They say there's nothing out there but wheat fields anyway
Just a farmer's wife hanging laundry in her back yard
Out on the prairie where the winds blow long and hard
Z Food Farm may not be on a prairie, it is in Lawrenceville NJ, but wheat fields and a farmer's wife hanging laundry does convey a pretty picture. At this time things at Z Food Farm are moving along at a steady pace, but in truth it is the calm before the storm. In the calm Farmer David has been making some purchases. Among them- produce crates, components for his soil mix, the various parts of what will be his irrigation system, a green house (hoop house) and a tractor. David has also ordered his seeds (which took an extensive amount of time to do) and they have started to arrive. He's also been working on the paperwork for organic certification. The approaching storm is the green house needs to be built, a deer fence needs to be put up, and seeding needs to start. At this time the putting together of the components of the green house has been somewhat delayed by (dramatic pause) the weather. Yes fans of farming, it is early March and already the weather has had an impact on things. Those of you in New Jersey might have vague recall of those snow storms that dumped record amounts of snow on the area. Well, when you have snow on the ground it is challenging to get into the fields to build anything. However, within the next week construction of the green house will commence and once that has been accomplished it will be full speed ahead. It is hoped that the snow is not a harbinger of weather challenges in the coming months. If you recall from last farm season the rainy weather of June had a significant impact on the entire season. Hopefully the coming weather will be kinder to all farmers.
Michael Pollan, in his book, "In Defense of Food" offered a rule to those interested in healthy eating and the importance of healthy sources of food, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants." Well, Mr. Pollan has expanded on his rule in his most recent book, "Food Rules - An Eater's Manual". If you are interested in reading more about this, apart from buying the book, you can go to an article/interview in the New York Times (Jan. 8, 2010) by Tara Parker-Pope:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/michael-pollan-offers-64-ways-to-eat-food/?scp=1&sq=Michael Pollan Offers 64 Ways to Eat Food&st=cse
An influence on the work of Mr. Pollan is the work of Wendell Berry. To close today here is a quote from an essay of Mr. Berry's from the most recent book containing his essay's "Bringing It To The Table - On Farming and Food", "Eaters must understand that eating takes place inescapable in the world, that it is inescapably an agricultural act, and that how we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used."
Mindful, happy, and healthy eating to all.
Here's Hule exploring her new farm. It is her farm. She allows Farmer David to think it is his.
Before the snows came, Farmer David borrowed a tractor with a mowing attachment. Cutting the growth will make it easier for the soil to be turned as part of the seeding process once spring finally rolls around. Thanks to Farmer Kelly of Cherry Grove Farm for the loan of the tractor.
In this picture you can see how high things had grown.
This is what the field looked like after the mowing.
The moss will be combined with compost, a soil, and other ingredients to make up the soil mix in which the seeds will germinate in the seeding trays.
On the left side of the picture are 'hoops' that will support cloth that will be placed over the plants in the field. The cloth will create a 'hot house' effect to help promote the growth of the plants. Center front you can see some ground cover- this plastic will be placed on the raised beds and once the plants are in the ground will aid in the suppression of weeds. Center back and right are components of the irrigation system. Think of a dripper hose that you might use to water flowers or shrubs in your home garden.
Peace and good eating to all.
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