Friday, February 15
Road Ramblings
Club member T. McLeod and I hit the road this morning to make the circuit to our local food suppliers. We had a great day...it was beautiful out, and we got to talk with such wonderful people along the way. Here are some highlights:
* 9:30 AM Landis Gourmet Mushrooms: John Herron met us at the cotton mill and gave a tour of the basement, where he is raising oyster mushrooms. Whereas last visit had only Brown Phoenix, this time we have Golden Oyster and Blue Tree. John showed us some shitake mushrooms that he's testing out as well; they take a lot longer to grow than the 2-week cycle of the oyster mushroom. He's got a lot of room to expand his business, and is plenty capable of doing so. Help spread the word to your local restaurants and shops...he's going places.
* 10:15 AM Hoffner Dairy, Mt Ulla: What a pastoral scene...a baby calf, born just last night, standing with its mother in brilliant green grass against dark brown-black soil. The farm dogs greeted us with gusto and Chris gave us a quick overview of the place. We're looking to Chris to help provide organic vegetables to us in the upcoming months. At our request, he and his family have begun planting mixed greens for late spring harvest. He's got some delicious pecans available, too. Chris also told us about his experiments with popping his sweet corn...he placed the whole cob in the microwave...what a mess! (Needless to say I asked him to save some cobs for us this summer to purchase in the fall.)
* 11:45 PM Bird Brain Ostrich Ranch, Sherrills Ford: The sight of a flock of ostriches roaming around the barnyard is somewhat startling at first. Wow, there's a LOT to know about ostriches, and Pat Roberts is the person to tell you! Her knowledge also helps ensure no part of the animal goes to waste, either. If anyone out there needs salt-cured dog bones, green leather for tanning, or the ornamental feather...she's got it! And she's creative in other ways, too. For example, Pat's now feeding her ostriches kale. She likes it, so she figures they should, too. And she's discovering that it's making a difference in the quality of her birds. Makes me want to get my kale patch back up and thriving!
* 12:45 PM Grateful Growers, Denver: So when a boar gets loose in a field full of sows, the result is three sows giving birth to litters within 24 hours of each other. We got to visit the days-old piglets in their rustic but well-crafted hut amid a green pasture. As Natalie discussed her not-so-tasteful role of surgeon next week to castrate the little males, the chickens started making a racket. It was time for them to come out of their cages and roam for the afternoon...now that the morning has past and the hawks have ceased their hunt for the day. Chicken club information will be coming out soon...there are new chick prices and feed prices and a new processor...lots of numbers Natalie has to crunch. And then...another discovery...a local soap-maker is using lard from GG to make soaps and lip balm. All natural stuff...smells great and works well too. (T and I both had to make impulse buys!)
* 2:00 PM Apple Orchard Farms, Stanley: Well, Art's just having a ball with his farming. We saw the cows and chickens down in the pasture, and the tomato plants are just getting started in the greenhouse. Art had a sugar-cured ham getting hickory-smoked on the grill. My whimpering about how good it smelled scored us samples. I really didn't want to leave at that point; it was SO good. I'll be heading back to Art's next Friday since his freezers were just about empty today...at least that's my excuse for going back...really I'm just hoping to get another taste of whatever he's cooking!
T. summed up the trip well. It may have been a Friday, but it felt like Sabbath. We were able to visit with these real people who are doing tremendous work to grow our food. And it's their faces and places that we'll recall when we sit down to give our thanks.
* 9:30 AM Landis Gourmet Mushrooms: John Herron met us at the cotton mill and gave a tour of the basement, where he is raising oyster mushrooms. Whereas last visit had only Brown Phoenix, this time we have Golden Oyster and Blue Tree. John showed us some shitake mushrooms that he's testing out as well; they take a lot longer to grow than the 2-week cycle of the oyster mushroom. He's got a lot of room to expand his business, and is plenty capable of doing so. Help spread the word to your local restaurants and shops...he's going places.
* 10:15 AM Hoffner Dairy, Mt Ulla: What a pastoral scene...a baby calf, born just last night, standing with its mother in brilliant green grass against dark brown-black soil. The farm dogs greeted us with gusto and Chris gave us a quick overview of the place. We're looking to Chris to help provide organic vegetables to us in the upcoming months. At our request, he and his family have begun planting mixed greens for late spring harvest. He's got some delicious pecans available, too. Chris also told us about his experiments with popping his sweet corn...he placed the whole cob in the microwave...what a mess! (Needless to say I asked him to save some cobs for us this summer to purchase in the fall.)
* 11:45 PM Bird Brain Ostrich Ranch, Sherrills Ford: The sight of a flock of ostriches roaming around the barnyard is somewhat startling at first. Wow, there's a LOT to know about ostriches, and Pat Roberts is the person to tell you! Her knowledge also helps ensure no part of the animal goes to waste, either. If anyone out there needs salt-cured dog bones, green leather for tanning, or the ornamental feather...she's got it! And she's creative in other ways, too. For example, Pat's now feeding her ostriches kale. She likes it, so she figures they should, too. And she's discovering that it's making a difference in the quality of her birds. Makes me want to get my kale patch back up and thriving!
* 12:45 PM Grateful Growers, Denver: So when a boar gets loose in a field full of sows, the result is three sows giving birth to litters within 24 hours of each other. We got to visit the days-old piglets in their rustic but well-crafted hut amid a green pasture. As Natalie discussed her not-so-tasteful role of surgeon next week to castrate the little males, the chickens started making a racket. It was time for them to come out of their cages and roam for the afternoon...now that the morning has past and the hawks have ceased their hunt for the day. Chicken club information will be coming out soon...there are new chick prices and feed prices and a new processor...lots of numbers Natalie has to crunch. And then...another discovery...a local soap-maker is using lard from GG to make soaps and lip balm. All natural stuff...smells great and works well too. (T and I both had to make impulse buys!)
* 2:00 PM Apple Orchard Farms, Stanley: Well, Art's just having a ball with his farming. We saw the cows and chickens down in the pasture, and the tomato plants are just getting started in the greenhouse. Art had a sugar-cured ham getting hickory-smoked on the grill. My whimpering about how good it smelled scored us samples. I really didn't want to leave at that point; it was SO good. I'll be heading back to Art's next Friday since his freezers were just about empty today...at least that's my excuse for going back...really I'm just hoping to get another taste of whatever he's cooking!
T. summed up the trip well. It may have been a Friday, but it felt like Sabbath. We were able to visit with these real people who are doing tremendous work to grow our food. And it's their faces and places that we'll recall when we sit down to give our thanks.
Thursday, February 14
Educational Event: The Future of Food
This movie is profoundly eye-opening. Although it is presented with a shock-and-disturb tone, the information it presented challenged me to ask questions about my food that I wasn't yet asking. I encourage you to attend and share this experience as a group.
"THE FUTURE OF FOOD examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world's food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis today."
Tuesday, February 26
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Davidson College Presbyterian Church
(at intersection of Concord Rd. and Main St. in Davidson)
Directions:
Enter the main church building by the handicap ramp on Concord Road.
Tuesday, February 26
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Davidson College Presbyterian Church
(at intersection of Concord Rd. and Main St. in Davidson)
Directions:
Enter the main church building by the handicap ramp on Concord Road.
Take the elevator or the stairs to the 2nd floor and look for signs to the event.
Tuesday, February 12
Dancing with Dinner: The Dynamics of Healthy Food Chains
Karen O. sent me a lecture podcast by Joel Salatin. If you remember he was the small organic "grass farmer" highlighted in Omnivore's Dilemma.
http://www.coloradocollege.edu/podcast/
They have other fantastic podcasts as well. A lecture by Greg Mortensen (who wrote Three Cups of Tea) and another podcast about the global food supply.
http://www.coloradocollege.edu/podcast/
They have other fantastic podcasts as well. A lecture by Greg Mortensen (who wrote Three Cups of Tea) and another podcast about the global food supply.
Locavores Anonymous?
Karen O. sent me the following. From talking with some of you, I think her questions reflect what several of you are thinking. Please comment.
"I'm REALLY interested in becoming more locavore-eating everything locally. This, however, really scares me in one way because I've never grown a garden, canned or preserved anything. Is anyone else interested in doing this? are you? Could we form some sort of "support group" for people interested in this??"
"I'm REALLY interested in becoming more locavore-eating everything locally. This, however, really scares me in one way because I've never grown a garden, canned or preserved anything. Is anyone else interested in doing this? are you? Could we form some sort of "support group" for people interested in this??"
Davidson Farmers' Market on WDAV
Attached is a link to WDAV where Carol Mayes, Suzanne Ballard and Edie Surratt were interviewed about the Davidson Farmer's Market coming this spring.
If you're interested in listening, please scroll down to the "In Person" segment with Rachel Jeffreys.
http://www.wdav.org/18_174_0.cfm
If you're interested in listening, please scroll down to the "In Person" segment with Rachel Jeffreys.
http://www.wdav.org/18_174_0.cfm
2008 Spring Membership Information
Local Food Club will run a spring membership during the months of March, April, and May 2008. Farm runs will include:
* Landis Gourmet Mushrooms (oyster mushrooms)
* Wild Turkey Farms (eggs, pork)
* Hoffner Dairy (mixed salad greens, pecans)
* Bird Brain Ranch (ostrich)
* Grateful Growers (pork, shitake mushrooms, preorder chicken)
* Apple Orchard (beef, eggs, pork)
* Glencoras (asparagus, preorder duck, preorder turkey)
* Goat Lady Dairy (goat cheese)
* Homeland Creamery / Bowman Dairy (milk, butter)
In addition, we will offer produce as we find it. Produce is somewhat difficult to procure for groups our size outside the farmers' market season. However, we continue to seek out suppliers of fresh produce along the route that takes us to the farms noted above.
Membership dues are $60 for the three-month period. This is in addition to the cost of the food ordered. The money goes to cover the time and expenses incurred in placing, collecting, and distributing the food orders. It also covers the cost of educational events and capital expenses (such as coolers and the future online ordering system).
We will expand the number of memberships from 20 to 50 and increase the frequency of farm runs to twice monthly. We will involve a team of compensated volunteers to handle this growth. But expect the growth to be a bit rocky nonetheless.
The social committee will put on three events, one each month. Although these events will each have an educational element, the most important aspect of them is to build community among club members. Several of you have expressed a desire for forming a support network as you try to eat a locally produced diet. We want the social interactions of the group to facilitate your endeavors.
How to Join
If you are already a member, and want to join again, first, consider whether you can serve as a volunteer (see earlier post). If so, be sure to let Christy know as soon as possible. If you don't want to volunteer but you still want to re-up, you need to notify Christy by noon, Friday, February 22. You can pay your dues at the next pick-up.
If you are a member and have friends who want to join, please have them contact Christy by email before noon, Friday, February 22. They need to note who referred them in their email. I will give them instructions for sending their payment.
If you are not affiliated with current members of the club but are interested in joining this spring, please post a comment here. You need to include your email address so that I can get back to you if there are any open slots. I will start working through this list on February 23. I will go through this list in the order in which the posts are made, but will notify everyone who posts an email address one way or the other.
* Landis Gourmet Mushrooms (oyster mushrooms)
* Wild Turkey Farms (eggs, pork)
* Hoffner Dairy (mixed salad greens, pecans)
* Bird Brain Ranch (ostrich)
* Grateful Growers (pork, shitake mushrooms, preorder chicken)
* Apple Orchard (beef, eggs, pork)
* Glencoras (asparagus, preorder duck, preorder turkey)
* Goat Lady Dairy (goat cheese)
* Homeland Creamery / Bowman Dairy (milk, butter)
In addition, we will offer produce as we find it. Produce is somewhat difficult to procure for groups our size outside the farmers' market season. However, we continue to seek out suppliers of fresh produce along the route that takes us to the farms noted above.
Membership dues are $60 for the three-month period. This is in addition to the cost of the food ordered. The money goes to cover the time and expenses incurred in placing, collecting, and distributing the food orders. It also covers the cost of educational events and capital expenses (such as coolers and the future online ordering system).
We will expand the number of memberships from 20 to 50 and increase the frequency of farm runs to twice monthly. We will involve a team of compensated volunteers to handle this growth. But expect the growth to be a bit rocky nonetheless.
The social committee will put on three events, one each month. Although these events will each have an educational element, the most important aspect of them is to build community among club members. Several of you have expressed a desire for forming a support network as you try to eat a locally produced diet. We want the social interactions of the group to facilitate your endeavors.
How to Join
If you are already a member, and want to join again, first, consider whether you can serve as a volunteer (see earlier post). If so, be sure to let Christy know as soon as possible. If you don't want to volunteer but you still want to re-up, you need to notify Christy by noon, Friday, February 22. You can pay your dues at the next pick-up.
If you are a member and have friends who want to join, please have them contact Christy by email before noon, Friday, February 22. They need to note who referred them in their email. I will give them instructions for sending their payment.
If you are not affiliated with current members of the club but are interested in joining this spring, please post a comment here. You need to include your email address so that I can get back to you if there are any open slots. I will start working through this list on February 23. I will go through this list in the order in which the posts are made, but will notify everyone who posts an email address one way or the other.
Monday, February 11
Get Your Hands Dirty
If you're interested in getting more hands-on with the LFC, we've got several areas where we can use help this spring. Because we will have a lot of people relying on you, please commit only if you are certain that you can give the time required.
For those of you operating on a tight budget, this is one way we can make the club more affordable to you.
Positions filled in a first come, first served basis.
Social Committee
Need three (3) members to form the social committee. This committee will plan and execute three social events (one per month). Tasks include scheduling an educational component (film, speaker, etc.), reserving a facility, announcing the event, and handling logistics before and after the event. Membership dues are waived for these volunteers.
Distribution Coordinators
Need two (2) members to assist with distributions. Each volunteer will be assigned one Saturday morning per month. This volunteer will be responsible for arriving before the distribution, getting the distribution area set up, assisting members as they pick up and pay for their food, and cleaning up afterwards. Membership dues are waived for these volunteers.
Farm Run Driver
Need one (1) driver to make one pick-up run each month. Runs occur on Friday and can take up to 10 hours. This volunteer will drive my truck on a predefined, scheduled route. At each farm, the volunteer will get information from the farmer, pay for orders, and pick up the orders. Volunteer will ensure integrity of the food during transport. Membership dues are waived for these volunteers; in addition, modest compensation will be given to account for the significant time commitment.
For those of you operating on a tight budget, this is one way we can make the club more affordable to you.
Positions filled in a first come, first served basis.
Social Committee
Need three (3) members to form the social committee. This committee will plan and execute three social events (one per month). Tasks include scheduling an educational component (film, speaker, etc.), reserving a facility, announcing the event, and handling logistics before and after the event. Membership dues are waived for these volunteers.
Distribution Coordinators
Need two (2) members to assist with distributions. Each volunteer will be assigned one Saturday morning per month. This volunteer will be responsible for arriving before the distribution, getting the distribution area set up, assisting members as they pick up and pay for their food, and cleaning up afterwards. Membership dues are waived for these volunteers.
Farm Run Driver
Need one (1) driver to make one pick-up run each month. Runs occur on Friday and can take up to 10 hours. This volunteer will drive my truck on a predefined, scheduled route. At each farm, the volunteer will get information from the farmer, pay for orders, and pick up the orders. Volunteer will ensure integrity of the food during transport. Membership dues are waived for these volunteers; in addition, modest compensation will be given to account for the significant time commitment.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Thanks to your input, we've got some ideas for where to take the club next.
* Focus on community aspect of local eating
* Increase social activity within the group
* Provide members with more ways to get involved
* Deepen relationship with supplying farms
* Prioritize farms by proximity; the closer the better
* Provide start-up capital to farmers in the form of shares
* Expand offerings in our local food system
* Promote fall, winter, and spring vegetable production
* Build support for local dairy bottling operation
* Ensure sustainability of the club
* Expand club membership to achieve economies of scale
* Run opposite farmers' markets (suspend runs during summer)
* Focus on community aspect of local eating
* Increase social activity within the group
* Provide members with more ways to get involved
* Deepen relationship with supplying farms
* Prioritize farms by proximity; the closer the better
* Provide start-up capital to farmers in the form of shares
* Expand offerings in our local food system
* Promote fall, winter, and spring vegetable production
* Build support for local dairy bottling operation
* Ensure sustainability of the club
* Expand club membership to achieve economies of scale
* Run opposite farmers' markets (suspend runs during summer)
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