I want to talk fats. Over the weekend, I taught at and attended the “Food For Life” weekend at the Sequatchie Valley Institute near Chattanooga. There were many intriguing presentations, but the one that has my gears turning was about fat. We learned how to make ghee (clarified butter, milk proteins removed), a staple in…
Here we are- it’s time for the first CSA pick-up of the 2010 season. I want to welcome all the new members, and to welcome back all of our members from previous years. The floods did wipe out our carrots and peas, so be patient with us as we try and fill that void with…
“Composted” chicken litter is not compost or a fertilizer. It is a toxic waste product from a horrible industrial process known as commercial chicken houses. The small and poisons create ill feelings with neighbors and it pollutes the land and water, besides the air. The only place it should be spread is on the heads…
In between the flurry of farm activities here, I slip into Davidson County and continue the fun. Twice we’ve taken our manure spreader there, and have about 100 tons of biodynamic compost spread over a little less than two acres on four different farms. One field is potatoes, one is sweet corn, one is melons…
I finally got a job, and it’s right up my alley. I’m managing four new biodynamic gardens in the Bell’s Bend neighborhood, near Nashville. A tight-knit group of conscientious folks have banded together in an effort to keep their community rural and clean, and their next step is to feed themselves. We’re going to grow…
Our mission is to grow high quality organic produce, and help others do the same. Many problems inherent in modern agricultural production disappear by farming organically on a smaller scale. Locally grown food uses less energy, and provides more employment. Soils are better cared for, and the farmers and surrounding environment are safer. There is…
What is the difference between organic and biodynamic? Both are farming methods which contrast drastically with the chemical agriculture so common today. They both attempt to build up the soil’s humus content, and rely on biological activity for fertility and pest control. The use of toxic chemicals – whether insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilizers –…
We need farms for a variety of reasons, besides just a place to get our bread. The domestication of cattle and the dawn of agriculture gave birth to the rise of civilization and the growth of human culture. Much of the work was done by slave labor. As consciousness expanded, hired labor became the norm….