During farm seasons 2004, 2005, and 2006 David was an intern for Farmer Matt at Cherry Grove Organic Farm; Lawrenceville, NJ. This was, in a manner of speaking, Farmer David's undergraduate degree in farming. For farm seasons 2007,2008, and 2009 Farmer David was the farm manager for David Earling and his wife Maria Nicolo at Gravity Hill Organic Farm; Titusville, NJ. This was, in a manner of speaking, Farmer David;s graduate degree in farming. And now for the big news- as of Tuesday, December 22, 2009 Farmer David has a lease for land to establish his own organic farm- Z Food Farm. To continue the educational theme, Farmer David is now pursuing his post doc in farming. As David takes his 'leap of faith' in starting a new farm operation, he wishes to express gratitude and appreciation to a) Farmer Matt for providing him knowledge, support, and encouragemnt during the three years of his internship and continuing over the course of the past three years, and b) David and Maria for providing him the opportunity to manage their family farm and for their support and encouragement.
Though this is being posted rather late in the relation to the past farm season much thanks to the crew who worked at Gravity Hill Farm this past season. Thanks also to those of you who have purchased your produce through the farm markets where Gravity Hill sells its produce. As many of you know, this past season presented very unique challenges with all the wet weather, particularly during the month of June. The rain caused a ripple effect of problems with various diseases and pests throughout the rest of the season. The biggest disappoint being the limited time that those wonderful heirloom tomatoes were available. Sigh of sorrow even now.
So now, in the spirit of an adventurous spirit, onwards and upwards. Though it might seem early, there is much that needs to be done starting now to get ready for the upcoming season, especially for a new farming operation. There is a deer fence to put up. Supplies and equipment to be purchased. A greenhouse to build. This in addition to the routine business of prepping for a new season. So, stayed tuned for the further adventures of Farmer David and the brand new Z Food Farm. In addition to this blog there is going to be a website (www.zfoodfarm.com), a Farcbook page, and a twitter. Once everything is organized and up and running there will be announcements about which farmers' markets Farmer David will be selling his produce.
A new article with Michael Pollan appeared in the Jan. 8, 2o1o NY Times. The article is a brief interview with Mr. Pollan that discusses Here is a link to the article http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/michael-pollan-offers-64-ways-to-eat-food/?scp=2&sq=tara%20parker-pope&st=cse.
In the article, which is a brief interview, Mr. Pollan is asked about his new book, "Food Rules: An Eater's Manual". The book provides 64 rules that are intended to encourage people to eat in a healthier manner. The book uses Mr. Pollan's quote, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." as a foundation. The book has three sections, with each part of the quote representing a section of the book.
In the spirit of the New Year, good health, happiness, peace, hopefulness, and healthy eating to one and all.
Below are some pictures of Z Food Farm. Stayed tuned.
The frame of the greenhouse to the right of the building is no longer there.
In the recent past there was a farm stand on the land, Little Acres Farm Market Too. To accommodate Farmer David's needs, the inside of the building will need some modifications- most importantly the installing of sinks and running tubing into the building to get water to the sinks.
Farmer David will have about 20 acres of land to use. There are 'two' fields, each about 10 acres. The front field will not be used this first year. It was last farmed, conventionally, within the past two years and would not qualify for organic certification. The back field has not been farmed for an extended period of time and will qualify to be organically certified.
On the right side of the picture the white square is a walk-in cooler. As with the frame of the green house it too has been removed. A new walk-in cooler will take its place.
That's it for now. Happy New Year. Good health, happiness, hopefulness, and peace to one and all.
