Some Chicks Can't Catch A Break

Backyard chicken-keeping is growing around the country, spurred by the interest in local food and sustainability.

Once upon a time everyone in Plymouth County had chickens, but recently even in Middleboro, we had a "Right to Farm" vote. That's right, we actually had to vote in a town election if a farm community that sustained a 90's real estate development boom and commuter rail installation still had the right to farm!

Apparently this is a problem around the country.

Town officials in Maplewood, N.J., decided this week that their community is ready for home chicken cooping—but only just. In a 3-2 vote, the Township Committee voted to allow a pilot program for a YEAR starting NEXT March where up to 15 households may be allowed a maximum of three chickens each; AND ROOSTERS ARE BANNED!

Read the ABC News article here.

Buying Straight From the Farm: A Growing Trend in MA

February 28, 2011
(Listen)MIDDLEBORO & BARRE, Mass. - The popularity of eating locally grown food continues to rise in New England agriculture. The number of Massachusetts and regional farmers turning toward community-supported agriculture, or CSA, has tripled in the last decade. Under the CSA model, people buy shares in a farming operation on an annual basis. In return, the farmer provides a regular supply of fresh, natural or organic produce throughout the growing season.

James Reynolds owns The Dahlia Farm, Middleboro. He says farming is hard work, but while the rewards may not necessarily be financial, the connection to community members is priceless.

"There's definitely more of a community aspect or community feel to it. We're meeting the people who are actually consuming our product, and we're getting involved with their families, their children."

Julie Rawson owns Many Hands Organic Farm and also is the executive director of The Northeast Organic Farmers Association in Massachusetts. She has run her CSA in Barre for the last 19 years. She says farmers have a huge number of expenses going into the growing season, and this business model relieves a lot of that burden.

"When people who are buying a share put up their money up front, that helps us not have to go into debt. It's a great way for the consumer and the farmer to work symbiotically: Farmers get their money up front and then consumers get their food throughout the season. You know it's of great value to both sides."

Reynolds says a lot of misconceptions still exist about buying directly from the farm - especially regarding price.

"You can actually get farm-fresh, no-pesticide, no-chemical food at a relatively fair economic price. In other words, the super-premium price you might expect to pay isn't necessarily there with your local farms."

Reynolds advises customers to shop around before buying in to a CSA. Some farms also offer half-shares, he notes.

CSAs are not limited to produce; farmers may offer shares for eggs, cheese and other products in their weekly distribution boxes or baskets. The popularity of year-round CSAs is gaining traction, too, with some farmers growing crops in greenhouses throughout the year.


Monique Coppola, Public News Service - MA


Listen to TheDahliaFarm's most recent media podcast from the Public News Service.

EnterpriseNews: Middleboro Farmer Offering Shares in Community Garden

The snow's still on the ground, but it's time to sign-up for shares of the harvest from a local garden...and a share from this CSA might be just the ticket to chase away cabin fever and a chance to dream of fat juicy tomatoes, fragrant basil and crisp cucumbers.

Pictured here, James and Cecilia Reynolds expect to see their first harvest of spring greens by the end of May, and people who want fresh vegetables for 18 weeks during the growing season can sign up for a share through Community Supported Agriculture...(see whole story)

Cow Power

Initiated in large part by our energy company in Vermont - CVPS - Cow Power is taking its place at the forefront on new alternative energies.

Featured in YouTube videos the manure/methane to electricity/propane conversion is now and early-stage reality, with an economic reality.

Although presently the economy of scale is for an 800-head dairy or larger, that efficiency should improve as the science continues to develop.

Subsidies aside, Cow Power is a new, rural emerging energy technology...

Yeehah!

Pear Gorgonzola Tart

Ok, admittedly this is not a particularly "gardeny" recipe - but then again it is fatty, fatty January.

Giada (Dino De Laurentiis granddaughter, proprietor of white teeth) has a real dead-of-winter winner with this one.

For something decidedly delicious and naughty be sure to whip up this Pear Gorgonzola Tart for the weekend or your next dinner party or pot-luck. You'll surely take the prize and be the belle of the ball.

Mmm... Yum!

Food Insecurity

Food insecurity has become so commonplace it is almost newsworthy. Almost.

With a daily bombarment of economic, political and natural disasters, the greater reality of food scarcity barely gets a mention. We hear of riots in Cairo and Tunis, but not of the rising food prices and shortages there. Not of the most basic human need to eat, being deprived.

In the United States we've had a "safe" and available food supply for years - but that is rapidly changing. Expect inflation to continue to eat away at your market basket over the next several months. The simple facts of world population growth, corporate consolidation, and engineered agriculture guarantee it. While we've recently seen riots in Mexico over the price of corn and in Bolivia over corporate control of drinking water, additional repercussions will include the accelerated spread of disease among people and animals, the poisoning of the environment, and a general sickening of everything out of the natural order.

Food recalls no longer surprise us - except by their shear magnitude. E coli contamination or industrial malfunctions are already built-in to our crisis awareness psyche. To think - the very things that support our lives.

Awareness, of course, and self-education are the first steps to conquer any challenge. Getting an understanding on American factory farming is not an exercise in depression, but rather a base to find a better alternative. Embracing the local food movement is a positive in a world of negatives. Films like Food, Inc., King Corn, The Future of Food, Blue Gold, need to be seen. There is a better way, we just have to want it.

2011 Season Begins

Happy new year and welcome back!

With this winter solstice we begin the new 2011 season on the farm. Our seeds have arrived and we have already begun to book shares for 2011.

This past year's "Compost Project" landed a generous supply of landscape waste and manure (about 120 cubic yards) which goes into our long-term soil-improvement program. We've also managed a seemingly endless supply of trucked-in oak leaves to use as a mulch for our fall-planted garlic.

Seed germination begins in about a month, so whether you are a returning share-holder or entirely new to our CSA program, be sure to sign-up soon for what promises to be our best season ever.

Himalayan Pink Salt

(This weeks blog entry was created by one of our farm-hands, Trav)



Himalayan pink salt is perhaps some of the most attractive salt on earth. It has a light translucent pink color and is often sold in crystal form. You can find Himalayan pink salt in a fine grind, which is easy to use in a regular saltshaker. If you buy the larger crystals you’ll need a salt grinder or mill in order to measure the salt for recipes or use it as table salt.


The reason for the special color in Himalayan pink salt has to do with the addition of a number of different minerals present in the salt. In addition to sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium and copper are all present in trace amounts. These additional minerals transfer color to the salt, with iron creating the pleasing pink color.




The salt is harvested in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range and is essentially fossilized sea salt. Because of its taste and color appeal, it was used for currency in ancient times and it may still serve this purpose in modern days. Primarily, people from Nepal trade Himalayan pink salt for grain, which does not grow well or profusely in the foothills. Today, it may be more likely that the salt is sold and currency used to purchase grain.


People praise Himalayan pink salt for its crunch, and also because the salt in crystallized form is considered pure and unrefined. Due to lack of refining, it doesn’t lose its mineral content, as do other salts. It can be a bit healthier to consume, but it is still salt. While a little salt in the diet is excellent, don’t forget that a little goes a long way. Too much salt can easily translate to health problems like high blood pressure and water retention.

TURNIPS: DON'T TURN-UP YOUR NOSE

Don't make my mistake and turn-up your nose at turnips. Until this week I had never eaten a turnip in all me live long day. What folly!

If the greatest conquests arise from the greatest challenges, I reasoned, then discovers of insumountable pleasure and unknown goodness must hiding in this strange purple and white root.

I set the target in my sites.

Taking this view I found that the oft-forsaken turnip is not the mushy bland horror of the Thanksgiving table I feared. It is not an elder's bowl of paste sorrowfuly placed by senility or loss of palate. The turnip is in fact one of the most versatile vegetables I've yet found - albeit as near perplexing as the funky kohlrabi!
First; start at the top. Those unappealling fuzzy greens, pock-marked with flea beetle bites and laden with sand are of the highest calibre saute greens to be found. Chop the leaves and chop finely the stems, and saute with olive oil (or butter if you dare), salt and pepper. Liven it up with a little garlic, but treat minimally because the flavor is scrumptious (veganly-speaking).

Next is the beast itself. Cube the turnip (chop coarsely) and par-boil 4 minutes (already have the water boiling before you drop them in). Then Saute for about the same or a little longer. Olive oil is preferred with kosher salt and cracked pepper. Some like sea salt because it has less sodium. Personally, sodium is salt. Salt is what you're putting on. If you like the taste of salt, and there's not enough flavor, you're likely to put on more, ergo, you're right back to high sodium... Do it or don't - noone wants unsalty salt. Then again, my blood pressures not exactly low. Anyway, kosher salt is nice because its big and gritty and you can get visceral with it. You can even make a margarita glass look pissah. One of our CSA members has a penchant for "Himalayan pink salt," which is apparently rich in minerals and micro-nutrients. Enough digression. That's the basic start for turnips. Now it gets really interesting...

With the cubed, par-boiled, sauted turnips you can make an assortment of side-dishes. If you like some kick, continue to saute, but add cayenne pepper and garlic powder (or fresh). If you like it sweet, try adding a little honey, maple syrup, or sugar - you can also additionally flavor with cinnamon and/or nutmeg. Like it savory? Skip those last two treatments and add cumin or curry or fresh fennel. See where we're going? I'm already salivating like we were pouring red wine on buttered portobellos.

OK, last trick for tonight. Turnip Tomato Salad with Aioli. Take the sauted turnips with the garlic and cayenne and refigerate a couple hours. Make a fresh batch of aioli (Italian mayonaise - recipe on TheDahliaFarm.com website). Cube a couple fresh heirloom garden tomatoes and toss with the chilled turnips and ailoi. Serve it up - it will not last!

THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICES

Rodent droppings.

The main cause of salmonella in eggs...

If you're not convined that the local food movement has set a new paradigm in motion consider the latest national news developments.

The U.S. egg recall now stands at 380 million throughout 8 states and continues to growing hourly as the mass spread of salmonella poisoning from a single Iowa egg producer infects the country.

Symptoms of salmonella can be severe and include diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fever and occure with 8 to 72 hours after contamination. Salmonella can be life-threatening.

Distributed largely under the market names Albersons, Lucerne, Sunshine, Hillandale, and Ralphs these tainted eggs from Wright County Egg are the terrorist of the day. I can't help but recall a conversation I once had with a woman who told me she would rather 'get her eggs from a supermarket than a farm, because at least that way I know where they were coming from.'

Innane.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is working with state health departments to investigate the latest outbreak of salmonella.

Thoroughly cooking eggs can kill the bacteria. According to the U.S. Health Department, cooking eggs at temperatures of 160°Fahrenheit or more is sufficient to kill salmonella.

Here at TheDahliaFarm.com we recommend people just throw away eggs not purchased from your local farmer.