Go For The Real Deal: Producer Operated Farmers' Markets

by Jas Faulkner

How much do you trust the people who supply the grocery store you support or the kitchen manager of your favorite restaurant to provide food that is safe?  

In a very telling incident, food journalist Michael Pollan visited a farmer who grew potatoes for McDonald's french fries.  During the interview, Pollan asked the farmer if he fed the potatoes to his own family and the answer was an emphatic, No!' The farmer grew his own organic spuds to feed his own clan.  Later in the story, Michael asked for a drink of water and was warned away from filling his glass at the tap.  The farmer's wife explained that the local water was full of pesticides and they bought bottled water to drink.

That was a sad example of a farmer knowing his or her food, and also knowing that he didn't want to eat it. It brings up an interesting question of  how well the people behind the tables at farmer's markets know their produce. Can they tell you where the seeds came from or whether their stock was exposed to chemicals that might remain not only on t he outside of the fruits and vegetables, but have permeated the flesh?  Did those potatoes come from a county away?  A time zone away?  Did they come from another continent altogether?

Once upon a time...

 A farmers' market was exactly what the title suggested.  It was a place where people who grew fruits and vegetables or raised animals for meat could sell what they raised. The advantage was one of both quality and trust. There was a greater sense of accountability on the part of the producers and customers knew that they had a responsibility to support farmers if they wanted to buy food that was locally produced by people they trusted. This worked well because most metropolitan areas were surrounded by farmland. There were enough farmers to feed everyone who cared enough to maintain a locally centered food economy.

As more people moved to the city and the land surrounding those urban areas was devoted to housing, people got comfortable with the idea of buying everything they ate from large corporate producers who created factory-perfect food-like stuff that could come from anywhere. Zero plotline development and the loss of connection to family traditions such as the household kitchen garden cause people to lose a sense of what it meant to eat with the seasons.  The demand for shipped in produce grew and with it, the loss of seasonal eating except for certain holidays.

Over time, people began to miss the feel of buying from a farmers' market, so they sought out places where they hoped to buy fresh, in-season produce.  One thing many of these shoppers didn't think to ask was: "Where did it come from?"


Not All Farmers' Markets Are Equal

A farmers' market is a farmers marker is a farmers market?  Right?  Well, on the surface, that might be true.  The open air ambiance, the smell-of-the-week of whatever is in season, the atmosphere that makes it feel more like a large outdoor party; these are all things that draw people to farmers markets.

So what is the difference and why does it matter?


There are two different kinds of farmers' markets.  The first is the  traditional market where farmers sell what they raise.  The second, and sadly more common in many urban areas, is really more of a reseller's marketplace.  these people often go to food wholesalers and buy large lots of produce.  In some rare cases, they might know the person they are buying from without ever actually seeing where their wares come from.

When you buy from a market that allows resellers,  you run the risk of buying food that might have been raised in less than ideal circumstances. Do you or they know exactly what into the items you're considering for your pantry?  Chances are the person behind the cash box knows exactly as much as you do, which is nothing or pretty close to it. Is that a risk you want to take?

Know Your Farmer
Traditional farmers' markets are worth the investment of time and money.  Eating locally means you are more likely to eat in season and eat in a way that will contribute to your overall good health.  It means that you have the confidence of knowledge and the power to make your own choices about what you put into your body.  It means that you help keep the local economy robust and  food sources close by which is a smart, sustainable way to feed your community.

Most important of all, know your farmers means that you are buying from people who are selling you the same things they are feeding their own families. They get  your support of their hopes and dreams and you get the benefit of years of agricultural education, family experience, and strong personal values that go into organic family farming.

So the next time you think about visiting a farmers' market, look, ask, and make informed choices. Your local farmers will thank you for it!

Winter CSAs: A Little Bit of Fresh Heaven When the Days Get Shorter

by Jas Faulkner 

After today, there will be two more East Nashville Farmers Markets and then the corner of Tenth and Russell becomes a quiet, green square of grass until next Spring.  For some market regulars, Wednesday afternoon at the market is the place to pick up dinner and a few extras for the week.  For others, it is the source of fresh food now and food to can, freeze, dehydrate and fill a root cellar for later.

Here's the thing:  Those farmers?  The ones you pick up a CSA box, bag or basket from?  Many of them are offering CSA subscriptions for the winter months.

Okay, do not flip over to Facebook yet.  Hear me out.   A CSA share does not mean you're destined to get a box full of butternut squash and a couple of collard leaves.*  Here is a list of some of the things you can expect to find in your share: lettuce, kale, broccoli, cabbage, sweet potatoes, winter squash, turnips, all things good, green and leafy, onions and tatsoi.

Tatsoi?  Really?  You've never heard of tatsoi?

Excuse me for a moment.

I'm back.  This is tatsoi:

It is the mildest, greenest, tastiest leafy vegetable on the planet.  You really want to take the chance that you're going to miss out on this because you might make it to another farmers market the week or two one of the rare actual farmers -as opposed to a reseller- offers up their tatsoi for sale?  Really?

Double checking here.  You're going to miss out on Tatsoi?

John Goodman is disappointed.

So is this rabbit.

Of course you CAN remedy this by talking to your favorite vendor today to see if they're going to offer a winter CSA.  All you have to do is ask.  You might be surprised, not only by the fact that there is a lot of good stuff available in the winter, but that it's as easy to get and reasonably priced.  Do it today!

These crabby woodland creatures missed out on getting winter CSA shares!

Just a quick note:  Next week (10/24) the ENFM will be hosting a Random Acts of Reading bookflash!  Have some books you are getting a little tired of? Want to find something new to read? Check out Random Acts of Reading tomorrow (10/18) for more details!



*Yes, I typed "leafs" and nearly left it that way.  Hockey much, Jas?

Flying S Farms: Ten Years of Deep Roots and Strong Values

by Jas Faulkner 

"This is our way of life, it is not a hobby but a living. We love what we do, it is hard work but at the end of the day we know we are providing the best we can grow and helping others learn what real food tastes like and where it comes from, locally!" 
                        -Catherine Simmons,  Flying S Farms

One of the benefits of getting your produce from a true farmers market is that you are buying it  from the people who actually grew what you see on the tables. A visit to each individual vendor can and often does reveal the personalities behind the people who create the places that produce what feeds you. In a way, it's a chance to get a feel for those farms.  Okay, it's not absolutely like being there, but it can be the next best thing. 


The Flying S Farms' retail space at ENFM brings to mind the green, sunny expanses of Cannon County, Tennessee.  It is a treat for the senses. In spite of this summer's challenging weather, everything looks lush and vibrant.  There is the smell of fresh produce, sometimes accompanied by a tantalizing whiff of items from their kitchen.

You will also encounter Catherine and Ben Simmons, the owners and operators of Flying S Farms and Baking Farmer.com.   The Simmons are not only part of that elite subset of farmers who work on sustainable terms with their environment, they act as approachable ambassadors to anyone who is not quite sure why it is so important to support local agriculture.  


Their sense of community and a natural instinct towards education informs much of what they do.   In fact, it was an observation made by a child Mrs. Simmons encountered in a grocery store that inspired her decision to add prepared foods to their products:

"Baking Farmer came about when I was shopping at one of our local grocery stores and during checkout a young child pointed at me and said "Look mommie, there is that farmer lady and she bakes too!" They had been to our local farmers market and shopped at our booth and I guess through the eyes of a child she ?described me; a 'baking farmer'."

Simmons attests doing all of this can put her in the position of educating people about what that farm has to offer:

"You can not just place your produce on a table and say here it is, you've got to promote it. You need to learn what the produce taste like, how to use it, how to store it and where it comes from. People are so far removed from the farm anymore, they don't know what it takes to produce it or how to use it. We are amazed how many people do not know that green beans do not grow cut up!"

Even with the odd customer who thinks their green beans sprout from the ground already French cut, it is encouraging to see the increase in return customers and the growing awareness of the nature of food production and how it directly affects everyone involved in the process.  The Simmons credit the current market manager (Amy Delvin of Delvin Farms) with much of the market's success.

Even though Flying S Farms is a relative newcomer, having started operations in 2002, the Simmons have strong emotional ties to where they work and live.  Catherine Simmons recounts the history of the farm:

"Ben has always been involved in some form of Agriculture since a young child in Arkansas and Mississippi and through the years has worked with John Deere and with row crop farmers in Tennessee in various ways. My background came from parents of the Depression, we always had a garden in our backyard in Arizona. I recall my dad giving me some yellow banana squash seeds to plant in my very own 5x5 plot, we went on vacation for couple weeks and returning home my squash plants had taken over our backyard! He told me I was a born gardener and I had a green thumb because he never dreamed the seeds would even grow. I was hooked. In 2002 Flying S Farms began when Ben and I moved to the farm to care for my mother after the passing of my father. We met a family that market farmed and they encouraged us to make our kitchen garden larger and sell the excess at local farmers markets. We started very small with about 1/4 acre over a couple years making a few more plots I called Ben and told him Flying S Farms was growing, when he got home that evening I had tilled up the rest of the field with drive around plots, there was now 2 acres of growing room. Flying S Farms is still growing on acreage that we lease locally."

The name of the farm is also steeped in family history:

"As a young man, Ben designed a brand for their family farming business, his father was a pilot in WW2 and Ben followed in his dad's love of flying and he used the Army Aircorp Wings as inspiration for their brand."

Fans of "The S" state that the hearts, hands and minds that drive the farm can be seen in the quality of what appears on their tables.  Most of what goes in to the prepared foods they offer from their licensed commercial kitchen is either directly from their fields or provided by local farmers.  Customers can also be confident that the same care goes into their produce.

"We use natural and organic methods of growing our produce, the produce is getting their nutrients from the soil, not from commercial fertilizers. We sow covercrops in the early fall in various locations of our field to turn under in the spring providing the soil with green manure. During the growing season, we cultivate any weeds and grasses that grow between rows back into the soil. All our plants are either direct sown or started from seed in our greenhouse. We grow mostly heirloom type produce, the real thing and the real taste! As for day to day work, that is exactly it, work!"

Want to know more?  Visit Flying S Farms at East Nashville Farmers Market and on the internet at:  

www.bakingfarmer.com
www.flyingsfarms.blogspot.com

Is A CSA Right For You?

by Jas Faulkner

writer's note:  Apologies to readers who might want to see what a share looks like.  The image application for Blogger isn't working.  Check out the links at the end of the article to get a look at examples of each farm's share.  Better yet, come to ENFM and take a look at the boxes and baskets that are picked up each week by happy subscribers.

You see them every time you visit the market, those people walking to their cars or pedaling home, happy as clams.  They're bearing boxes or baskets that would make Martha Stewart fling herself across her perfectly appointed four-poster and weep bitter tears at the perfection that defies all of her lifestyle maven's logic.  What is the cause of all of that peacock-strutting to the parking lot?  Only one thing could incite that kind of feeling: picking up a weekly share from one of the CSAs at East Nashville Farmers Market.

What is a CSA?
CSA stands for Community Shared (or Supported) Agriculture.  They offer consumers a chance to buy a share in dedicated crops that are delivered on a weekly or biweekly basis.  Most farms offer subscriptions that run from late Spring to mid- to late Autumn. Some farms offer Winter CSAs, which are usually shorter and provide whatever produce is available in the cooler months.  The average share per delivery is around a half bushel of fruits and vegetables.

The costs can vary, but you can expect to pay four hundred to eight hundred dollars per subscription depending on the duration and frequency of deliveries.  If paying that much money at once brings on a case of sticker shock, look for farms that offer early subscription discounts and installment plans. Keep in mind that upfront economy might cost you later on in terms of time, convenience, and gas. Some lower cost CSAs require a commitment to helping with the labor or actually driving to the farm or a designated participant's home to pick up your share. If you're in doubt, be bold about asking for the details regarding delivery and whether you'll be picking tomatoes or waiting in line to assemble your box or basket.

Why should I get a CSA?
I can give you four good reasons.  Siddown.  You're going to like this.

• Quality - Buying a CSA means you know your pantry is going to be filled with fresh, beautiful produce that was grown fairly close to where you live. The person who hands you your share every week is more than likely the person who grew it and picked it.  They take pride in what they sell and frankly, the nature of the business is that you're supporting them and they're feeding you.  It doesn't get more personal than that. 

• Well-being - Eating produce that is locally grown means eating plants that have adapted to the soil conditions and climate of your part of the world.  It also means eating with the seasons.  While most ongoing studies are still inclusive, there is strong evidence suggesting mental and physical benefits to eating in tune with your environment.
• Cost - Remember that sticker price that seemed so big at the start of the article?  Do the math.  If you break down the cost based on the weight of your average share, it comes to around two dollars per pound.  Try getting that much produce for the same price at your local market.
• It's the right thing to do - Supporting family farming in your area keeps agrarian culture alive for another generation.  By enabling local farmers to stay in business, you also help protect scarily dwindling arable land from disappearing and the ecosystems they support along with it. 

Is this right for me?
Could be.  Do you like vegetables?  Have you been trying to find some way to structure your kitchen management that will help you eat a healthier diet?  Do you like the idea of preparing fresh meals?  Are you the least bit adventurous when it comes to trying new things?  If you answered, "yes" to those questions, the CSA pickup will be a bright spot in your week.

However...and there's always a however, isn't there?  If you're a picky eater who has been known to throw out produce once it starts looking like a lab culture, you might want to continue buying your veggies a la carte.  A share means just what it says, a share of whatever the farm produces that week.  Finding out there is an eggplant nestled among your greens and a half-dozen of the prettiest peppers and tomatoes you've ever seen means you have to be a sport. The fat purple guy is going home with you.  The upside is you might get motivated to learn how to make a killer baba ganoush.

Where do I sign up?
Many of the Spring and Summer CSAs are already underway and few (if any) allow for midseason additions to their subscription lists. It's not too late to look into Autumn shares and get into the loop for next year. For more information, take some virtual trips to the farms that provide CSA deliveries to the ENFM.

• Produce CSAs
• Delvin Farms
• Flying S Farms
• Paradise Produce

• Meat CSAs
• Peaceful Pastures
• Westwind Farms

 

Thomas Jefferson, Green American

by Jas Faulkner

It may come as a surprise to many Americans that one of the most vocal proponents for the conservation of our farmlands and preservation of agrarianism as a way of life was also a founding father of this country. Thomas Jefferson may be remembered first and foremost as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, but he considered himself to be a farmer by profession.  According to Jefferson, farming was the only truly pure and honest profession.  He reasoned that farmers had to maintain a relationship with the land that did not allow for the byzantine devices put in place that alienated people from what sustained them.  A false promise to the earth accomplished nothing, but hard work and devotion to stewardship of the land could keep a nation fed.  

In Jefferson's own words:

“Those who labour in the earth are the chosen people of God, if ever he had a chosen people, whose breasts he has made his peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virtue. It is the focus in which he keeps alive that sacred fire, which otherwise might escape from the face of the earth.” 

                       - from "Notes on the State of Virginia 1781

 Today's organic farmers are looking to the wisdom of older techniques of farming, many of which were borrowed from indigenous people who had cultivated the land long generations before the arrival of the Europeans. Just like those contemporary farmers, Jefferson was very aware of the techniques that had been created by his predecessors.  Their watchful, mindful use of the earth was not lost on the statesman from Virginia, who observed and recorded the effects of everything he tried.


Thomas Jefferson's respect for his profession extended beyond merely practicing within the bounds of accepted vocational wisdom.  He experimented with the combinations of plants within the same plot, crop rotation, seed saving, soil amendment and fertilization, and even inventive ideas for tools.  Most important of all was Jefferson's endorsement of the concept that the land itself was as alive as the plants that grew on it and required just as much care.
 
On the eve of the 236th anniversary of the US declaration of independence, take a moment to remember the founding fathers, many of whom were farmers themselves.  They're the reason we can celebrate what we enjoy today.  Their lives should also serve as examples of how we should view the land we have been given.


Happy Independence Day! 
(and see y'all next week!)   


Jas Faulkner and everyone at The East Nashville Farmers Market