tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64697183175192528342024-03-13T18:16:43.175-04:00Farm 2 ForkConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-47302236502318045042015-10-09T09:13:00.000-04:002015-10-09T09:13:38.075-04:00Raise the Beds!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEger59c3ZeOM-BskmEPbibDQkQoGP4ah9nLWffubB6q-hW5rsULCaXrijmYpFf9DIy60NXvz387MmhjA9az9Pt7uVb1L8HuAhMy5uLVT9XgRRdstkmkzMnAialhIcQRS-0oakDButkG448D/s1600/Compost+Additions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEger59c3ZeOM-BskmEPbibDQkQoGP4ah9nLWffubB6q-hW5rsULCaXrijmYpFf9DIy60NXvz387MmhjA9az9Pt7uVb1L8HuAhMy5uLVT9XgRRdstkmkzMnAialhIcQRS-0oakDButkG448D/s320/Compost+Additions.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By Stacey Cooper, Co-op Farm Manager</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I stumbled across an very interesting new method of growing veggie
crops, which I have decided to try to incorporate in the gardens here at Shaker
Village.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The method is inspired by Jean-Martin Fortier,
reminiscent of the French Intensive methods used in Europe.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The theory goes that by creating permanent raised beds we can
increase production, protect soil integrity and reduce labor and equipment
needs. By raising the beds we aim to protect the soil from compaction, via rain
and snow as well as human and equipment traffic.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In order to accomplish this on already planted and weedy soils, we
first used the tractor mounted tiller to till up the soils, which helped to
loosen them. Key to the second step, which was to then shovel soil from the
areas that are to be paths up onto the beds. After digging down the paths
and building up the raised beds, we leveled them off with rake, spread our own
compost, leveled them again, installed drip irrigation lines, spread newspaper
and then put down mulch hay.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The compost is key as it provides long term nutrients. In an
un-tilled soil, compost and manure can be more effective in that the soil
structure and microorganism populations are maintained, allowing the soil to
stay healthy and better utilize the nutrients that are locked up in the
compost.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinS6Fp2OGUl8aPMrEZCJvEpslWfWIk40XUsBYSFHt2BLxjpdvxft1_TfE-xK01UZTkTtJs1SE7UEoV6WaZsXTJZTYvc_wWEg8mc3GMROeVQzevJeDObBQMXLEQWGeQv33tOf1RYQZhM4BF/s1600/Newspaper+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinS6Fp2OGUl8aPMrEZCJvEpslWfWIk40XUsBYSFHt2BLxjpdvxft1_TfE-xK01UZTkTtJs1SE7UEoV6WaZsXTJZTYvc_wWEg8mc3GMROeVQzevJeDObBQMXLEQWGeQv33tOf1RYQZhM4BF/s320/Newspaper+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being that it is fall, I chose to layer the tops of the beds with
newspaper to protect the newly loosened soil over the winter from rain and
snow, which cause saturated soils and compaction, which would un-do all the
work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wet down the newspaper and then spread hay mulch on top,
essentially just to have something to hold the news paper in place.
Although we do intend to plant strawberries in these beds in the spring so the
mulch will also be useful to suppress weeds. I may use temporary wood chips or
compost if I run out of hay mulch, which can removed or raked into the paths in
the spring at time of planting.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our new beds are intended to maintained by hand tools, with
occasional shallow walk behind tiller usage if need be to break up dense weeds.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By creating 30" raised beds, we can easily reach across the
entire bed to plant and harvest without over extended ourselves, which is
better for employees and volunteers in the long run.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXi0X4DHjAES_I0mKu7TC1SnES_9QR0-hwovJQB1yEOerNvZtOXmG7aXfPeghyphenhyphenlhNYuO8-EKsn3DxCYxsMGk9Sv-q0gTommOcunXHgvGQU7iYrIOY-JpOccKG7XKsXzqOcEG25MiaWptn/s1600/Irrigation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXi0X4DHjAES_I0mKu7TC1SnES_9QR0-hwovJQB1yEOerNvZtOXmG7aXfPeghyphenhyphenlhNYuO8-EKsn3DxCYxsMGk9Sv-q0gTommOcunXHgvGQU7iYrIOY-JpOccKG7XKsXzqOcEG25MiaWptn/s320/Irrigation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The deep loose soils of the raised beds allow for more dense
production practices. The roots of the plants have more room to grow down
and therefore can be planted closer together without competing with each
other. In addition, dense plantings more readily out compete weeds
resulting in (hopefully) better growing conditions and less labor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the spring, once we have planted the rows, we can use cardboard
or carpeting in the paths to keep weeds out of the aisles during the growing
season.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is hoping that our hard work pays off! A big thank you
to Ray and Richard for helping out on a big project!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Stacey</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05770811902412806799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-57634882794378409752015-10-06T15:43:00.000-04:002015-10-06T15:43:37.725-04:00Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Newspapers wanted!
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This fall we are planting a crop of garlic as well as prepping
raised beds for strawberries in the spring. I am collecting newspaper to
help mulch the aisles of the garlic rows once they are planted. This will
help to supress weeds next season. I will also be preparing the
strawberries beds this fall by creating raised beds, spreading compost and then
layering with newspaper and mulch. Being that strawberries need to be
planted very early in the season I am attempting to prep the ground for them
this fall and then protect the soil with the news paper and hay mulch in
order to avoid compaction of the soil over the winter.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you have newspapers to recycle you can drop them off at the Concord store, just make sure to take out the "shiny" advertisements for me. Look for the green newspaper recycling bin in the café area.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Best,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stacey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05770811902412806799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-10356276476584395992015-09-25T14:26:00.000-04:002015-09-25T14:26:31.545-04:00Preparing for Fall at Shaker Organic Garden
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are down to the last fall crops. A bit of arugula, chard,
kale, salad turnips, scallions and few brassicas that may or may not size up.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We can expect spinach, radish and arugula from the hoop house for
late fall.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our week was spent cleaning, emptying fields, pulling plastic and
irrigation lines, disposal of field debris, seeding spinach and radish,
delivering pumpkins and winter squash, potting perennials, weeding, and
cleaning the education garden.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kenn and I were able to dedicate a day to the education garden and
made some great progress. We weeded, transplanted, divided and potted up
plants. Another day of cutting back plants and potentially mulching and
the garden will be set for the fall. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5ISABEA009BU01LvuO0E2w0II9VSATsf-cPirov4wikxFi5JM3AAJZpIxWFnIaCtazuiE0PqeP0nNk6vi0SLiTxUNfPnoM8meN8GjwrFBg24ozqoAFJ5lD-yNZpbL_z7QrlyoAjkrJMW/s1600/pumpkin+farm+stand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5ISABEA009BU01LvuO0E2w0II9VSATsf-cPirov4wikxFi5JM3AAJZpIxWFnIaCtazuiE0PqeP0nNk6vi0SLiTxUNfPnoM8meN8GjwrFBg24ozqoAFJ5lD-yNZpbL_z7QrlyoAjkrJMW/s320/pumpkin+farm+stand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I will be limiting deliveries to the Co op to once per week as
there is less produce being harvested. The farm stand at the Village will
probably get stocked once more next week and then be done for the season, with
the exception of pumpkins and maybe more apples if we get out to harvest more
next week. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is a lot of planning left to do in regards for next years
crops, which I will start in earnest next week.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Best,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stacey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05770811902412806799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-76526631328713668662015-09-04T15:34:00.001-04:002015-09-04T15:34:20.668-04:00Shaker Organic Garden Update
Check out Stacey's latest update from Shaker Organic Garden...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkWkv7TzOBDGXWKw7r7RjSWxGZztVQCiFd2XA0i9Vqf0XsJMAZD_LteVxCBQol6YQW3NDWOY2U8EILzMRyLZHFsS9EZhPoXxlXKaZTE7gkJZAikYq9O9sKwGuvVIFj1b-OWhYng1-O0Ey/s1600/pumpkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkWkv7TzOBDGXWKw7r7RjSWxGZztVQCiFd2XA0i9Vqf0XsJMAZD_LteVxCBQol6YQW3NDWOY2U8EILzMRyLZHFsS9EZhPoXxlXKaZTE7gkJZAikYq9O9sKwGuvVIFj1b-OWhYng1-O0Ey/s320/pumpkins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This week we've been busily prepping for the Artisan festival and
the benefit dinner next weekend. These activities include cleaning and hanging
all of the ornamental corn, shelling heirloom beans, harvesting corn stalks,
harvesting pumpkins and winter squash (it was an early crop and the groundhogs
were starting to take a serious interest).</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most of these items are hanging in the attic of the garden barn,
which is set up for drying crops. Despite being on the third floor it is
quite pleasant inside during the early part of the day. It is really
beautiful with all of the hanging plants!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I will be doing a demonstration for the festival on bean threshing
and winnowing. A farmer friend is trying to help me set up a bike powered
winnower for the event, however we may not have time in which case I will do it
the even more old fashioned way, by hand.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have set up the farm stand nicely in front of the Box Lunch
stand with hanging lattice structures to display some our drying beans, corn
and herbs.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyEF2z89qe3520HGGBMU_N4KN9KRF-qcjaasPxUUjIssLElS8msiOFltQDrVoB0Uai0GlKJTls7B7tNjTeICzW8fL4Zus2J0ZrSOmOHIDn8R67-S-cOXFrymOwfMS7TPCtqg73Ot4K1Q-/s1600/corn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyEF2z89qe3520HGGBMU_N4KN9KRF-qcjaasPxUUjIssLElS8msiOFltQDrVoB0Uai0GlKJTls7B7tNjTeICzW8fL4Zus2J0ZrSOmOHIDn8R67-S-cOXFrymOwfMS7TPCtqg73Ot4K1Q-/s320/corn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I've started harvesting fall root crops such as rutabaga, turnip,
carrots, onions, celeriac and soon diakon. Some of these I will put
directly into storage and save for later fall for the Co-op and the Shaker
Table. It will give me a chance to catch up in the field a bit if I'm not
packing and delivering quite so much for a few weeks and also help to extend
the season a bit.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Soon I'll be planting some late fall crops of spinach and arugula
in the hoop house. The day time temperatures are still a bit too hot, so
I'm waiting a bit longer than I might normally.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have some beautiful red stem small turnips that you should look
for at the Co-op early next week. They are a beautiful magenta color.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My volunteers have really stepped up and helped out during the
last part of the busy harvest season, which has been very welcome!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Best,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stacey</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvnLFa0hJPZmdOclF2UlYQtK1X0jX5CxUToFBW_MbJue7C9s55PMXIcDhaFsoleEYYFQ94Aj7-2MhjqR5KHUBpDssn3M5ON-wKDwx2ACL99WgOId19xm2EcIMNsqIwwmY1UWVdKqu-JVk/s1600/peppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvnLFa0hJPZmdOclF2UlYQtK1X0jX5CxUToFBW_MbJue7C9s55PMXIcDhaFsoleEYYFQ94Aj7-2MhjqR5KHUBpDssn3M5ON-wKDwx2ACL99WgOId19xm2EcIMNsqIwwmY1UWVdKqu-JVk/s320/peppers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05770811902412806799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-1877298271486078692015-07-24T16:00:00.000-04:002015-07-28T08:24:04.899-04:00Summer Update from Shaker Organic Garden
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Read the latest from Co-op Organic Garden manager Stacey...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvaFVwRTUM8PhBdcIY6R0byWXTWTxVGgwbIo6BqR9Hpv1tw02KZfDhzvCTsg17RnrLqzx_bFDB0VfuzN-nXjBw7IWOW5LqCFJUEPhh5nBn1N07nFjow_kF2kj_fn_FuuUhOryoQwVVbxy/s1600/potatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvaFVwRTUM8PhBdcIY6R0byWXTWTxVGgwbIo6BqR9Hpv1tw02KZfDhzvCTsg17RnrLqzx_bFDB0VfuzN-nXjBw7IWOW5LqCFJUEPhh5nBn1N07nFjow_kF2kj_fn_FuuUhOryoQwVVbxy/s320/potatoes.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A garden update for this week:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The beans are in full swing, it takes up to 2.5 hours a day to
pick them all! They should be tapering off soon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The blood meal seems to have worked to keep the ground hog away
for the time being. Japanese beetles are now the pest of the week.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've dug new potatoes, which if I do say so myself are
amazing. They are huge. I really think the combination of drip irrigation,
straw hilling and side dressing with bone char was the magic combination!
While the soil test results read that our soil phosphorus levels are high,
potato yields still benefit from a light side dressing of phosphorous.
They suffered severely from leaf hopper damage, however because they are an
early variety it didn't' seem to affect the yield. I would love to do more next
year. Because of the leaf hopper damage, I may need to harvest the
fingerlings for the September dinner early.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Uht9J3-nt8axwsao4zfeT9hCmmuzwciCeKDNTpPIer7_23s4Xo82tTNH63wFUiISgKM47DpFy6WKVDjwKeXkk9vC676fWOKIxY32BFDzY10TQOhgz206zg7dgNBjU7xYB7rxux3UNPON/s1600/rainbow+carrots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Uht9J3-nt8axwsao4zfeT9hCmmuzwciCeKDNTpPIer7_23s4Xo82tTNH63wFUiISgKM47DpFy6WKVDjwKeXkk9vC676fWOKIxY32BFDzY10TQOhgz206zg7dgNBjU7xYB7rxux3UNPON/s320/rainbow+carrots.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We've also started harvesting carrots (3 colors) and giant green
bell peppers. Eggplant and tomatoes should be along soon, along with shell
beans. The tomato plants are loaded, just waiting for them to size
up. A few sungolds are ripening each day, just enough for a snack at this
point.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've seeded some experimental crops to see if we can create a
really nice mix of fall greens for the harvest dinners including red stem salad
turnip, baby beets, baby chard and daikon to go along (hopefully) a lot of head
lettuce.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXYWdvsA0EzZ8e6Hk6wJWnTiwmT0xvNBZnfKqm7J5m2TilJhUv1rv98JMF4x9IuXWYHwbDew33HXoBLmV3Ca4OKezP4ydNFwYLIdbqQnYhYyHcg2i5oEkly0GUceuXJFDopYE72fsh4_u/s1600/garden+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXYWdvsA0EzZ8e6Hk6wJWnTiwmT0xvNBZnfKqm7J5m2TilJhUv1rv98JMF4x9IuXWYHwbDew33HXoBLmV3Ca4OKezP4ydNFwYLIdbqQnYhYyHcg2i5oEkly0GUceuXJFDopYE72fsh4_u/s320/garden+view.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We've started cover cropping some of the fallow areas. Luke, from Brookford Farm,
will bring our tiller over next week and help me adjust the PTO shaft to fit
our tractor on site. I'll be able to till up larger sections of the field
with it and get more cover crops in.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Best,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stacey</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05770811902412806799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-21535480480135984542015-07-07T08:45:00.000-04:002015-07-07T08:45:52.243-04:00Take a Tour of the Organic GardensIf you aren't able to make it out to Canterbury Shaker Village anytime soon to see the organic gardens, take a virtual tour with Co-op Organic Garden Manager Stacey Cooper instead! Watch the video below...<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j24Kqx2TBu4" width="640"></iframe><br />
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You can find fresh produce daily at the Shaker Box Lunch and Farm Stand, 288 Shaker Rd, Canterbury, NH or at the Concord location of Concord Food Co-op.<br />
<br />
For more information about the strategic partnership between <a href="http://concordfoodcoop.coop/" target="_blank">Concord Food Co-op</a> and <a href="http://www.shakers.org/" target="_blank">Canterbury Shaker Village</a> visit... <a href="http://concordfoodcoop.coop/strategic-partners/">http://concordfoodcoop.coop/strategic-partners/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05770811902412806799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-12601097615284708612015-07-03T09:00:00.000-04:002015-07-06T10:42:54.601-04:00The Shaker Farm Stand is Open!Co-op Organic Garden Manager Stacey and her team of amazing volunteers
are harvesting their efforts in the form of fresh <em><strong>certified organic produce</strong></em> and delivering it to the Co-op and the
Canterbury Shaker Village Lunch Box Farm Stand.<br />
You can find USDA certified organic produce picked fresh that morning!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YDgHmXFheNQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
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You can even <a href="http://www.shakers.org/visit/hours-and-admissions/" target="_blank">take a tour of the Village</a> which includes access to see the working organic garden. Stop and say if you see Stacey and her volunteers working!<br />
The Shaker Box Lunch and Farm Stand is at 288 Shaker Rd, Canterbury, NH.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05770811902412806799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-72595705879195701942015-06-19T12:41:00.000-04:002015-06-19T12:42:54.606-04:00Call out for Volunteers at the Shaker Organic GardensDo you enjoy spending time outdoors and working in your community? Do you have a few spare hours during the week to get your hands dirty? The
Co-op's Organic Garden Manager, Stacey Cooper is in need of more active
volunteers to keep up with the demands of the Co-op gardens at historic <a href="http://www.shakers.org/concord-food-co-op/" target="_blank">Canterbury Shaker Village</a>.<br />
If you can
stick to a weekly schedule and can apply yourself to assigned tasks independently, Stacey is
looking for you! In return you will learn valuable gardening skills to
apply to your own home garden and the opportunity to take home some fresh
produce when available.<br />
Watch the video below as Shane, Co-op Outreach Coordinator lists what volunteer opportunities are needed.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c0HDZF2SkTI" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
For more information send an email to outreach@concordfoodcoop.coopConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-57601192769028101572015-06-17T15:25:00.001-04:002015-06-17T15:25:18.397-04:00This Summer at the Farm, to the Co-op<span style="color: #38761d;">A Letter from Our General Manager, Paula Harris</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lF0zZdHmSSQ/VYHJXDfb21I/AAAAAAAACCo/fTBLSthzsOM/s1600/Jusczyk2014-8705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lF0zZdHmSSQ/VYHJXDfb21I/AAAAAAAACCo/fTBLSthzsOM/s200/Jusczyk2014-8705.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Welcome to summer, the season of perfection when it comes to local produce! Our produce team is always dedicated to finding the freshest, most local, and preferably organic produce we can for you to buy. We are incredibly grateful for the many local farmers who sell to us – from well-known New Hampshire organic farmers to Concord-area favorites and small backyard gardens. <br />
<br />In spite of all of these great farmers, it’s still a challenge to meet the demand of our veg-hungry customers with local goods. That’s why this year we’re positively thrilled to add our very own organic gardens to the local farm roster in our produce department<br />
<br />As you probably know by now, the Co-op has teamed up with Canterbury Shaker Villages to farm its certified organic land. Our Organic Garden Manager Stacey Cooper has been hard at work in the greenhouse and fields getting spectacular farm-fresh goodies to our shelves. While farming in New Hampshire can sometimes be unpredictable, here’s a list of some of the produce you can expect to see on our shelves this summer from the Co-op’s Shaker Organic Gardens.<br />
<ul>
<li>In June, look for our very own spinach, lettuce, pac choi, scallions, radishes, arugula, and mustard greens. </li>
<li>We plan to have more lettuce and scallions in July as well as chard, kale, fresh beans, beets, summer squash, cucumbers, basil, parsley, cabbage, and broccoli. </li>
<li>Check out carrots, green onions, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, shell beans, potatoes, and rutabaga in August in addition to lettuce, scallions, chard, kale, fresh beans, beets, summer squash, basil, parsley, and broccoli.</li>
<li>We plan to harvest traditional fall crops in September alongside the last of the summer crops, including parsnips, winter squash, pie pumpkins, and leeks.</li>
</ul>
You might be wondering if, with all this new produce, we’re giving our regular farmers the boot. Hardly the case! In our goal of sourcing as many of our products from local farms as possible, we’re working with our regular farmers to bring in even more of their goods than in previous years. <br />Generation Farm (Concord, NH) salad mix will be in higher volume this year, so we should have it in the produce case all week.<br /><br />
Kearsarge Gore Farm (Warner, NH) will continue provide us with some of the most beautiful greens in the state, including their unmatched dandelion greens. (Hooray for the dandelion-pumpkin seed pesto that nutritionist Traci Komorek got us all addicted to!!)<br /><br />
Look for The Vegetable Ranch (Warner, NH) van with its cartoon farm animals printed on the side. We will continue getting wonderful produce from them as well as eggs and some meat products new to the Co-op this year.<br /><br />
We expect a high volume of beautiful broccoli to come from Harvest Hill Farm (Walden, VT) this year. <br /><br />
We are also very excited to be expanding our relationship with Fred’s Farm (Alexandria, NH). They will provide us with some amazing lacinato kale and will also supply us with carrots deep into winter.<br /><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K5pdlqWMyfw/VYHJe4iHhBI/AAAAAAAACCw/3FJkqpSdjH0/s1600/Paula-Harris.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K5pdlqWMyfw/VYHJe4iHhBI/AAAAAAAACCw/3FJkqpSdjH0/s200/Paula-Harris.tif" width="145" /></a>Unfortunately, this summer we will also bid adieu to our awesome Produce Manager Shawn as he follows his dreams to move back to his former home in Maine. He will be a department manager at the Gardiner Food Co-op, a new Co-op opening in June. He is excited to have the opportunity to help it get off the ground and help build the local food community in that area. They’ll be lucky to have Shawn, and we’ll miss him!<br />
<br />
Please welcome Jay as he steps into Shawn's role as Produce Manager. You'll already recognize Jay as he has worked as both a produce clerk and in our marketing department prior to taking on the management role. He was eager to step up to the plate, and we're glad to have him!<br /><br />
Co-operatively,<br />Paula HarrisConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-27301042330876859752015-06-12T14:13:00.000-04:002015-06-12T14:13:47.161-04:00A little rain and help from Volunteers at Shaker Organic Gardens
<span style="font-family: inherit;">An update from the Co-op Organic Gardens Manager, Stacey Cooper at Canterbury Shaker Village...</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Crops are looking great. Some initial pest pressure is starting to
ease off as the plants are sizing up and able to hold their own for now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Intermittent rain has helped cut down on irrigation time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Zukes have set fruits, ancho peppers have set fruit, scallions are
sizing up, kale and chard are almost in full swing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The fields are about 95% full of crops at this point with just a
bit of space for lettuce and bean successions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Next week we will have available: parsley, basil, green kale, red
kale, chard, lettuce, radish, beets, beet greens, arugula, and spinach.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have good crops of dry, shell and fresh beans
germinated. So far, no one is eating them =) A few of the kale on
the orchard end have been nibbled (deer), but nothing serious so far.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kenn, our new volunteer helped me fix the walk behind tiller and
we were able to till between the crop aisles. The fields are looking
pretty tidy at this point.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PMCXsR-kNC4/VXsg9PLoMEI/AAAAAAAACCU/YH_ddsdf88o/s1600/Jusczyk2015-1036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PMCXsR-kNC4/VXsg9PLoMEI/AAAAAAAACCU/YH_ddsdf88o/s320/Jusczyk2015-1036.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was able to rake up the field that Ray mowed last week and then
collected the hay and used it to hill the potatoes and mulch the kale and chard
rows. Very helpful for weed suppression and moisture conservation.
It would be great to grow a grain crop in the empty portion of the field next
year for this purpose, grain threshing and then use stalks for mulching.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been using fish/ kelp emulsion on some of the plants that are
getting plagued by early fungus and pest problems, it seems to be fortifying
them and making them a nice dark green.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I consolidated the compost piles at the hoophouse and turned them
over. It helped to tidy up the front of the hoophouse."<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-4302648675822281752015-05-29T14:04:00.000-04:002015-05-29T14:04:14.605-04:00Fresh Produce Arriving from Canterbury Shaker Village<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzsUCvQfcg4/VWioCPueJnI/AAAAAAAACBc/MtzZXD1Um_Q/s1600/Jusczyk2015-0786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzsUCvQfcg4/VWioCPueJnI/AAAAAAAACBc/MtzZXD1Um_Q/s320/Jusczyk2015-0786.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stacey delivering Valentine radishes to the Concord store.<br />
Find them in the fresh produce display and take some home!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<em>Here is the latest update from Co-op Organic Garden Manager Stacey Cooper...</em><br />
<br />
We have 95% of the rows planted at this point with a few open for lettuce/ pac choi and herbs and fresh bean successions.<br />
<br />
I had to improvise and revise our crop map this week as the <a href="http://info.whygoodnature.com/control-nutsedge-organically" target="_blank">nut sedge</a> has germinated in full force. I will be leaving some areas fallow and utilizing successive tilling to keep the tops down. From what I've read, we can aim for 80% eradication if we can keep it below the soil surface for one year. Only one portion of the plant can overwinter and it develops in the late summer into fall. By keeping the plants cut down/ tilled in all season, they hopefully won't have enough reserved energy to form new tubers and overwinter. Unfortunately the only way to accomplish this is to not plant anything, including cover crops.<br />
<br />
We still have enough room in the smaller plots for a good diversity of crops. I have seeded some broom corn and ornamental corn in the non irrigated plot for fall décor.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hjSc_B9PtAY/VWioUXffP-I/AAAAAAAACBk/fhvSz3c3ujU/s1600/Jusczyk2015-0787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hjSc_B9PtAY/VWioUXffP-I/AAAAAAAACBk/fhvSz3c3ujU/s320/Jusczyk2015-0787.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric is excited to use fresh produce from the<br />
Co-op's Organic Garden at Canterbury Shaker Village.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
All of our pumpkins, winter squash and first waves of cukes and summer squash are in. Tomatoes, peppers, dry beans, shell beans are in. I still need to pick up our eggplant from Dave Trumbell of <a href="http://www.goodearthfarmnh.com/" target="_blank">Good Earth Farm</a>.<br />
<br />
Ray, Alberta and Richard continue to help me out in the garden, usually on Thursday. (If you would like to volunteer in the garden send a message to <a href="mailto:outreach@concordfoodcoop.coop">outreach@concordfoodcoop.coop</a>, Stacey is looking for reliable people who can commit to one day a week)<br />
<br />
I've set up a sprinkler in the hoop house, which is helping to cut down on watering time for me each morning.<br />
<br />
We have kale and chard almost ready to harvest and some of the beets are sizing up.<br />
<br />
Best,<br />
Stacey Cooper<br />
<br />ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-68620201958845594932015-05-12T14:05:00.002-04:002015-05-12T14:05:30.572-04:00Organic Certification Progress at Canterbury Shaker VillageCo-op Organic Garden Manager Stacey Cooper has been busy these past few weeks tilling the fields, transplanting seedlings and getting an irrigation system set up at Canterbury Shaker Village. Among other things she has been going through all the steps to have the fields pass their organic certification. <br />
While Stacey is already using organic practices on the land to nurture her plants, there are a few tests that need to take place before the USDA give her the ok to use their organic brand on the label of the produce she will be providing us.<br />
Watch the video below...<br />
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ay1bLrX9L44" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Some of the produce Stacey has been able to pick so far that you can find at the Concord Food Co-op is mizuna, radish's, beet greens, spinach, and arugula. Look for it in the fresh produce displays.<br />
Stacey also planted potatoes last week along with parsnip and green beans. Looking toward the future she also planted for this fall pie pumpkins and squash.<br />
If you have any questions for Stacey, leave her a comment below.ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-2236510070734176562015-04-29T13:51:00.004-04:002015-04-29T13:54:27.844-04:00 The DARK Act, GMO Labeling, and How You Can Take Action<span style="color: #38761d;">Reprinted with permission from Ken Davis & the <a href="http://coopnews.coop/the-dark-act-gmo-labeling-and-how-you-can-take-action/" target="_blank">Co-op Food Store Co-op News</a></span><br />
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Murky debate, GMOs. Few food topics arouse such acrimony and zeal, even though <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/us/on-hawaii-a-lonely-quest-for-facts-about-gmos.html?_r=0" target="_blank">the jury is still out</a> on how noxious and harmful the things even are.<br />
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At the Co-op, we believe <a href="http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/976/ge-food-labeling/us-polls-on-ge-food-labeling#" target="_blank">what most Americans do</a>: consumers have the right to know the source of their food. That’s why <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1599?q=%7B%22search%22%3A[%22hr+1599%22]%7D" target="_blank">legislation</a>
that threatens to undo hard-fought-for GMO labeling efforts gets our
attention. Learn more and find out how you can take action.<br />
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</h3>
<h3>
What Are GMOs?</h3>
When we alter the genetic material of a living thing so it can do
something new or different, we create a genetically modified organism or
GMO. A GMO may be a bacteria that puts out human insulin or an
insect-resistant corn plant.<br />
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</h3>
<h3>
What’s So Bad About That?</h3>
Life-saving insulin. Disease- and pest-resistant crops. What’s not to
love? GMOs have undeniable advantages, or they wouldn’t exist in the
first place. But there is also a big, whopping unknown—and that’s what
worries people.<br />
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Human meddling to modify nature is nothing new and often innocuous.
Farmers for centuries have been tweaking breeding methods to produce
greater yields, grow larger plants and animals, and so on. But these
historical practices relied on the natural reproductive processes of the
organisms themselves. In the case of GMOs, labs create things that
nature cannot. Critics contend that <a href="http://coopnews.coop/gmo-environmental-concern/" target="_blank">unforeseen consequences</a>
are inevitable and potentially dire, with health risks to humans that
may include exposure to new allergens or the transfer of
antibiotic-resistant genes.<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
How Would Labeling Help?</h3>
Labeling doesn’t put an end to GMOs, but it does identify them.
Mandatory labeling of GMO foods would, at the very least, give consumers
the ability to know what they’re eating so they can make informed
choices.<br />
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It’s an idea that has overwhelming, widespread support. In 2013, a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/science/strong-support-for-labeling-modified-foods.html?_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times poll</a>
indicated that more than 93 percent of respondents favored GMO
labeling, and by 2014, 24 states were considering broad, sweeping
legislation to label GMO foods. Vermont’s legislature led the way, <a href="http://coopnews.coop/vermonts-gmo-labeling-law-challenged-in-court/" target="_blank">passing the nation’s first law</a> in 2014 mandating the labeling of genetically modified ingredients in packaged products.<br />
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</h3>
<h3>
Latest Legislation: The DARK Act</h3>
Introduced by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), HR 1599, the “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015,” <i>allows</i> for a national labeling system without actually <i>requiring</i> it—and therein lies the problem.<br />
<br />
“Not a single company has ever voluntarily disclosed the presence of
GMOs in its food,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president of government
affairs for the <a href="http://www.ewg.org/" target="_blank">Environmental Working Group</a>,
an environmental think tank and advocacy organization. “Voluntary
labeling does nothing to solve the confusion consumers face at the
supermarket, nor does it provide them with the information overwhelming
numbers of consumers clearly want.”<br />
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Known by detractors as the DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know), HR 1599:<br />
<ul><ul>
<li><b>blocks state labeling laws.</b><br />
While a uniform national labeling standard is simplest to enforce, the
lack of such a standard prompted several states to develop labeling laws
of their own. This bill prevents states from establishing future
labeling laws and blocks any existing laws, too.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><b>closes the door on a national GMO labeling standard.</b><br />
The bill not only eliminates state labeling laws, it also restricts the
FDA’s ability to mandate national labeling laws—an authority the FDA
currently holds.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><b>muddies the “natural” label.</b><br />
As if “natural” wasn’t bewildering enough, HR 1599 requires the FDA to
define “natural” in the next two years, and GMOs just might be covered
in the definition. HR 1599 also blocks any state provisions that make it
illegal to label foods containing GMOs as “natural.”</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><b>establishes a weak review process.</b><br />
HR 1599 establishes guidance for reviewing the safety of new GMO
products, but the bill includes loopholes to automatically approve
products that aren’t assessed by the FDA within 180 days.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<b> </b></h3>
<h3>
<b>What Can You Do?</b></h3>
<b>Take Action</b><br />
E-mail or call your legislators today and tell them to oppose HR 1599, or the DARK Act. <a href="http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/" target="_blank">Find your legislators here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Get Involved</b><br />
Join the New England Farmers Union and advocate for a transparent and
sustainable food system. A special membership discount is available to
members of food co-ops that are part of the Neighboring Food Co-op
Association. <a href="https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50207/p/dia/membership/public/?membership_page_KEY=8" target="_blank">Join here</a>.<br />
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</h3>
<h3>
Resources</h3>
<a href="http://www.justlabelit.org/" target="_blank">Just Label It</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nhrighttoknowgmo.org/Introduction.html" target="_blank">NH Right to Know GMO </a><br />
<a href="http://www.vtrighttoknowgmos.org/" target="_blank">Vermont Right to Know</a><br />
<a href="http://www.newenglandfarmersunion.org/" target="_blank">New England Farmers Union</a><br />
<a href="http://nfca.coop/" target="_blank">The Neighboring Food Co-op Association</a><br />
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<i>Thanks to our friends at New England Farmers Union and the Neighboring Food Co-op Association for contributing to this post. Ken Davis is a writer for the Co-op News. Contact him at kdavis at coopfoodstore dot com. </i>ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-33914505994047291132015-04-20T11:49:00.002-04:002015-04-20T11:49:37.195-04:00First Harvest for 2015!by Stacey Cooper, Co-op Organic Garden Manager<br />
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We have transplanted our first seeded flats into the hoop house raised beds at the <a href="http://www.shakers.org/concord-food-co-op/" target="_blank">Shaker Organic Gardens</a>, in addition to the direct seeded crops. I have utilized floating row cover to help conserve moisture in the beds as well as buffer the plants from extreme heat during the day and cold at night. The spinach is finally germinating.<br />
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We <strong><em>harvested our first crop last week</em></strong>, being pea tendrils. Having clipped them about an inch from the soil surface we should look forward to a second crop soon. Look for them in the produce section of the Co-op's Concord store! I will then incorporate the remaining tops and root systems into the soil to help build organic matter and return nitrogen to the soil.<br />
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Watch the video below...<br />
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I have started to harden off some of the seeded flats to prepare them for transplanting into the outside raised beds. I have removed the row covers, lessened watering, and I am putting them outside for a few hours each day to expose them to direct sunlight. Often if crops are transplanted directly from inside to field conditions, the sun is too strong and scalds the plants.<br />
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We should have pac choi, spinach, scallions and arugula ready to transplant outside this week.<br />
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The fields have been tilled once and are looking good. The relatively dry weather has allowed us access to the fields earlier than I would have anticipated, which is giving me a chance to break up the weeds. I will amend the field soil based on soil test results and then we will till a second time to break up the clumps of soil and weeds.<br />
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A good portion of the field will remain in cover crop the first season to help break up the weed regime as there is significant yellow nutsedge established in a portion of the field. This section was seeded to white clover last week.<br />
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I hope to be able to use white clover in the sections of the field that are transplants, as opposed to direct seeded, as an in row cover crop. This will hopefully help to reduce weed pressure in newly turned soil as well as reduce compaction.<br />
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To read more from Stacey and her developments at the Canterbury Shaker Village hoop houses <a href="http://www.coopfarm2fork.blogspot.com/search/label/Shaker%20Gardens" target="_blank">click here</a>.ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-31646293833610695382015-04-06T12:51:00.001-04:002015-04-06T13:14:33.782-04:00Planting the Seed in the Hoop House<a href="http://concordfoodcoop.coop/" target="_blank">Concord Food Co-op</a> Organic Garden Manager Stacey Cooper has been busy planting the seeds for future produce, even while there is still snow on the ground! The hoop house located on the historic <a href="http://www.shakers.org/" target="_blank">Canterbury Shaker Village</a> grounds has been staying warm enough as the days are getting longer to begin the first of many plantings. Watch the video below to find out what Stacey has planted so early in the season and she also has some helpful tips for the home gardener.<br />
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If you have any questions for Stacey, leave them in the comments!ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-17244231028844371582015-03-30T09:00:00.000-04:002015-03-31T15:57:17.777-04:00Future of the Hoop HousesCo-op Organic Garden Manager Stacey Cooper has some big plans for the hoop houses at historic Canterbury Shaker Village. Watch the video below to see what she envisions...<br />
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If you have any comments, leave a comment for Stacey!ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-1032602023798460482015-03-26T09:00:00.000-04:002015-03-26T09:00:04.658-04:00Building Raised Garden Beds in your Hoop House<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I4BoYsH7DnI/VRBnNuuukKI/AAAAAAAAB1w/hGsMoA9dBH0/s1600/Stacey%2Bmaking%2Bbeds%2Bweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I4BoYsH7DnI/VRBnNuuukKI/AAAAAAAAB1w/hGsMoA9dBH0/s1600/Stacey%2Bmaking%2Bbeds%2Bweb.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>by Stacey Cooper, Organic Garden Manager<br />
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<strong><em>Raised beds can be built and back-filled with a variety of materials.</em></strong> It is usually handy to utilize materials you have access to on site or at your home. Some examples of reclaimed materials that you can utilize to help keep expense down are concrete blocks, untreated barn boards, re-bar, sand, compost, or topsoil.<br />
<strong><em>I choose to use wood to build the raised beds in the Shaker Organic Garden hoop house</em></strong> largely because access is an issue in the winter and spring months. Concrete blocks would have been a chore to get on site, while lumber could be carried to the greenhouse by hand or with the tractor. To facilitate using the tractor to move materials, I pre-cut the lumber into 6' lengths. This helped in a few ways: I was able to fit the lumber in the tractor bucket to move it, the shorter lengths allowed for more flexibility with the varying grade of the hoop house floor, and it readily marked where 25% were needed to stabilize the lengths of the beds. <br />
<strong><em>I chose to construct the beds at 3' wide, which is about a foot more narrow than the average raised bed.</em></strong> I choose to do this because it is easier to reach across for fertilizing, weeding, and harvesting without needing to rest my arms on the soil surface, which can lead to compaction. <br />
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<strong><em>I also set the raised beds in about 2' from the outside edge of the hoop house.</em></strong> This allows the outer area to be used as an access path. The outside strip of soil around a hoop house collects the run-off condensation that is produced inside the house and leads a strip of soil with leached nutrients. This outside edge is also the first to freeze and last to defrost. By setting the raised beds in a little, I am able to use the least conducive soil for access and the best for growing plants.<br />
<strong><em>The weight of growing medium along the length of a raised bed can cause the boards to bow out and eventually break.</em></strong> By placing stakes or rebar hammered into the soil, every 6' or so, we have alleviated this pressure. I prefer to place stakes on the inside of the beds. This allows easier weeding and cultivation of aisles and also keeps clothing and equipment from snagging on the sides of the beds when working around them.<br />
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<strong><em>To backfill the beds I used some onsite loam,</em></strong> stockpiled from the existing floor of the hoop house that accumulated from grading and leveling the area along with compost, sand and greensand. The approximate ratio for the 10" beds was 2" of loam, 2" of sand, 5" of compost and then appropriate amounts of greensand to improve drainage and prevent clumping of the compost. A bit of balanced organic fertilizer is all that will be needed to get seedlings or seeds started in the beds.<br />
<strong><em>The first crops I plan for these beds are beets, peas (for tendrils), and radish.</em></strong> The heating system is not yet operating, so getting seedlings going and planting them is risky. I've selected cold hardy direct seeded crops to start the season to better utilize the space. In a few weeks mizuna, lettuce, pac choi and kale should also be ready to transplant.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z61fksLNSBI/VRBoAA7WWeI/AAAAAAAAB2I/TFVIiAyOctI/s1600/plexiglass%2Bdoor%2Bseedlings%2Bweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z61fksLNSBI/VRBoAA7WWeI/AAAAAAAAB2I/TFVIiAyOctI/s1600/plexiglass%2Bdoor%2Bseedlings%2Bweb.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a><strong><em>I have a few early season flats that were in need of sunlight, but not ready for the cold nights in the hoop house.</em></strong> I experimented with digging out a section of the raised beds, placing the flats into the channel and then placing an on site Plexiglas door over the flats, creating an improvised seedling chamber. So far the experiment has worked as the seedlings were left in the chamber over the weekend and seem to be growing fine. The mizuna and lettuce seem to be responding the best. Since this system seems to be working I will get a few more flats seeded this week and move them to the chamber once germinated. <br />
<strong><em>One of the most gratifying components of small scale farming for me is the constant need for improvisation.</em></strong> Using what is on hand, creating new processes and sometimes finding success makes for a good days work!<br />
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Stacey has been busy cleaning and weeding to prepare the space for raised garden beds. Watch the video below to see the progress...<br />
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If you have any questions for Stacey, ask away in the comments below...ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-65873421383728477642015-03-02T14:00:00.000-05:002015-03-23T08:58:06.869-04:00Reviving the Organic Gardens at Canterbury Shaker VillageThe rumors are true! The Co-op has formed a Strategic Partnership with <a href="http://www.shakers.org/concord-food-co-op/" target="_blank">Canterbury Shaker Village</a> to revive the historic Shaker fields with organic produce, cultivate beehives, and offer <a href="http://concordfoodcoop.coop/classes/" target="_blank">workshops and classes</a> in the unique spaces available on the picturesque grounds in Canterbury, NH.<br />
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Starting this Spring 2015, the Co-op's newly appointed Organic Garden Manager, Stacey Cooper will work with Celery Stick Café Chef's, the Co-op's Produce Manager Shawn Menard, and <a href="http://www.lrcc.edu/academics/academic-programs/culinary-arts" target="_blank">Lakes Region Community College Culinary Arts Program</a> Chef Patrick Hall to grow organic produce to meet demand. Fresh produce will also be available for purchase at the Co-op and at the <a href="http://www.shakers.org/shop-dine/greenwoods/" target="_blank">Shaker Box Lunch and Farm Stand</a>.<br />
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Stacey will be sharing updates via the Co-op's blog so you can follow the gardens progress online or <a href="http://www.shakers.org/visit/hours-and-admissions/" target="_blank">visit the Canterbury Shaker Village</a> to see it in person. Now let us introduce you to Stacey...<br />
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Hello and thank you warmly for welcoming me to the Concord Food Co-op! The collaborative efforts of the Co-op and Canterbury Shaker Village have everyone involved excited about the many ways we can more directly contribute to the local food system.<br />
My journey into organic farming began with many years of field and office experience in the landscape architecture and horticulture industries. After finishing graduate school, I acquired the farming bug and decided to switch gears. In 2007 I joined Larry Pletcher at Vegetable Ranch, LLC and for years thrived in my new chosen career path.<br />
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The opportunity to work at Canterbury Shaker Village with the Concord Food Co-op's support and encouragement was a perfect fit for my interests and background. I'm very much looking forward to embracing the history of the Shaker Organic Gardens site while renewing the agricultural uses of the land.<br />
The beauty of the site, even under 5+ feet of snow, has me invigorated already. To date my efforts have been focused on reclaiming the hoop house. Weeding, grading, pulling up old fabric, shoveling snow and general cleaning. Fortunately on a sunny day it is over 65 degrees inside and I have been getting my full dose of vitamin D. <br />
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I will continue to get the hoop house ready and begin seeding flats and building raised beds as the weather improves. I am also working towards getting the land re-certified as organic for the coming season.<br />
I look forward to meeting more of you and I hope that as the season progresses you will be able to stop by the Village and see the results of our efforts!"<br />
Best,<br />
Stacey Cooper<br />
Co-op Organic Garden ManagerConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-60442272519945544002015-01-05T04:00:00.000-05:002015-01-05T04:00:03.820-05:00Long Wind Farm: Vermont Organic Tomatoes<span style="color: #38761d;">by Shawn Menard, Produce Manager</span><br />
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Just a few steps over the New Hampshire border in Thetford, Vermont lie the magnificent glass greenhouses of Long Wind Farm. Here, the growing season truly begins in early January, when most of us are still enjoying fresh snow on the ground and warm cups of tea. <br />
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Within the greenhouses, employees are busy planting thousands of tomato seedlings that have already been slowly growing in Emerald City, the farm’s largest greenhouse. All hands are on deck as the greenhouses see a rapid change in atmosphere. Rows upon rows of beautiful, glowing tomato seedlings fully grounded and by March will be producing fruit.<br />
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Once the tomatoes begin ripening, the greenhouses emit an intoxicating combination of aroma, color, and taste. The vibrant red can be seen from wall to wall. Nutrient-rich soil adds a wholesome smell to the air. And the taste, oh, the taste! If you’ve ever had a Long Wind tomato, you know that their taste is remarkable. Fruit and vegetables grown in a greenhouse often have a bad rapport due to the seemingly unnatural conditions that exist within the structure. However, it is here in the greenhouse that Long Wind Farm has been able to capture the very best conditions a tomato can thrive in. <br />
Since 1984, founder David Chapman has been committed to growing the very best-tasting and healthiest organic tomatoes possible. He had always been struck by conflicting qualities he had seen in other greenhouse tomatoes. Fruit that looked spectacular was usually lacking is taste. Chapman knew that people were looking for both attractive and delicious tomatoes and he has become a master in growing such fruit. <br />
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Today Long Wind Farm is as committed as ever to growing organic tomatoes that taste amazing. Believe me, I eat these tomatoes throughout the growing season, and the flavor is never disappointing. <br />
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Along with paying close attention to the tomatoes, the farm also closely monitors its number-one resource, its employees. The farm invests a lot into its employees, knowing that people want to work hard and be happy. This is very evident to me each time we receive a delivery directly from a Long Wind Farm staff member. Our produce staff is kindly greeted with each delivery, and we enjoy seeing the Long Wind van pull into the parking lot each week.<br />
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Even though the seasons are rapidly changing your flavor palate, food cravings are still begging for fresh produce. Long Wind Farm’s “Good ‘n’ Ugly” variety is my favorite along with the smaller-sized “Vermatoes.” Also try the perfectly sized and wonderful-tasting Grade A’s. We hope you enjoy choosing Long Wind Farm tomatoes from our produce department every year from March through December. <br />
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Photos courtesy of Long Wind Farm. Learn more about Long Wind Farm at <a href="http://www.longwindfarm.com/">www.longwindfarm.com</a>. ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-75306703677965339052014-12-18T05:00:00.000-05:002014-12-18T05:00:04.059-05:00Organic vs. Local<span style="color: #38761d;">by Wesley Hatch, Produce Clerk</span><br />
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Greetings friends. My name is Wesley Hatch, produce clerk extraordinaire. I can be found early mornings stocking the greens case or stacking up those lovely local apples. I’d like to share a local agriculture story with you. <br />
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Before my partner Megan and I moved to Concord, while still living in Northern Vermont, we decided to shift from a vegetarian diet to one with a small amount of meat. We also hoped to add more local produce and dairy to our diet. Being food-conscious people who are aware of the negative affects artificial growth hormones can have – both in the animals being treated and in people who ingest the food – we believed organic meat was the best choice. We also knew that supporting local agriculture is beneficial to the community, helping farmers continue providing good quality food to their customer while also signaling to Washington that Americans around the country support local agriculture and have a desire to know where their food comes from.<br />
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The closest farm offering organic, humanely raised beef was about fifteen miles away, which in rural Vermont meant about a half-hour ride. With winter coming and gas prices rising, we knew we had to find another solution. Riding home from work one day, I noticed a sign for a farm close by our apartment, just outside town. There was no organic certification attached to the name, and nothing indicated how the cows on the farm were treated. At first, we were skeptical: If it wasn’t certified organic, how would we know if the food produced was healthy or the cows well treated? Would it be better to just buy organic meat from a local grocer?<br />
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A visit to the farm taught us a great deal about food production and raising animals that we would never have known without talking to Brian the farmer. Brian gladly showed us around his well-maintained farm. He took great pride in the work accomplished on the farm, proud of his healthy and humanely treated cows, and proud to share his wide-breadth of knowledge with interested customers. <br />
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We learned that although his farm was not certified organic, he used many of the same practices that organic farmers use. None of the cows were treated with artificial growth hormones and he did not use pesticides or industrial fertilizers on his cow-feed corn. Chickens roamed freely, foraging around the property. The eggs were healthier and better tasting than any of the store-bought organic eggs we had tried. <br />
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After our visit, we knew in the future it would be important for us to seek out and learn about our local food producers without preconceived notions. If we had simply discounted Brian’s farm because it was not organic without first visiting it, we would have missed out on some of the best meat either of us had ever had, and Brian would not have had two valuable customers supporting his farm. <br />
In the ongoing effort to find the best food grown under the best possible conditions, it is important for all of us to keep our minds and ears open. Next time you see local produce or meat without an organic certification, a visit to the farm is a great way to verify to yourself whether or not the food is right for you and your family. Here at the Co-op, we strive to offer a range of organic and local options so that you know that whatever you pick, it’s a better-than-average choice. Happy eating, friends! ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-18877021234453298222014-11-12T13:28:00.001-05:002014-11-12T13:31:21.549-05:00New Glass Bottle Dairy! Contoocook Creamery<span style="color: #38761d;">by Shane Smith, Perimeter Manager</span><br />
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We’re thrilled to now offer a new local dairy option in our stores, including milk in returnable glass bottles. Contoocook Creamery is part of a century-old family dairy farm in Hopkinton, known as the Bohanan Farm.<br />
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Jamie and Heather Robertson own the farm, which is named “Bohanan” because it came down through Heather’s side of the family. The farm is currently in its fifth generation of land stewardship. In 2009, through partnerships with the town of Hopkinton, Five Rivers Conservation Trust, private donors, the State of New Hampshire, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the farm was able to make needed changes to its business model to better position it for the future. The coalition worked closely with the family, raising funds and educating the residents of Hopkinton about what a conservation easement consists of and the importance of open space to the town. <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w-tjHMk7myk/VGOl0Lt9VqI/AAAAAAAABpo/SRt_CGOvSsI/s1600/Jusczyk2014-3621-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w-tjHMk7myk/VGOl0Lt9VqI/AAAAAAAABpo/SRt_CGOvSsI/s320/Jusczyk2014-3621-1.jpg" width="256" /></a>Bohanan Farm has 450 tillable acres, on which they grow about 150 acres of corn and 300 of grass. They have 240 milking cows, 200 young stock, and three streams running through the property. Their three full-time employees have been with them for years, and the Robertsons have five other people providing part-time help. The liquid dairy from Bohanan Farm is bottled in Maine, and when it is returned and delivered to stores it bares the name “Contoocook Creamery.”<br />
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The farmers strive to provide milk of the highest quality, utilizing the most efficient and environmentally sound practices available. The milk is antibiotic free, and the farm does not use growth hormones (rBST/BGH), <br />
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Look for Contoocook Creamery dairy products at the Co-op. Their milk and half-and-half will be available in returnable glass jars. Down the road, we hope to add Contoocook Creamery eggs, cheese, and butter to our dairy shelves as well. <br />
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<i>Learn more about Contoocook Creamery at <a href="http://www.contoocookcreamery.com/">www.contoocookcreamery.com</a></i>ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-52683694884903432802014-09-19T10:20:00.001-04:002014-09-19T10:31:50.083-04:00Sunchokes at the Co-op<span style="color: #6aa84f;">by Jaimie Jusczyk Digital Marketing Specialist</span><br />
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Sunchokes are available at the Concord Food Co-op!
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunchokes at the Concord Food Co-op</td></tr>
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Sunchokes are a type of sunflower with a bright yellow flower and can grow to 9 ft tall. They are native to New England and can even become invasive if not tended to. <br />
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You may know them as Jerusalem Artichokes or Sunroot, but whatever you call these knobby little carbohydrates, introduce them into your diet slowly to avoid any unwanted side effects as the human digestive system can not break down the inulin and it will be metabolized by bacteria in the colon.
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Not sure how best to enjoy them? Watch the video below as Shawn, the Co-op's Produce Manager and James from <a href="http://generationfarmnh.com/" target="_blank">Generation Farm</a> share how they like to enjoy these sweet nutty flavored tubers.
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Like James suggested, steaming sunchokes is the best way to enjoy them cooked. If you boil them they will not hold their shape and will turn to mush. Preparing them amongst other root vegetables is a great way to enjoy their flavor without over doing your inulin intake.<br />
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Why do we want to eat sunchokes? Sunchokes contain more than three times the amount of iron than a serving of broccoli. The sunchoke is also a great choice for diabetics due to the high levels of inulin that may help regulate blood sugar levels. Sunchokes are also used to help boost the immune system and remove toxins from the body.<br />
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Local and organic, the Co-op is receiving sunchokes from <a href="http://generationfarmnh.com/" target="_blank">Generation Farm</a> in Concord, NH. They may not be the most popular vegetable so why not try something new and out of the box this week! Share in the comments how you prepared and enjoyed them! Stop by the Concord store and try some.ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-73937856809451261822014-05-28T13:32:00.003-04:002014-05-28T13:33:26.430-04:00Middle Branch Farm: Looking Forward to the Summer Harvest<span style="color: #38761d;">by Shawn Menard, Co-op Produce Manager</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70b5t2PDfA4/U4YcBEko6AI/AAAAAAAABaQ/cqTSNLkCDnE/s1600/MiddleBranchFarmers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70b5t2PDfA4/U4YcBEko6AI/AAAAAAAABaQ/cqTSNLkCDnE/s1600/MiddleBranchFarmers.JPG" height="194" width="320" /></a>Located in New Boston, Middle Branch Farm has been in the Noonan family since 2000. Since its founding in the mid-1700s, this land has raised nearly every kind of fresh food possible in the Northeast: dairy, eggs, poultry, apples, cider, vegetables, and maple syrup. Today, the certified organic farm primarily grows vegetables to supply its CSA shares and a few wholesale accounts, including the Co-op. <br />
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The land is sustainably managed to ensure the fields will continue to yield high-quality produce for many generations to come without having a negative impact on the ecosystem.<br />
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Like a Co-op, owner Roger Noonan and his family believe in the “triple bottom line” approach to running a business (let’s not forget that farms are businesses, too!). This means their focus is divided equally among maximizing profit, preserving the environment, and ensuring social wellness – or “people, planet, profit” for short. <br />
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Noonan’s advocacy for sustainable agriculture and environmental preservation is apparent by the dozens of leadership hats he wears: President of the New England Farmers Union, President of the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts, and a member of the Government Affairs Committee for NH Farm Bureau, to name a few. Middle Branch Farm also grows a significant amount of food for the New Hampshire Food Bank. This collaboration allows the farm to remain connected to the community and give back to those that make up our population.<br />
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In an effort to create deeper relationships with our farmers and increase the local produce on our shelves, this year the Co-op has been working even more closely with Middle Branch Farm to provide our customers with farm-fresh produce. The season is off to a bit of a late start due to the cold winter, but Noonan is optimistic. <br />
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“Just as long as we get some sun and showers, our vegetable seedlings should wake up and pop out of the soil,” he says. <br />
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You can expect to see plenty of zucchini, summer squash, peppers, and cucumbers during the summer. Heading into the late summer and fall, we are excited to see broccoli, cauliflower, melons, and fingerling potatoes. Winter squash and pie pumpkins will round out the season.<br />
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You can learn more about the family operated, certified-organic farm by checking out <a href="http://www.middlebranchfarm.com/">www.middlebranchfarm.com</a>. Middle Branch Farm is still offering CSA shares for this season, and of course you can also stop by the Co-op this summer to pick out some of the farm’s delicious vegetables in our produce department.ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469718317519252834.post-71949839763835161992014-03-26T17:00:00.000-04:002014-03-26T17:00:50.725-04:00Maple Month in NH<span style="color: #6aa84f;">by Jaimie Jusczyk, Marketing Specialist at the Concord Food Co-op</span><br />
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Did you know that March in New Hampshire is Maple Month and last weekend was Maple Weekend? The weather was looking a little iffy last Saturday, so I suggested to my husband that we go find some warmth inside a sugar shack. I looked up the Maple Weekend 3 map as supplied by the <a href="http://www.nhmapleproducers.com/" target="_blank">NH Maple Producers Association, Inc.</a> and pinned a trail for the afternoon.<br />
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Our first stop was at a farm that supplies the Concord Food Co-op with organic vegetables all year round, <a href="http://www.kearsargemountaincsa.org/" target="_blank">Kearsarge Gore Farm</a> in Warner. The drive there took us past Vegetable Ranch in Warner, the home to the Co-op’s very own hoop house and annual Farm Festival event, too. You can’t miss the yellow and purple sign out front of the hoop house.<br />
<br />The drive to Kearsarge Gore Ranch is not one for those who don’t like a little ice and mud. When you think of a farm being off the grid, Kearsarge Gore Farm really is off the grid, using solar panels for electricity. As the roads got narrower and icier, the snow started to fall but we made it there in one piece parking off to the side as the lot was full. This must be the place to go to get your maple syrup. But as we were getting out of the truck, a few people were already heading back to the parking lot; I hope there is syrup left for me!<br />
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<br />We were greeted by a friendly black dog wearing an orange bandana who led the way down the icy path to the sugar shack. From the outside, wood was stacked to the rafters and smoke lazily drifted down scenting the air. There was the sound of some kind of hostile machine coming from within, curious we walked into the dark opening to see a huge and shiny contraption with a friendly operator ready to explain how the sap running through the lines from the surrounding trees will end up on my pancakes tomorrow morning.<br />
<br />Our obliging guide was Bob, one half of the duo that own and operates Kearsarge Gore Farm with the help of a few more crew members. I am not sure I can explain the whole process without you actually seeing the evaporator machine in person, so I will leave that up to Bob to tell you if you are lucky enough to visit during boiling. But I will tell you that the generous sample of maple sugar I tried was heavenly on my tongue as it melted away and the syrup was the perfect sweetness to drizzle on crispy bacon or over vanilla bean ice cream, mmmm, just thinking about it makes my mouth water. <br />
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<br />After Bob showed us the basic functions of the different parts of the evaporator, he had to hurry away to fill the boiler with wood to keep the process going. This year the weather during March has not been very co-operative for making syrup. The days and nights have been too cool and many of the sugar maker’s mentioned they have only produced 1/3 of what they had accomplished last year. I made sure to stock up and grabbed myself a bottle of the sweet syrup.<br />
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<br />After we left Kearsarge Gore Farm we stopped at a couple more sugar shacks to sample different grades of maple syrup. Did you know that you may prefer the taste of a different grade of syrup? The grades happen naturally as the trees get ready for their spring budding and this changes the color and taste of the syrup. We also had the pleasure of tasting maple popcorn, maple cotton candy, various nuts glazed in maple syrup, and even some maple coffee! Maple Month is a great way to meet our local farmers and sample their products; many produce more than just our favorite breakfast syrup. Depending on the weather some farms even have spring lambs to watch playing or wagon rides through the mud (it really is mud season here!) There is one more weekend to enjoy the open houses on the Maple Month trail; you can check the map out, <a href="http://www.nhmapleproducers.com/maple-producer-events/maple-weekend-and-month/maple-month-weekend-4/" target="_blank">click here! </a>ConcordFoodCoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585987772507684276noreply@blogger.com0