The Real Cost of Food (week 18)

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Bucking hay and harvesting sweet potatoes this past weekend.  1,300lbs of sweet potatoes that are now curing in the greenhouse!

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Hello Friends & Farm-ily,

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We wanted to take the time this week to thank you for choosing to support your local small CSA farm! We – the farmers at WHF – work thoughtfully and passionately (and with a lot of blood, sweat and tears) to offer the best possible products with the goal of leaving this place better off than we found it.  Thank you for paying the farmer directly and for supporting a system that works responsibly and harmoniously with nature (through the soil, air, water etc).   All our product prices reflect the true cost of food and for that you should be proud to support our small farm.

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…The consumers and farmers working together as partners…. Brian and I providing the most delicious and nutrient rich food that we can while improving our farms ecosystems and the consumer providing their part of what amounts to a livable income for the farmers and supporting a healthy and sustainable agricultural system.   We are doing it people! We are taking the power in our own hands and making a system that works for us. I mean have you ever sat back and thought to yourself “I can ask my farmers anything I want about how my food is grown.“ Talk about power…

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Crispy greens are coming back and the greenhouse is just about there… inch by inch!

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But as idyllic and romanticized as farming can be sometimes – like anything else – it is full of struggles, highs and lows and that steep learning curve from season to season. We aim to grow better, not bigger and as we become better business owners we realize just how thin of a line that can be in order to sustain and survive as a small (CSA farm) business – especially when your closest comparisons within the community are large corporate grocery stores. As educated farmers, there are no cutting corners if you want to offer the best possible farm fresh and happily raised products. As educated consumers and members of the community there are no cutting corners if you want to purchase the best possible food that you can for you and your family. There’s no way around it. Education plays a huge role in understanding our food systems on the farm. It takes an educated farmer that knows their craft and an educated consumer knowing the true cost of their food.

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The bridge is.. knowing your farmer and, as a result, knowing and trusting your food. Providing and producing all of the vegetables, fruit, pork, chicken, eggs, honey, beef etc on the farm using sustainable methods represents the true cost of good quality food and those true costs are not reflected in the grocery store. Food from the farm and food from the store are apples and oranges – two different things. Our community and communities around the U.S. are starting to understand the true value and cost of fresh, local, beyond-organic farm raised produce.

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Cabbage and brussels and Fall.. oh my!

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We want to attract those folks who take time to do the math.  All of the math.  Folks that realize that the produce we are growing is cost effective (both for our health and for the environment).  That it costs about forty two bucks a week and it is enough food for three people to share (that breaks down to thirteen dollars per person per week). The summer shares alone have weighed an average of 28lbs with 18-20 different items in the box each week. Which means members are paying $1.50/lb for fresh, harvested that morning, beyond organic produce! And even more.. they know the hands that seeded, grew, weeded and harvested that produce. The truest reflection that we are growing better with each passing season!

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We’ve been feelin’ hot, hot, hot for so long now.. it’s no wonder we have so many hot peppers and so little green on our grass pathways!

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I was reminded during a CSA pick up this week that a CSA is much more than a goods and services business model.. that it is a lifestyle. As I spoke with a 4^th year member about canning and preserving their bulk tomatoes we reflected about how wonderful of a growing season it’s been and how Brian and I work hard to grow better and to become better farmers with each passing growing season. The results of that hard work are a greater variety and quantity of food for our community. As I spoke about growing better, this member said something that I won’t ever forget.

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“I’m growing better too.”

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That with each passing season they get better too. Whether it be learning how to can, or how to preserve their food, or to prepare more meals at home and feel better about themselves and have more energy to do the things they love. They grow better too. In year one, all members can agree that at some points in the season they get overwhelmed or struggle with getting through their weekly share – greens might seem like a challenge some weeks or it seems impossible to go through that many onions. But by year two, there is a resounding, “let’s do this!” attitude that is incredible to experience. By February, members are craving the taste of fresh greens and by the start of the growing season they are eating more vegetables, finishing their weekly share before the week’s end and enjoying it every second of it. This is what it’s all about. …

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Growing better together.

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Turnips and chicory… ’tis getting to be the season for roots and sweet greens!

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Talking to this member reminded me of something that Farmer Brian said a few years ago… “And maybe that is just it, maybe community isn’t something that one finds but is built by all of us.”

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Every word of encouragement, every recipe, every struggle, every kitchen success and inspiration that you share with your farmers about the goods we produce builds this community and this farm. It is the ultimate motivation to feed our community when we see the result of small farms being necessary for the health of our community and local economy week by week, season by season.

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Thank you for choosing to support this farm and for taking the time to know your farmer (and your food) as it is a direct result of leaving this place a little better than we all found it.

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So, let’s keep building this thing.. one weekly share at a time.

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Wildfire sunset on the farm.–

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Weekly Reminders…

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This Saturday is CSA Member Pick-a-Pumpkin-Day! Looks like dry weather for Saturday’s Pick-a-Pumpkin-Day. Our CSA member pick a pumpkin day is set for Saturday, September 20th from 11am – 1pm.  Members will have the opportunity to pick out one pumpkin per share between the hours of 11am-1pm. Please RSVP so we know how many folks to expect!

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Pasture-raised Chicken Orders! Now is the time to make a deposit for our delicious pasture raised chicken!   Orders will be ready for pick up the last week of September/first week of October. A $10 deposit per chicken will be due to reserve your order. These are perfect for keeping in the freezer for a delicious Fall and Winter meal. For more information on the most delicious pasture raised chicken you can buy please visit our Organic Pasture Raised Chicken Page here.  Please fill out the order form at the bottom of our Chicken Page to submit your order!

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Honey.  In case you missed out last week, honey will be available again this week while we’re at the pick up.

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We look forward to seeing you all this week! Stay cool out there.

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With kind regards,

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Your farmers

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Jess & Brian

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dirty hands, clean hearts

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With all the end of summer heat, the dust from lack of rain and wildfires burning to the east it sure has been hazy here on the farm…

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More food for thought:

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Food Forward. Over the weekend we watched a few ½ hour long PBS videos that were a part of their Food Forward program. This informative program is about people (farmers, scientists, professors, fisherman etc) who are transforming the way we eat and look at food in America. Check it out here: http://video.pbs.org/program/food-forward/

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The real cost of Eggs! This article breaks down the true cost of raising delicious pasture raised eggs which boils down to about $12/dozen. This is something that hits close to home as making our own farm’s egg production sustainable (or even profitable) is still something we struggle with after 4 years of raising layers. Last year, we posted this photo/discussion – http://instagram.com/p/elkTeJFhph/ in regards to losing money on our eggs. Since then we’ve raised ours prices but we are still struggling to cover our costs. This article reaffirms all the hardwork, labor, money etc that go into producing delicious, pasture raised eggs. Check it out: http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/the-real-cost-of-real-food/