Harvest

"Oh, Mother Earth, with your fields of green, Once more laid down by the hungry hand. How long can you give and not receive, and feed this world ruled by greed. And feed this world ruled by greed." "Respect Mother Earth and her giving ways. Or trade away our children's days."

The following is from Slow Food Nation, by Carlo Petrini- 10 Things Every American Can Do To Strengthen Our Food Communities:
1. Join a local Slow Food convivium.
2. Trace your food sources.
3. Shop at a local farmers' market
4. Join a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture).
5. Invite a friend over to share a meal.
6. Visit a farm in your area.
7. Create a new food memory for a child! Let them plant seeds or harvest greens for a meal.
8. Start a kitchen garden.
9. Learn your local food history!
10. Find a food that is celebrated as being originally from or best grown/produced in your part of the country.

You've seen the seeding. You've seen the planting and the growing. Now it's time to harvest and go to market. It may not be the farmer in the dell, but it is the farmer at Gravity Hill. By the way, if you click on the name, Gravity Hill, at the top of the blog, you will be taken to a web site that will give you the background story about where the name Gravity Hill comes from. And remember, food grows here.

Welcome to the Gravity Hill Farm food stand at the Lawrenceville, NJ Farmers' Market.

Getting set up involves putting up two 'tents' to provide some shelter from the storm and protection from the sun, setting up three tables with tablecloths, putting out the baskets and the produce, and putting up a couple of tarps to provide some extra protection from the sun. This is important not just for David's comfort, but for the comfort of the veggies. They too can suffer from too much direct sun.

Farmer David extolling the virtues of fresh grown, organically grown, local produce. Also, wearing his Bent Spoon t-shirt. If you want the best ice cream in the Princeton area, go to the Bent Spoon. Check out the link to their web site in the Friends section of the blog.

In the foreground is basil. To insure its freshness, David harvests it the day of market. Most of the other produce is harvested on Saturday. In the left background is some head lettuce. In center background is Swiss Chard.

On the left is a big fan favorite, salad mix. On the right is arugula. The salad mix is made up of a blend of six types of baby lettuce, giving the mix a tasty blend of flavors. The arugula has a peppery taste to it. According to information found online, arugula goes back to Roman times and was, at that time, viewed as an aphrodisiac. Seconds anyone?

Broccoli on the left, zucchini on the right, and two varieties of scallions on top. The white are your traditional type. The ones on the right are called Deep Purple. And while smoke is on the water, these scallions taste the same; they simply provide a colorful addition to your favorite salad. Not only should your food be good for you, it can be aesthetically pleasing as well.


Front left is kale, one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. As David is quite fond of saying, "eat more kale." Top right are two varieties of beets. On the left are your traditional red ace beets. On the right is a variety called chioggia. They are an Italian heirloom variety. When you cut one in half you will see a series of candy stripe rings amidst a white background. It has a slightly milder flavor than the traditional beet.

That's it for now. Thanks to all who have supported Gravity Hill Farm and its mission of bringing to market healthy, grown to organic standards, local produce in the first weeks of market. Your support is greatly appreciated. To your health.