The Dahlia Farm Blog

Some Chicks Can't Catch A Break

2011-11-15T11:32:00.006-05:00

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

2011-03-01T16:26:00.004-05:00

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

2011-02-22T16:37:00.002-05:00

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

2011-01-30T16:50:00.006-05:00

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

2011-01-29T18:37:00.006-05:00

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

2011-01-28T10:55:00.011-05:00

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

2011-01-13T09:21:00.004-05:00

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

2010-09-02T08:30:00.002-04:00

(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

2010-08-23T18:37:00.005-04:00

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

2010-08-19T20:33:00.007-04:00

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.

ANVIL

2010-08-06T11:38:00.006-04:00

Due to last night’s aerial spraying of the pesticide “Anvil” by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Friday & Saturday baskets were picked the evening before and refrigerated.

You can visit the Massachusetts Health & Human Services website for “FAQ about Anvil spraying for EEE.”There is also a telephone info line: 2-1-1, but they failed to answer most direct questions.

New York State Dept. of Health has the most comprehensive fact sheet we could find: http://www.health.state.ny.us/publications/2738/

Anvil use has been controversial since its inception. It is a synthetic pyrethroid, manufactured and distributed by Clarke Mosquito Control. This chemical is toxic to fish, beneficial insects (such as carnivorous ladybugs and pollinating bees and butterflies) and all other invertebrates. Anvil was previously used by the Commonwealth in 2006.

Kohlrabi Parmesan

2010-08-02T16:40:00.003-04:00

This neat treat was just featured in Better Homes & Gardens.

Kohlrabi Parmesan:
ingredients

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 small kohlrabies (about 1 pound), peeled and coarsely shredded (3 cups)
1 medium red or green sweet pepper, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 medium carrot, coarsely shredded (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (optional)
Fresh thyme

directions

1.In a large skillet melt margarine or butter. Stir in shredded kohlrabi, chopped red or green sweet pepper, and shredded carrot. Cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
2.Stir in the 1/4 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan or Romano cheese, if desired. Garnish with fresh thyme. Makes 4 servings.

CSA Week #7

2010-07-23T12:52:00.006-04:00

CSA Week #7 Full-share includes:

Green Beans

Summer Squash (Zephyr)

Chinese Cucumber (“Suyo Long”)

Cucumbers

Kohlrabi (See our video on YouTube: “Funky Kohlrabi” for ideas)

Bok Choi (Joi Choi)

White Radish (Ping-pong) Salad topping, or slice & bake with olive oil, salt, cayenne pepper & garlic powder.

HERB: Parsley plant

CSA week 6

2010-07-16T15:26:00.003-04:00

CSA Week #6 Full-share includes:
Green Beans
Mixed Salad Greens (Endive, red kale, red lettuce, shugiku)
Summer Squash (Zephyr)
Carrot
Cucumbers.
White Radish (Ping-pong) Salad topping, or slice & bake with olive oil, salt, cayenne pepper & garlic powder.
HERB: Sage
CUT FLOWER: White Phlox

Be sure to see our website for RECIPES.
POST A COMMENT in our online FORUM.

week 5 CSA includes:

2010-07-12T13:24:00.002-04:00

CSA Week #5 Full-share includes:
Green Beans
Mesclun Field Greens Salad green.
Summer Squash (Zephyr)
Carrot
Choi (Longevity) Braise or treat as a raw green.
Swiss Chard
Gai Lon
HERB: Basil (Genovese)

WEEK 4 CSA

2010-07-06T14:52:00.001-04:00

CSA Week #4 Full-share includes:

Asian Baby Field Greens Salad green.

Radish

Carrot

Red Curly Kale Braise or treat as a raw green.

Red Leaf Lettuce

Pac Choi (Mei Quing Choi) Use as a raw green, sauté, stir-fry, or incorporate into Asian soups.

Italian Dandelion (full only)

CUT FLOWER: Lisianthus

HERB: Basil (Genovese)

INTERNATIONAL FARM

2010-06-28T18:42:00.006-04:00

It's official -- The Dahlia Farm has gone international!

Sort of...

When the largest egg farm in the Cape Verde Islands couldn't get standard-sized birds (tradititional chickens off the coast of Africa are bantams), they turned to their friends and relatives in the U.S. to personally transport fertilized large eggs home in the hope of breeding their own.

Success!

The Cape Verde Islands are now developing a flock of large birds, thanks to The Dahlia Farm!

So if ever you're travelling there and you should stumble upon Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rocks -- our southern New England traditional breeds -- you can rest assured, they are from your very own CSA farm, right here in Middleboro!

CSA week 3

2010-06-28T18:34:00.003-04:00

CSA Week #3 Full-share includes:
Shungiku Salad green.
Chinese Spinach (Yukina Savoy) Sauté or salad green.
Frisee (Endive, Bianca Riccia) Bitter salad green.
Mizuna Braise or treat as a raw green.
Red Leaf Lettuce
Swiss Chard Sauté or stir-fry.
Pac Choi (Mei Quing Choi) Use as a raw green, sauté, stir-fry, or incorporate into Asian soups.
CUT FLOWER: Yarrow, Baby’s Breath

LEE'S MARKET, WESTPORT

2010-06-24T13:54:00.005-04:00

If you happen to be in the Westport area and find yourself running low on Dahlia Farm eggs, be sure to swing on down to Lee's Market at 796 Main Road.

This independent grocer has been a destination to locavores and foodies alike for some number of years, and is well known throughout the region. Be sure to treat yourself the next time you're in the Westport area.

If not Westport, you can find us saturday mornings at the Plymouth Farmers Market (Courthouse Green) or thursdays at the Duxbury Farmers Market (Tarklin Community Center).

CSA Week #2

2010-06-18T12:08:00.006-04:00

CSA Week #2 Full share includes:

Sugar Snap Peas Whole pods, best eaten raw as a snack (do not shell).

Tai Sai (heirloom) Sauté, steam, stir-fry or bechamel.

Scapes (Garlic topsets) Treat as asparagus. Grille, bake or sauté with olive oil & coarse salt.

Arugula (heirloom) Salad green, but may be sautéd or added to side dishes. Use edible flowers to decorate salads and soups.

Lettuce (1 red, 1 green) Raw green.

Rapini (Sessantina Grossa) Sauté, stir-fry, or incorporate into soups.

Pac Choi (Mei Qing) Use as a raw green, sauté, stir-fry, or incorporate into Asian soups.

HERB: Potted Genovese Basil.

CUT FLOWER: Wildflower bunch (stachys,lysimarchia puntata, veronica & lathyrus(sweetpea)).

Be sure to see our website for additional recipes and to share ideas with other CSA member in our forum

WILTED GREENS...? JUST GIVE THEM A DRINK!

2010-06-14T16:21:00.006-04:00

MY LEAFY GREENS HAVE GONE WILTY, WHAT CAN I DO...?

Because we do not treat our produce with a chemical preservative, this will naturally happen. The process is called transpiration, which is kind of like sweating.

Plants draw moisture through their stems by means of cellular constriction (like a snake digesting an animal). The excess water then evaporates out the tops of their leaves.

Treat your fresh-cut leaf vegetables like cut flowers. Give the stems a fresh cut (at an angle) and place them in a glass or vase of water. They will perk right back up and look wonderful again, lasting for days.

And of course, refridgeration always helps - but only after they've revived.

GAI LOHN, or Chinese Broccoli, or Chinese Kale, or Kailan

2010-06-13T22:40:00.007-04:00

Call it what you will, this brassica family member is a true cross-over between rapini, kale and broccoli. While it most closely resembles broccoli, its florets are smaller, stems longer, and its leaves are wider.

Although it is common in Asian markets, gai lohn is fairly new to the rest of us, albeit not entirely foreign in appearance.

It is easy to prepare and may be stir-fried, steamed, or prepared any way in which you might make rapini, broccoli or kale.

"Happy Rich" is the variety we are growing this year at The Dahlia Farm, and if you are a CSA shareholder, you should be seeing yours within the next few weeks. (Provided our woodchuck doesn't return...)

CSA Week #1

2010-06-13T12:04:00.006-04:00

CSA Week #1 Full share includes:

SNAP PEAS Whole pods, best eaten raw as a snack (do not shell).
SPINACH Sauté or eat as a salad green.
RAMPS Treat as asparagus. Sauté French-style (Julienne-cut and skillet with butter and coarse salt).
ITALIAN DANDELION Bitter green. Wilt and serve, or add to other dishes, soups or stir-fry
MIZUNA Braise or treat as a raw green.
RADISH Raw snack, prepared for salad topping, or sliced and baked with olive oil and salt for “radish chips.”
RAPINI (Brocolli Raab) Sauté, stir-fry, or incorporate into soups.
PAC CHOI (Mei Quing Choi) Use as a raw green, sauté, stir-fry, or incorporate into Asian soups.
HERB: LAVENDER Edible flowers or dried for its aroma (use as a sachet in drawers, in laundry dryer).
HERB: SAGE Use fresh or dried
CUT FLOWER: KNIFOPHIA

PEA TENDRILS: A Seasonal Delicacy

2010-06-02T21:00:00.008-04:00

Pea tendrils -- the tender curly ends of sweet pea plants -- are truly a seasonal delicacy, blending the tender texture of stem with the lush sweet foliage of baby greens, and the just plain COOLNESS of edible flowers.

These short-seasoned precursors of snap peas are a high-sugar, early veggie snack and a favorite of locavores everywhere. Enjoy as a soup or salad topping - or for the purist, a pea tendril salad with cracked black pepper, kosher salt, olive oil & balsamic vinegar.

Because they will not last without converting their sugar to starch, and because they are so fragile, one must either grow their own or have immediate access to a CSA or local farmer's market to enjoy.

Fortunately, here at the Dahlia Farm, we presently have a solid supply (as long as the cool weather lasts) and look forward to including this specialty treat in our first CSA baskets.

See you soon!

Equal Exchange

2010-05-17T10:12:00.006-04:00

An Organic Solution
By Ashley Symons, Writer/Editor

It's a Friday morning at Equal Exchange and one day short of the official start of Spring. A truck backs into one of our loading docks. But it's not here to take away boxes of Equal Exchange products. It’s here to pick up chaff.

"Chaff is a skin that comes off the coffee as it roasts," said Lead Coffee Roaster Thomas Lussier. "As the coffee dries out and expands during roasting, it sheds this skin." Each week, we produce about 30-40 tall garbage bags - about 430 pounds of chaff. That could be a lot of waste, albeit organic, but fortunately chaff has another use – in the garden. Coffee bean chaff adds helpful nutrients to a compost mixture, and is especially good for the growth of vegetables.

In the fall of 2008, Rodney North, Equal Exchange's "Answer Man," started looking for ways to distribute chaff to local farmers. Eva Sommaripa, a certified organic grower of fresh culinary herbs, cut flower bouquets, edible flowers and specialty greens, took interest. Her business, Eva's Garden, is based in South Dartmouth, Mass. They make deliveries to markets and restaurants in the Boston area and could easily pick up chaff on the trip back to South Dartmouth. "As an organic farmer she was more interested than most in making her own compost and getting an organic compost ingredient was a plus," North said.

James Reynolds of The Dahlia Farm in Middleboro, Mass., has also utilized chaff from Equal Exchange for the last year. The farm is an organic CSA producer of vegetables and cutflowers. "We're regularly experimenting with alternative means of production," said Reynolds. "Initially I used the chaff as a general additive to the farm's clay-loam soil, but soon began to specifically target mulch and bedding, mixing the chaff with soil to make a lighter backfill for both leeks and potatoes – both of which require a series of stem-covering during the growing season. The chaff is a good substitute for foul bedding as it absorbs excess moisture and ammonia, which is later turned into compost."

Don’t have access to chaff? Instead of throwing out your coffee grounds after brewing, put them in your garden! Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, and can be sprinkled around plants, added to compost piles, or mixed into soil for houseplants or vegetable beds.

Our very own Banana Coordinator, Nicole Vitello, is also an organic farmer, and has used coffee grounds in her compost pile for years. "As an organic farmer, compost is a key ingredient in soil fertility but also in improving soil tilth," Vitello said. "Tilth is the structure of the soil and relates directly to its ability to aerate plant roots and both hold and shed moisture. In New England, farmers often have to contend with high clay concentrations in the soil which can make it heavy and difficult for plant roots to penetrate and access available nutrients."

Just like with coffee roasting, gardening is a mix of art and science!

Enterprise News Story: EARTH DAY 2010

2010-04-22T09:23:00.002-04:00

On eve of Earth Day, Brockton area farmers celebrate new consumer trend.
Local farmers get boost from program that sells share of harvest to consumers.
By Amy Littlefield
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

The tiny spinach transplants are still covered with a protective cloth, but soon the crops will make a hearty offering for the people enrolled in CSA programs.

Community-supported agriculture programs, or CSAs, have become increasingly popular in recent years. They allow consumers to pay for a share of a farm’s harvest ahead of time and then receive weekly offerings of produce through the summer and fall.

James Reynolds, who runs The Dahlia Farm in Middleboro, said his farm started receiving requests for CSA shares in December.

“Last year, we were just flooded with interest. This year, it’s been even bigger,” said Reynolds.

On the eve of Earth Day, which is celebrated on Thursday, Reynolds attributed that popularity to a growing awareness of the benefits of buying local, healthy food.

“I think it’s more of a paradigm shift in the consumer mind,” said Reynolds. “I think the average American is becoming more aware of exactly the food that we’re eating, the environment that we live in, the global community.”

Last year, Reynolds provided a basket of vegetables, greens, flowers and herbs to CSA customers every week for 20 weeks in return for $500. Reynolds also sells egg shares and half-shares.

Community-supported agriculture programs began in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1986, said Katie Cavanagh, Farms Forever coordinator at the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership. There are now 22 registered CSAs in Southeastern Massachusetts alone, Cavanagh said.

“They’ve grown more in popularity recently as farmers have realized the benefits of selling directly,” said Cavanagh.

She said Massachusetts farmers sell more farm products directly to consumers than farmers in any other state.

“Because we’re primarily small farms, we have that close relationship with the consumer,” Cavanagh said.

CSA programs provide revenue before a harvest, when farmers need it most.In return, customers are offered a chance to meet their farmer and see the source of their food. Some programs even allow CSA members to pick their own produce.

The only downside is that there may one day be more interested consumers than available shares.

“Just within Massachusetts, there’s more of a demand than a supply,” said Reynolds. “There’s only so much land that’s available, in addition to resources, capital and people who are willing to work as farmers in a modern society.”

ENTERPRISE STORY: As snow falls, summer veggies sprout in Middleboro

2010-02-18T14:57:00.007-05:00

By Alice Elwell,
ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT

MIDDLEBORO — While others were shoveling snow this week, two local farmers were starting their seedlings of onions, spinach, leeks and broccoli to get a jump on spring and be ready to offer up home-grown vegetables when the weather breaks.

Dave Purpura of Plato’s Harvest Organic Farm has already potted his onions and spinach plants, while James Reynolds of The Dahlia Farm is germinating his broccoli this week...

Reynolds grew more than 4,000 tomatoes plants last year with one German heirloom that weighed in at 3 pounds. There’s also basil, parsley, dill and cilantro for those gourmet cooks who seek the freshest herbs...

Laurie and Dean Rantz tried a half-share in Reynolds farm last year and said they were very happy with the produce. “It was something to look forward to every week,” said Laurie Rantz.

Dean Rantz said Reynolds would fill baskets each week with vegetables, herbs and flowers, sometimes with things the couple had never tried. One week they were given kohlrabi, something Dean Rantz described as looking like an alien, but turned out to be tasty. “Hey, I’ll try anything,” he said.

Rantz said another bonus is supporting local business. He said with all the talk of living green, he decided to do what he can for the environment and invested in a local farmer.

Read the complete story HERE.

Bumpkin says:
I had a half share last season from The Dahlia Farm and was very happy with it. Fresh, no chemicals, and a variety of stuff that you just won't see in the supermarkets. The eggs are 2nd to none with amazing orange yokes and texture. I wrote about the experience several times on my blog - nemasket.net
http://nemasket.net/new-csa/
http://nemasket.net/podcast-csa-middleboro/
http://nemasket.net/csa-update/

Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter

2010-02-02T09:34:00.004-05:00

Sorry to say -- and much to anyone's surprize -- Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow again this year, and it seems there will in fact be 6 more weeks of winter.

In the words of Bill Murray, 'I'm predicting March 21st.'

Looks like planting will be delayed again this year.

2010 CSAs Begin!

2010-01-14T08:48:00.006-05:00

Well our seeds are in, and the 2010 season has officialy begun!

We began taking enrollment in our CSA program this week, and are looking foward to a productive and significantly larger farm this year.

Last month we stepped-up our equiptment holdings with the addition of a "new" Ford Jubilee tractor. This fully-restored 1953 antique will be the workhorse of our plowing operation (watch for a future video of YOUR farm in operation!)

In recent months we have also become members of CERTIFIED NATURALLY GROWN, (an industry certifier of chemical-free farming), and LOCAL HARVEST.

Presently we are also on the USDA long list for the 'Obama Garden' high-tunnel pilot program. This is a Federal 3-year study program looking at the feasibility of extended-season produce growing, using hoop houses (or 'poly-tunnels').

If you are interested in subscribing to our CSA program this year, our online sign-up sheet can be found on our web (TheDahliaFarm.com). You can print the form and mail a check, or if you'd prefer to pay by cash or credit card, please give us a ring (days 508-947-0174, evenings, 508-947-8802).

Be sure to watch our website for updates (blog link at top) as well as some new videos as the season progresses.

Thanks for your support!

FREE: FOOD INC, Reading, Vermont

2010-01-08T18:49:00.003-05:00

A free showing of "FOOD, INC - The Movie" will air at the Reading Public Library on January 23, 2010, 6:30-8pm, sponsored by our neighbors, the Springfield Food Co-op.

Following the show will be a presentation of Reading's progressive Farm-to-School program.

If you have not yet seen this film, you owe it to yourself to take this free opportunity to learn more about food security, nutrition and the American corporate take-over and destruction of your health.

In a related story, hunger is on the rise in the USA - and particularly in Vermont, which now rates as the 6th hugriest state in the nation. According to the USDA's Food Security Report, 1 in 8 Vermont households are now considered "food insecure," skipping meals and malnurished.

If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, please contact 3SquaresVT, or the Reading Food Shelf on Tyson Road, Reading, VT.

DAHLIA SOAPS now available at REYNOLDS FLOWERS & GIFT SHOP

2009-12-09T19:14:00.001-05:00

We are proud to offer The Dahlia Farm hand-craft soaps this Christmas season at local retailer, Reynolds Flowers.

Once you have experienced the gentle, fragrant emolience of our Dahlia Soaps, you will find it difficult to go back to the same old hard bar.

Made with olive oil, shea butter, and essential oils these quality soaps are an affordable luxury that will bring joy and comfort to anyone on your Christmas list. Stocking stuffer individual bars are only $5, and the stand-alone, cheerfully gift wrapped 3-pak is a wonderful value at $14.

Be sure to visit Reynolds Flower this week and receive a free sample. If you haven't tried our hand-cut soap yet, you'll be merrily pleased.

WEEK 13 CSA

2009-09-15T11:10:00.001-04:00

WEEK 12 CSA

2009-08-28T09:50:00.006-04:00

Week 12 includes basil, sage, sunflowers, peppers, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, kale, pakchoi, & kohlrabi - which looks like this:

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WEEK 11 CSA

2009-08-19T23:08:00.004-04:00

Welcome back.

This weeks share includes New Potatoes, Garni Bouquet (sage & basil), Bell Peppers, Mei Qing Pak Choi, Zephyr Squash, Eggplant, Washington Cherry Tomatoes, Green Beans, Kohlrabi, Cucumbers, free-range eggs, Sunflowers, Cauliflower,

Here's the new vid accompanied by Old Blue Eyes...

WEEK 10

2009-08-13T08:53:00.006-04:00

Welcome to WEEK 10 here at The Dahlia Farm. This week features "Washington Cherry" Tomatoes, Golden Beets, New Potatoes, fresh cut Genovese Basil, Blueberries, Cucumbers, "Summer Spinach" (Chard), "Zephyr" Summer Squash and Curly Kale.

Be sure to tell your friends to get their own share - but they don't have to wait until next year. CSA shares (and half-shares) are available now through the remaining second half of the season. Full shares are $25 per week and the generous half-share is only $15 a week.

A half-season share is a great way to test-drive the CSA model, especially if you're not sure the weekly market basket idea is for you. We are so sure you'll be satisifed, we are currently developing an off-season plan to deliver a 12-month-long New England CSA in collaboration with several other farms, bakers & pastry chefs, fishermen & meat producers.

As always, please help us out with your feedback. Email, call us or post here. Your suggestions help us serve you better.

Heres the rundown in video format for Week #10:

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WEEK 9 CSA (Aug 3-8, 2009)

2009-08-03T13:58:00.006-04:00

Welcome to WEEK 9 here at The Dahlia Farm. This week introduces New Potatoes, fresh cut Genovese Basil, Blueberries & Green Beans and revisits "Summer Spinach" (Chard), Baby Carrots, Zucchini, our unique green-tipped "Zephyr" Summer Squash and Kohlrabi.

Be sure to tell your friends to get their own share - but they don't have to wait until next year. CSA shares (and half-shares) are available now through the remaining second half of the season. Full shares are $25 per week and the generous half-share is only $15 a week.

A half-season share is a great way to test-drive the CSA model, especially if you're not sure the weekly market basket idea is for you. We are so sure you'll be satisifed, we are currently developing an off-season plan to deliver a 12-month-long New England CSA in collaboration with several other farms, bakers & pastry chefs, fishermen & meat producers.

Looking forward, other new ideas include a year-end harvest festival - a veritable Garden Party complete with wine and live music.

As always, please help us out with your feedback. Email, call us or post here. Your suggestions help us serve you better.

One last thing... The blueberries are wonderful, nutritious, local, picked by us, and high in antioxidants, however we've collaborated with another farm to bring them to this week's CSA so it is advised that they be washed thoroughly before being eaten. If you are on an organic-restrictive diet, you may want to donate them. Otherwise, you will find them the same or superior to any others in the marketplace.

Heres the rundown in video format for Week #9:

BTW, if you'd like to get you kids to eat green beans, try this:

3 3 3

WEEK 8 CSA Full-share

2009-07-28T11:51:00.005-04:00

Week 8 full-share includes Baby Carrots, Beets, Kohlrabi, Arugula, Swiss Chard, Romaine Lettuce, Cucumbers, Broccoli, Zucchini Squash, Sage (fresh herb), and Calendula & Sweetpea Bouquet.

HEALTH CARE SYSTEM GONE AWRY

2009-07-24T02:33:00.012-04:00

Corporate excess. Grotesque executive compensation. Lawmakers making laws for lobbyists. "...the average American has no idea how bad this health-care system really is..."

In this link, my friend Dr. Sean Colsen gives a candid view from a surgeon's persepective on the failing state of managed health-care. Sean appears on the New York satellite radio show STAND UP! with Pete Dominick (Sirius 110 / XM 130) which boasts 18.5 million listeners.

Is patient care and wellness being sacrificed for insurance company profits...?

Absolutely.

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In a related link, our problematic state of national health is examined in the documentary PROCESSED PEOPLE.

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WEEK 7

2009-07-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

WEEK 7 FULL SHARE INCLUDES:
Calendula, Sugar Beets, Peppery Cress, Radish, Sugar Sanp Peas, Mizuna, Loose-leaf Lettuce, Assorted Squash, Sweet-pickling Cucumbers& Swiss Card.

FUNKY KOHLRABI

2009-07-19T15:15:00.003-04:00

This is kohlrabi:

An early-season "cabbage" native to northern Europe.

The German literal translation is "cabbage-turnip."

It is high in vitamin C, calcium & phosphorus.

While it may be baked, fried or grilled, it is best RAW...

Here's a couple quick recipes:

WEEK 6

2009-07-13T18:05:00.007-04:00

"This week's share sees the sunshine's effects draw to fruition,
The leaves of spring, fore-telling in their way, meet the summer's transition..."
--Seamus MacRagnall

Week Six moves us along toward the development of more hearty stock (and roots!)

Included here are Curly Kale, Mizuna, Sugar Beets, Kholrabi, Peppery Cress, Summer Squash, Zucchini, and some mixed cutflowers (again, there may be a slight variation between the first of the week and the end).

Enjoy the video:

WEEK 5

2009-07-06T12:52:00.006-04:00

We hope everybody's enjoying the holiday week and -- at last -- the sunshine!

This week, The Dahlia Farm full-share includes; Pak Choi, Kale, Waido, Sugarsnap Peas, Buttercrunch Bib Lettuce, Garlic Scapes, Yarrow & Artemisia Bouquet, and an emollient Dahlia Hand-craft Olive Oil Soap.

If you have not yet signed-up for the 2009 season, CSA shares are still available for the remainder of the harvest season on a pro-rata basis.

If you are looking for a farmers market to stroll this week be sure to see us Wednesday in Duxbury, Saturday at the Plymouth Green, or Sunday at Boston's SOWA open market.

WEEK 4...and Duxbury Farmers Market

2009-07-03T16:03:00.007-04:00

Week Four finds us with a possible break in the rain, the 4th of July, the opening of the Duxbury Farmer's Market and the following basket mix: Pak Choi, Swiss Chard, "Elegance" greens mix, Baby Kale, Broccoli Rapa, free-range eggs, hand-craft soap and Garlic Scapes (slight variation may occur between monday CSAs & friday CSAs).

If you have not made it to a local farmer's market yet, you may discover a new American pass time, very family-friendly and reminscint of halcyon days... Here's a peek. Happy 4th!

SCAPES

2009-06-28T18:03:00.013-04:00

From French country cuisine to the brautmasters of Germany to even us Swamp Yankees of Plymouth County, there has been a long standing opinion in cooking, that there is no waste in the hard-earned reward of food.

Just as snails are flavored with garlic and meat scraped to the bone to make sausages, the economy of the traditional harvest continues today. "We shall waste no part of the animal," Peter Straub once observed. ...Or plant!

I cannot recount how many times my grandfather from Madeira practiced this belief, knawing on trotters (pickled pigs feet) or the turkey's gizard and anus - all the while stating as fact their delicacy.

Well we don't have to go to quite that extreme to illustrate this week's true delicacy: garlic scapes.

Pictured here are the wrangled snarls of the "waste" of the garlic plant. Technically, garlic scapes are the flower & seed stem, which twist into a bizarrely beautiful coil prior to blossoming. Garlic farms routinely cut down the stem at this point as it directs the growth energy of the plant into the bulb rather than the foliage and blossom. A 30-35% increase in the bulb yeild can be managed by this method.

Cooking of scapes is very easy and the flavor is not as intense as the bulb itself. If you have never had scapes before, you will truly find them to be a "new" delicacy, but enjoy them while they last, because they are VERY, VERY seasonal.

Bon appetit!

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WHAT'S ON MY FOOD?

2009-06-25T09:19:00.009-04:00

What's on my food...?

Ever wonder how "safe" the FDA & USDA are really keeping us?

Would you be surprized to find the USDA is aware of 16 pesticide residues in APPLE JUICE...? A quarter of them carcinogens, three of them neurotoxins, and half of them either reproductive, hormone, or developmental toxicants.

According to the USDA - the Federal authority which determines who gets to bear their venerable "certified organic" label - more than half the apple juice for US consumption contains thiabendazole, a fungicide, metal-binder, and preservative all wrapped into one. According to Wikipedia TBZ effects on test animals (dosed at high levels) include: "liver and intestine disorder, reproductive disorders and decreasing weanling weight..." Perhaps more alarming are the effects on humans which have not been intentionally dosed at high levels, but only 'normal' consumption rates. These include: "nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, ringing in the ears, vision changes, stomach pain, yellowing eyes and skin, dark urine, fever, fatigue, increased thirst and change in the amount of urine." Fortunately, Wiki reports, "no mutagenic effects have been shown."

And that's good news - particularly when one ponders the fledgling age range of apple juice consumers.

Now it would be naive to think that if chemical pesticide use were to end today that the world would instantly be a safer place. Continued ground water contamination alone would last for many years. Nor would the banning of any single pesticide likely make a significant alteration to the general state of affairs. But the re-education of our culture would make a very important change. Public awareness of the links between pesticides and childhood leukemia, autism, Parkinson's, breast cancer, and water contamination is an important first step. A change in perspective on pesticide synergy - prolonged, repeated exposure - is an important first step. An understanding that huge agri-business profits are not as important as cultural well-being, is an important first step.

If you would like to find out what pesticides are on your food, you can visit the Pesticide Action Network's user-friendly pesticide ID tool at: www.whatsonmyfood.org

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HISTORY ALIVE!

2009-06-23T11:14:00.005-04:00

Gazette columnist and blogger Michael Maddigan, visits Middleboro's floral history this week in his "Recollecting Nemasket." Specifically featured: DAHLIAS!

Naturally this is of particular interest to us here The Dahlia Farm CSA in Middleboro, where we take our name from our farm's historic past.

Continually cultivated since the first building of record in 1839, our farm here has produced sweet corn, potatoes, gladioli, seeds, herbs, blueberries, holiday crops such as Easter lilies & poinsettias, hardy mums, dent corn, and perrenial cutflowers. But it was EASTVALE FARMS (1920's-1950's) which made this site historic, when at their zenith they became the largest dahlia farm in New England.

Be sure to read Mr. Maddigan's column (which can be linked to from this blog). His series has been one that is not only historically fascinating, but painstakingly researched and archivally unique in its focus.

WEEK 3

2009-06-22T14:53:00.005-04:00

Hello and welcome to WEEK #3!

This wet weather really does have a silver lining and that is a big push in The Dahlia Farm field greens.

Week Three features: "Elegence" salad greens mix, Swiss chard, Spinach, Pac Choi, cress, radish, an herb (lavender), Dahlia Farm hand-craft soap, and cutflowers.

Love those eggs...? Be sure to sign up for an egg share (available seasonally or annually) to guarantee you have them on a weekly, or bi-weekly basis.

Until next week, happy & healthy eating!

RELISH A RADISH

2009-06-21T10:04:00.008-04:00

We all like to add sliced radishes to our salads or crunch them fresh, but if you find yourself wondering what else to do with them you're not alone. But wonder no more, because whole, halved, sliced, chopped, wedged or quartered there are nearly endless possibiltites.

QUICK FIXIN'S:
1. Sliced radishes for stir-frys.
2. Chopped or minced radishes added to egg, tuna, chicken, potato salad or cole slaw.
3. Fried radish crisps (sidedish); sauté quartered radishes in butter for 2 minutes and sprinkle with kosher salt & cracked pepper
4. Baked radish crisps (side or snack); thinly slice radishes, splash with olive oil and bake on sheet (375 degrees for 30 minutes). Stir radishes, and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt, chili powder, and garlic powder, and bake a few more minutes.
5. Stir finely chopped radishes into sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes.
6. Stir finely chopped radishes into mayonnaise (see our aioli recipe) for a condiment for cold cut sandwiches
7. Sliver radishes for rice dishes.
8. Sliced radishes on bread & butter for fresh radish sandwiches.

For some longer recipes, be sure to visit or "GARDEN RECIPES" page at thedahliafarm.com website

PLYMOUTH FARMERS MARKET

2009-06-20T08:27:00.004-04:00

The Plymouth Farmers Market & The Dahlia Farm Plymouth CSA pick-ups begin today at the Courthouse Green in beautiful, historic downtown Plymouth. Market hours today run 9:30 to 1:30 and among the attractions will be live entertainment. Be sure to come early and say hello. For additional information you can visit the markets web site at http://plymouthfarmersmarket.org/

FARM TO FORK

2009-06-16T07:33:00.013-04:00

The "locavore" movement is now firmly footed and international.

GOURMET Magazine features a regular video series and the rise of popular films and books such as Fast Food Nation, Supersize Me, In Defense of Food, and Food Inc have acted as catalyst to the current paradigm shift.

There is a promising future when one sees the likes of a 12-month New England CSA but also an ominous corporate/regulatory threat in the form of, say, HR 875.

At no point in history has the world's population been at a greater turning point with regard to it's future food, and never has conscious awareness been more important. At its heart, the locavore movement is all about food safety, supporting local community, flavor, nutrition, health and on a larger level, the environment.

One need not join a social-political group to make the world a better place, but simply read the back of the package rather than the front. "Low net carbs" may sound great but not at the expense of consuming mass daily quantities of "isolated soy protein, calcium sulfate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, calcium propionate, fumaric acid, potassium sorbate, monoglycerides, sucralose sodium metabisulfite" (real product). Small, concerted efforts produce great change.

A few days ago Radio Boston featured a story on CSAs and the locavore movement, with a specific focus on Massachusetts CSAs, many south of Boston. The show runs about an hour and was both exciting and interesting in its scope. The podcast can be heard here and is well worth a listen.

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WEEK 2

2009-06-15T21:43:00.009-04:00

Only 18 weeks left sounds like Charlie Brown's girl Lucy saying "Merry Christmas, only 364 shopping days left," but here we are into week 2 already.

Our market basket this week features beautiful fresh spinach, Asian mizuna greens, cress, radish, red-leaf lettuce, 'Black-seed Simpson' loose leaf lettuce, eggs and flowering kniphofia.

If you're reading this and wished you had joined us already, fear not!

We are still accepting CSA share-holders

for the remainder of the season - even if there are only 18 weeks left!

Food, Inc.

2009-06-15T07:52:00.010-04:00

On Friday a new film was released, "Food, Inc."

This expose' on the US food industry reveals a highly mechanized conspiracy between a handful of corporations and our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. At risk is American consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and the Earth's environment. In exchange for mega-chicken breasts, boneless meats, insecticide-resistant soybeans, and tomatoes that last forever, we have new strains of E. coli, widespread obesity, and an epidemic of diabetes.

While distribution in this area is thin (the best shot right now is Nickelodeon Cinema 5 in North Falmouth, on July 10),this film should be seen - even if one has to wait for Netflix to pick it up.

For more information you can visit the official site at http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Be sure to keep it in mind, and post here
if you happen to find it playing anywhere nearby in the immediate future.

Our first testimonial

2009-06-12T12:47:00.001-04:00

Mid-stride through our first CSA week we just received the following email from a satisfied share-holder. Of course we're only too pleased to share:

"Good Stuff! I just wanted to let you know that my family really enjoyed all the great food we recieved on the monday CSA. You went above and beyond, and I really appreciate it. I will see you on Monday!"
-- L and Family

Week #1

2009-06-08T16:57:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone and thanks for joining The Dahlia Farm CSA!

We begin with short-season/cool-weather crops, and this week our CSA features a LOT of leafy greens - which are great for reducing cholesterol and adding fiber to one's diet.

Week #1 full-share features Spinach, Pea Tendrils, Mizuna, Mixed Baby Field Greens, Cress, Radishes, Rhubarb, Free-range Eggs, Dahlia Farm hand-made soap, and cut peonies. (In lieu of eggs, honey may be substituted if a share has already been purchased). A half-share would feature a generous half version of the above.

Don't forget to bring in your basket next week for rotation, and be sure to check out our growing "Garden Recipes" page on our website.

If you are reading this and have not yet signed-up, you're in luck! There's still time to begin this week, or at any future point on a pro-rata share basis. See our website www.TheDahliaFarm.com for more information.

For those of you who have signed on, thank you & welcome!

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CSA BEGINS THIS WEEK

2009-06-07T21:35:00.005-04:00

Our 2009 CSA shares begin this week. Monday pick-ups will be available after 11am in Middleboro.

If you haven't yet declared a pick-up day please drop us an email. Middleboro can be monday or friday (most are monday), Boston is sunday, Plymouth saturday and Duxbury wednesday.

If you've been thinking about signing up, now's the time. There are still shares available and joining is easy. Just click here and we'll see you this week.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

2009-05-30T21:47:00.004-04:00

Nothing brings out the city hippies like a day of transplanting on an organic farm. Pictured here, our friends from JP -- the inseparable CatDog -- are working for only beers and bragging-rights on how they passed a beautiful saturday... (Obviously these guys misunderstood us when we said we might need them for "weeding.")

Thanks for all your help, Liz and Ian.

Today we made a dent.

BIODIVERSITY and the WORLD

2009-05-29T09:25:00.008-04:00

According to the current ORGANIC GARDENING Magazine (June/July 2009), "natural grasslands act as a reservoir for nearly a third of the world's carbon, making them an important resource in the battle against global warming." In line with that statistic, natural grasslands cover just over a third of the land mass of the earth. But that number is rapidly diminishing.

So too are the rainforests. Each year an area the size of Portugal dissapears from the planet.

But research proposes a global, mutually-benefital method to reverse this trend: grass-fed beef and lamb.

This is the heart of biodiversity. Land used for the production of natural food slows the encroachment of development and mass deforestation. In turn, production animals readily and directly improve the quality of the soil with their wastes. Quid-pro-quo, improved soil produces improved plant-feed, inturn producing superior meat, milk, cheese - even fleece.

Recent research at the University of Exeter in the UK profiled 75 farms producing meat and cheese and found that not only was grass-fed lamb and beef more tender and flavorful, but was also higher in linoleic acid, antioxidants and vitamin E than their conventionally-raised counterparts. An added bonus is the animals are actually healhtier, less-stressed, and in need of less medical care.

The French concept, terroir, sites the link between the quality characteristics of food as reflective of the soil and climate they were raised in. Although this may seem inherently sensible, it is not by and large how we produce food in America. But that's not to say it is not feasible.

On a relatively recent trip to my ancestral homeland I found the Irish animals in these photographs happily free-ranging on massive grasslands. The sight of these grasslands in Ireland is as much a part of the landscape in that country as are village pubs, plots of celtic crosses, and rain.

Personally I can state as fact that what passes for "conventionally-raised" meats and cheeses in Ireland equates to "specialty" food in America. The Irish staples have always and continue to be grass-fed, symbiotic systems.

One system in County Waterford in fact, incorporated a haying operation into the mix as well. Sections of a field, separated by ancient stone walls moved cattle from one coral to the next over a production season. When the grasses were high enough they were baled, thereafter cattle grazed the stumble, littering it with manure, and then moved on to repeat the process elsewhere.

Needless to say the temperate, rainy climate of southern Eire aided the process, but I've seen the same general methods employed in France, Costa Rica, Spain, Colombia...countries rich and poor alike. The result is flavorful and nutritionally superior food - meat, milk, icecream, and cheese that is just not largely available in the US. Even in the poorest neighborhood in Costa Rica, the ground beef is a dozen times better than the best grade of burger in the US.

Biodiversity is all about simple systems. Sometimes the more we learn, the more we realize we've gotten away from what really matters.

CSA shares to begin shortly

2009-05-26T21:54:00.000-04:00

This week we began eating our first five-minute-salads... Salads that were in the garden five minutes prior, that is!

And while we know you're awaiting your first week's share, we're doing the rain-dance here at The Dahlia Farm and knitting mantras for a delicate balance of temperate days and evenings. It won't be much longer...

Presently we're seeing pea tendrils, radish, arugula and mizuna ready for harvest, but rather than jumping into a false start, we're holding off just a little bit longer on the weekly shares.

Those of you who have not yet signed up for an egg share, may also want to consider this. Egg shares are available seasonally as well as annually and may be a full-share (one dozen per week) or half-shares (one dozen every other week). Our current egg-shareholders are enjoying wonderful, bright orange, high-doming, exceptionally flavorful eggs daily. In fact, my NEW favorite sandwich is a dropped egg (soft-boiled) on toast. Once-upon-a-time that sounded awfully bland, but these eggs are just so darned tastey. Here's what one MIDDLEBORO GAZETTE columnist had to say, and if you'd like to stop by a local cafe to sample The Dahlia Farm eggs, be sure to visit the Rockin' K Cafe right over in Bridgewater. You can also pick up a dozen or two this coming sunday when we return to the SOWA open market in Boston's South-end.

Until then, we'll keep rain-dancing and in the meantime, there's all this transplanting to do!

SOWA

2009-05-16T12:41:00.000-04:00

"IT'S OPENING NIGHT," To paraphrase Max Bialystock -- or more specifically, OPENING DAY...for the 2009 farmer's market season, that is.

We kick off today -- virtually a month before most of the other Massachusetts markets -- at Boston's South-end SOWA market, and the signs are positve.

Regularly a sunday market, SOWA begins this season with a full weekend event featuring 140 vendors including crafters, artists, artisans, bakers, antique dealers, specialty foods importers and of course, farms.

It's turning out to be a beautiful day today, so if you're looking for something different to do in the city be sure to swing by 540 Harrison Ave in the Southend. You'll be glad you did!

PODCAST

2009-04-13T16:47:00.000-04:00

Hot off the MP3!

I did an interview recently with the infamous blogger & Middleboro Gazette columnist Bellicose-Bumpkin on a number of issues related to natural, bio-diverse farming. Today it was posted to the world and can be found on his blog at: http://bellicose-bumpkin.blogspot.com/2009/04/csa-middleboro.html

CSA pre-season discount - if you ACT FAST!

2009-04-11T20:46:00.000-04:00

Now through the end of April 2009 we are offering a pre-season discount of $550 for our CSA share, $280 for a half-share! That's an extra savings to an already great deal, where you can also treat yourself to BETTER food AND help the local community by preserving open spaces in Plymouth County AND help save the Earth by supporting envirnonment-friendly farming. Sign-up NOW!

ORGANIC CAN'T BE ORGANIC - It's The Law!

2009-04-09T00:36:00.000-04:00

For decades, farmers growing without the use of chemicals in a bio-diverse, sustainable manner have referred to their farms and products as "Organic." On October 21, 2002 that ended.

The United States Congress declared that after October 21, 2002, any farmer selling over $5,000 worth of produce may NOT refer to their produce or growing methods as "Organic" unless they have been certified by a USDA accredited certification agency. Furthermore, failure to comply with this order is punishable with fines up to $10,000 per violation per day. [NOP Final Rule: 205.100]

While the certification process may aid gargantuan organic agribusiness farms (scantly practicing bio-diversity) its implementation is grossly counter-productive to thousands of small, diversified family farms using natural methods in growing and for disease and insect control.

Diverse crop production means burgeoning record management and excessive paperwork. Coupled with astonomical certification fees, time and budget makes it improbable if not impossible for many small farms to become "certified organic." Ironically, many of the best organic farmers are no longer allowed by law to call themselves "organic!"

USDA Organic program is designed to serve the large corporate farming operations. In fact, the majority of "Organic" food now filling supermarkets is produced on huge factory farms - required by their charters to place profits over all other interests, including producing safe, sustainably grown food. In recent years corporate consolidation has taken the most successful, forward-thinking farms under the larger corporate umbrellas of Dole, Kraft, General Mills, Unilever and Coca Cola.

Outside the United States, USDA "Organic" label does not carry the weight of law as it does here. In fact, its very legitimacy as a form of certification is challenged by foreign trade partners the EU and Japan - and US farmers must have their food certified by internationally accreditted certification agencies to sell in those markets.

All this is not to say that USDA "Certified Organic" is a bad thing, but rather that it is not the ONLY thing. A new, alternative label and certification system is emerging called "Certified Naturally Grown."

Certified Naturally Grown provides small, local growers with a certification system that consumers can quickly come to trust and understand.

Certified Naturally Grown encourages people to purchase from the small diversified farmers that make up their local landscape. In short, even while there are still many wonderful "Certified Organic" farmers out there, one shouldn't base one's buying decisions on certification status. The best rule of thumb, instead, is to get to know your local farmers and how they produce the food you're eating. Ask questions. Visit their websites. Make an appointment to visit their farm. Most importantly, know your food!

Locally grown food finds niche in Brockton area - Brockton, MA - The Enterprise

2009-03-28T21:50:00.000-04:00

Locally grown food finds niche in Brockton area - Brockton, MA - The Enterprise:

By Kyle Alspach
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
Posted Mar 27, 2009 @ 11:28 PM

MIDDLEBORO —
A new organic farm in Middleboro and a farmers market in Bridgewater are set to debut this year, two signs that locally grown food is a growing commodity in the region.
The Dahlia Farm on Plymouth Street in Middleboro will offer organic vegetables and herbs, eggs from free-range chickens and cut flowers, said farmer Jim Reynolds.
People will be able to buy “shares” of the vegetable crop this summer, entitling them to an assortment of veggies each week starting in June.
Meanwhile in Bridgewater, organizers say a new farmers market will kick off in July at a Bridgewater State College parking lot on Spring Street.
Local farm advocates say it’s all a response to rapidly rising demand for locally produced food, for reasons ranging from health to climate change to food security.
“We’re realizing we can’t rely on the big farms in California or New Jersey anymore, that we’re going to have to think a lot more locally,” said Sarah Cogswell, a coordinator for the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership in Wareham.
Cogswell was among the nearly 500 people who crowded into a Bridgewater State College hall on Wednesday to hear a talk from Michael Pollan, local food advocate and author of best-sellers “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “In Defense of Food.”
Pollan’s emphasis on eating “real food” — with little or no processing — is something that resonates with farmers such as Jim Reynolds.
“People are becoming more and more aware of what exactly is in the food they’ve been eating — that just because something has an FDA approval, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for you,” he said.
The Dahlia Farm is located on the property of Reynolds Flowers, a business run by Reynolds’ family since the 1950s.
Reynolds, 46, and his wife, Michele, will be farming the land together this year. One acre is being devoted this year to vegetables, he said.
Another two acres are allotted for the farm’s 50 chickens, which are currently producing organic eggs for the Rockin K Cafe in Bridgewater.
Reynolds joins several dozen other farmers in southeastern Massachusetts growing food mainly for local consumption.
“There’s very much a movement of people becoming educated in what we’re eating,” he said.
Elsewhere in Middleboro, the Golden Rule Farm at Soule Homestead Education Center is planning to double its production of organic veggies this year, said farmer Frank Albani.
Growing demand for local food, Albani said, is behind the boost. Albani plans to sell some of the produce at the new Bridgewater farmers market this summer.
The town hasn’t had a farmers market any time in recent memory, said Arthur Lizie, an associate professor in communications studies at Bridgewater State who had the idea for the market.
“I really saw a lack of access to good local food around here,” he said.
Lizie is hoping five to 10 vendors will take part in the market, selling local foods including vegetables, cheeses and maple syrup.
The market will be held one afternoon a week in a college parking lot for commuter students. The day of the week hasn’t been finalized, but the market is expected to run from July through October, Lizie said.
“I just think it’s going to be a great opportunity to really engage the community,” he said. “We hope to let people know about good eating options that help themselves, help the community and the local economy.”
For more on the Bridgewater farmers market, e-mail organizer Amy Braga at amybraga@hotmail.com.

Kyle Alspach can be reached at kalspach@enterprisenews.com.

SPRING FLOWER SHOW

2009-02-20T10:58:00.000-05:00

Surprizing (and disappointing) as it may be the BOSTON FLOWER SHOW (a/k/a the NEW ENGLAND FLOWER SHOW) has been cancelled! Funding appears to be the main issue and if you would like to help the Mass Horticultural Society out for 2010, you can visit their site at http://www.masshort.org/New-England-Spring-Flower-Show.
The good news to all this is that The 16th Annual Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show will take place THIS WEEKEND, February 19-22, 2009 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. For all information follow this link. http://www.flowershow.com/. These shows are always welcomed by winter-weary New Englanders and are well worth your support.

MAN CANNOT LIVE BY VEGETABLES ALONE

2009-02-09T18:39:00.000-05:00

The next time you're in the mood to kick your salad up to the stratosphere try replacing your same-old-same-old bottled dressing with your own, home-made GARLIC AIOLI. Green, pasta, rice or bean salad - this is well worth a try. Be sure you have a strong stomach, though. Not everyone can tolerate raw egg &/or raw garlic. If you can, you are probably either deeply detoxed or COMPLETLY toxified. Anyway, it goes like this:

GARLIC AIOLI

6-8 large cloves of raw garlic

pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons of dijon mustard

2 Tablesspoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice

3/4 cup of oil (olive preferred, canola ok)

1 raw (farm fresh) egg

In a food processor mince the garlic and add salt, mustard, lemon juice. Slowly (in a thin drizzle) pour olive/canola oil and continue to process on high. When the mixture thickens (to your preferred consistency) add the egg and continue blending. Pour or spoon mixure into a serving bowl or toss with salad or pasta. Enjoy.

HOW TO BOIL AN EGG

2009-02-03T09:35:00.001-05:00

Ever heard someone called 'so dumb they couldn't boil an egg?' Funny as that may sound, there really is - like everything else - a right & a wrong way to do it.

And here's something even stranger than that. If you've ever said to yourself, 'gee sometimes when I peel a hard-boiled egg the shell comes right off, and sometimes it really clings and makes a !#@^*!! mess... I wonder why...' Well, if you're the one who boiled the egg, then YOU are so dumb you can't even boil an egg!

But not to worry, here's the secret: Get the water up to boiling temp before you put your egg(s) in. That's it! Premature egg placement in cold water will not save you time, when you factor in how much time you will waste peeling.

BTW, once your water is boiling the following results will be rendered with these times: Soft-boiled, 5 minutes; Hard-boiled, 12 minutes.

If you didn't know this, you've just learned something for the day! If you did know this, you've just wasted you time...but check back again soon, next time we'll have something for smarter folks like you!

STORE WARS

2009-01-16T15:15:00.000-05:00

Not long ago in a supermarket not so far away... Help CUKE SKYWALKER and PRINCESS LETTUCE fight the dark side in this funny but poinant video from Free Range Films. May the farm be with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVrIyEu6h_E

Food Democracy Now

2009-01-15T09:04:00.001-05:00

This grassroots organization is leading the march
for Obama's next pick for Secretary of Agriculture. Intent that while farmers face harsh challenges regarding eneregy costs, inputs, land-use and legislative policies that undermine their ability to compete in the open market, there must be a push for better policies.

When Obama tapped former Iowa Governor & lawyer Tom Vilsack, who has backed genetic engineering (GMO foods) and has a close relationship with corporate agribusiness (i.e. Monsanto), many organic proponents screamed their opposition. The Organic Consumers Association, for instance, is pressuring Congress to reject the Vilsack nomination with mass petitions.

According to FDN, "The current system unnaturally favors economies of scale, consolidation and market concentration and the allocation of massive subsidies for commodities, all of which benefit the interests of corporate agribusiness over the livelihoods of farm families...we believe our next Secretary of Agriculture must have a vision that calls for: recreating regional food systems, supporting the growth of humane, natural and organic farms, and protecting the environment, biodiversity and the health of our children while implementing policies that place conservation, soil health, animal welfare and worker's rights as well as sustainable renewable energy near the top of their agenda."

Visit their sites at: http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/ and http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1798

Fresh herbs are more popular than ever!

2009-01-14T10:35:00.000-05:00

From the December 2008 Yearbook of Fresh Digest magazine:

"Now, instead of high sodium supplements like salt and garlic powder, more and more consumers are reaching for healthier, fresh herbs and spices at their local grocery store. So much, in fact, that fresh herbs and spices are one of the fastest growing categories amongst vegetables in the produce department.'

Fresh herbs and spices have experienced tremendous growth at the retail level', said Craig Agnew, Gourmet Garden, president for North America. 'The consumer has become increasingly aware of the importance of healthy eating and, at the same time, has developed a more sophisticated pallet that wants a fresher, better flavor'"

CHICKENS FIRST SNOW

2009-01-05T11:42:00.000-05:00

These guys just turned 6-months old around Christmas. They are comprised of Plymouth Rock Whites, Plymouth Rock Barreds (speckled black) and New Hampshire Reds (similar to RI Reds). In thieir entire existence they have never seen snow before this moment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1DV4jy12AQ

Visual wasteland, spiritual begining

2008-10-03T19:33:00.000-04:00

It is early October. I'm wearing a long sleave shirt and holding a glass of cabernet (that sadly I neither grew nor vinted) but still the evening air is nipping at my skin. There a a stillness, but a breeze so light, perhaps a single knaut. It is more of a coldness on the right side of my face than a draft. Even the black silouettes of maples and poplars against the dwidling western sky are still in the post-sunset twighlight. I stand here, grounding myself to nature, feeling my inner core sway to the earth like a water-lily facing the warm sun on a cool april day.

In the garden I see not the itchy sculptures of dried sunflowers, but the remaining seeds the birds have left behind. A promise of the future... Of next season's harvest that might fetch exorbitant returns in an over-priveledged urban farmers market. I see not the twigs & stems of black iron weeds, but the fodder and forage for my daylight pulletts that will soon bear free-range organic eggs, high in oleic aciddy goodness & low in hormonal, anitbiotic maddness. I see not the despair of a plot gone to seed, the the promise of fresh organic matter ready to feed the future. I see elderly grandparents crying and praying for their children's children.

There is a sliver of crescent glowing moon, slung higher in its invisible hammock than last night. Across the abutting marsh, there are not misquitoes, but rather honking, migratory Canadian geese preparing their courage for twightlight flight. I will wait for their magestic presence to pass over me in a flying "V", almost close enough to reach. I won't need to wait long. There is nothing here in the season of life that is long... Although it may take forever to arrive, its fleeting is always too soon.

Seamus McRagnall