while they are wet can lead to problems down the road...such as the soil drying in huge clods, leaving you with lousy soil texture, which decreases the "tilth" or overall health of your soil. It's a great time to be weeding though!

A volunteer asked me what plant family weeds belong to. This really made me smile, picturing one plant family that humanity had decided was the catch-all group for "all plants that I don't want in my garden". I talked with him about how a weeds are the wild cousin of many domesticated plants that we work so hard to grow. Weeds have survived and evolved without being coddled by humans, making (some of) them super tough and nutritious. I've been eating Lamb's Quarter now when I pull it--it tastes like spinach--and looking up common weeds and what families they belong to. It can be a useful tool for understanding pest habitats, too. And what's a weed to someone might not be a weed to someone else...this led to us joking about an evil witch who planted her entire yard in poison ivy and thistle, or WWOOFers working down on the ol' nettle farm...

We spoke about how a lot of desirable plants (lemon balm anyone?) BECOME weeds with their aggressive spreading...a weed is a plant that is in the wrong place...or bothering you in someway...like annoying cousins walking in your squash patch.

Or, one could say a weed is a plant that man has forgotten the use of...many weeds are useful edibles and/or medicinals. In that case I suppose they are the black sheeps of the plant kingdom...never understood, rebels without a cause...

Well, in any event we seeded 22 flats to round out our fall crop selection:
3 kinds of broccoli
3 kinds of kale
2 kinds of kohlrabi
2 kinds of cabbage
rutabaga
spinach
cilantro
swiss chard
sunflowers


We received support from Emory and Henry. Volunteers from the Emory and Henry garden, including Mary Beth the Emory and Henry garden coordinator and Glade Springs farmer's market manager, helped us plant, and will be taking care of the flats for the next four weeks, giving us labor and greenhouse space in-kind.

We did our first video garden tour and interview with a participant. I look forward to collecting more footage and creating a mini-documentary of our program.

Me, pondering all the members of the plant kingdom. What a patchwork  group of wonderfulness. 

Be light, live lighter--

When the rain comes down, the weeds come up ~Pine Mountain, Kathleen Powers, Maggie Ashmore, and Andrew Whitehead

Rain, rain go away, come again…….. in a week or so. Who thought that would be our mantra before last week when all we could do was hope for more rain. Because of all the rain (and there is more coming in the near future according to the forecast) gardening progress has been a bit slow this week as we try to stay out of the wet soil. Although we are ready for a bit of dry weather we are quite thankful for the rain as the production of our gardens has started to pick up speed. Maggie and I had predicted that our gardeners would have harvested a bit less at this point in the year than they had in previous seasons, due to the late start that the majority of them got and the dry and hot weather that preceded the rain. However after we collected harvest records for June and early July we were very pleased to see that our totals are quite a bit higher than expected. After tallying up the harvest totals, our participants have harvested more than 306 pecks (76.5 bushels) of produce as of the second week of July (we collect harvest record sheets from participants during the second week of each month since our monthly meetings are the second Tuesday of each month).  Five of our families have yet to turn their harvest sheets in, so our numbers should be even quite a bit higher. 

Most of our participants are doing what they can to keep their gardens looking nice and are excited with the first big harvests of the summer, we’ve already seen lots of zucchini and yellow squash, onions, cabbage, broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, lettuce, peas, beans, and just now the first few tomatoes that are ripe enough to pick. This time of year is wonderful because we get to hear the harvest predictions, and comparisons to other years, of more experienced gardeners who have really seen it all, and we also get to share in the excitement of those who are new to gardening and are overjoyed with every little vegetable that comes out of their garden (I would probably still fall into this category).

Frank Ambrose and his big, beautiful cabbage

 During the dry period we experienced just a few weeks ago, few weeds were popping up in gardens, but since the rain has hit weeds have flourished. Since the rain hasn't let up it has been difficult for gardeners to get in their garden plots and pull out those pesky plants. Our summer assistant, Andrew, has been thinking about ways to keep the weeds down and has provided the following reflection:

What all could you use to keep weeds out of things like watermelon, tomatoes, etc.?  Here are some things you could use: you could use shredded paper, you could use recycled card board boxes. What you would do with the shredded paper is spread around or under what you are planting and when the vines or stems grew out they would not touch the ground. Shredded paper is also good for helping the tomatoes not get some diseases where the stems and leaves wouldn’t be touching the ground.  Cardboard is really good for like watermelon and other plants that has vines you would put the cardboard under and around where the watermelon is. Another way to use cardboard is to put it between your corn and bean rows. You can also use black fabric for sweet potatoes. There is also some other things like black plastic you can also use to cover up some weeds. Some people use old newspapers. You would put down layers of newspaper to get it where it will work. You can also use leaves for mulch, you can use old pea vines. The good thing about using all of this stuff is it acts as a moisture barrier so that the ground does not go dry as fast as it would without it. Also the stuff you can use helps keep the weeds down in your garden, especially in some of the places that is harder to reach with your garden tool than others would be.

Leaves used as mulch under melons in the Pine Mountain Settlement School farm fields

Cardboard used as mulch under the melons in the Pine Mountain community garden

And The Canning Has Begun..: Tina

One of our participants: Hoskins, has an abundance of ripened Roma tomatoes that were in need of canning. We were unsure about how many plants to grow so we ended up buying a total of 51 plants that are producing very well, so well that we have been giving them to family and friends to enjoy as well..

Setting up the canning process to get things going. We got our recipe for canning tomatoes from a veteran gardener last year and have chosen to keep doing it this way since last years canned tomato sauce was delicious.

Here it is after the tomatoes have been cleaned, blanched, pureed in a blender and strained.

And now the best part of all, homemade tomato sauce all ready for the winter.

The directions for my tomato sauce are as follows:

About 40-60 tomatoes

1 Tbs. lemon juice per pint jar

1/2 tsp. canning salt per pint jar

To blanch clean tomatoes, put in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute and immediately place in ice water bowl for 1 minute to cool. Remove skin and place in blender, blend into a liquid and strain as your pouring it into a large pot. Once pot is 3/4 th full,(it will boil over if you overfill)  turn stove on med-high heat uncovered stirring occasionally till it comes to a rolling boil, then decrease to med. heat.  After about 1  hour the froth will disappear. At this stage it is tomato juice. Cook for approx. 1/2 hour longer to make tomato sauce, if cooked longer you will get tomato paste. In the water bath canner your jars should have been boiling approx. 20 minutes, lids have been in very hot but not boiling water. Get jars out of canner and set on towel on counter and place canning salt and lemon juice in each jar, then funnel in tomato sauce leaving 1/4 th inch head space. Wipe top of jars with a damp cloth and put on lid. Place ring on only  hand tight so air can escape during processing. Process for 30 minutes, start timing after it has come to a rolling boil. Let stand in canner for 15 minutes, remove and place on towel on counter, careful not to turn jar over. Should hear the lid "Pop" sound when it is sealed. Let sit in the counter untouched for 24 hours. Label and date each jar.

As a side note: Roma tomatoes are meatier, other tomatoes that are juicier may require more cooking time to turn into sauce, it's usually done when the pot is 1/2 the amount of liquid that you started with.

Enjoy!!