Pigs' pens

Custom-made pig shelter

Yes, Longhaul Farm is getting pigs. Not sure how many (probably 2 or 3) or when yet because our local farm source's sow is ready to sow any day now. But we're getting ready, building a shelter out of felled trees and brush, buying some port-a-huts, ordering fencing, and establishing a reliable (and rather large) source of food scraps.

Portable hut back in the woods

Got 92 cents?

How many of us have a postal worker who will buy them postage? (see picture below... with a UOMe, but still...) Community can be sweet.

Mighty kale

Starting another season indoors... our greenhouse is coming along, but won't be in full operation until after our early starts have been put in the ground. So our seed stations are in effect, grow lights and all. The mighty kale has germinated nicely. We'll be transplanting it out in 3 weeks and soon we'll all be eating it again, feeling good about ourselves and the earth.

The perils of public health

We all know that sodas - or "sugar-sweetened-beverages" or SSBs - are not good for our health. There is ample research to show that rising SSB consumption raises risk for obesity and obesity-related illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease. I know I cringe when I walk by vending machines vending soda for $2 a bottle in hospitals, schools, prisons and other institutions. I know you wouldn't want your child drinking a cola every day.

And yet, many of us still consume it... in cans-ful, pints-ful, even liters-ful.

So what does a good public health practitioner do? We've tried to "educate" the consumer about how one can of soda is the equivalent of eating 10 teaspoonfuls of sugar. We label things and run public service announcements. We advocate for healthier options in school vending machines. But when these downstream approaches aren't successful, we really have no choice but to point upstream. And that means changing laws, policies and production.

New York City's recent attempt to ban SSBs in sizes over 16 oz in establishments that serve prepared foods was a noble attempt to save the consumer from his/herself. But consumer groups and lobbyists have risen up against this effort, following in previous footsteps, calling out the paternalistic nature of such public health tactics.

Really, does having the "choice" to order a 32-ouncer of coke (i.e., nearly 30 teaspoonfuls of sugar) constitute freedom? Don't we as consumers realize that those super sizes are the profit margin that these big corporations have used to fatten their wallets while they fatten our waistlines anyway? Should we sit back and let our fellow citizens who think they want a half gallon of sugar water poison their arteries, shorten their lifespans and transfer life's unhappiness to the satisfaction of a few slurps from some uber-sweet, addictive beverage?

But on the eve of the super-size-soda ban going into effect, a judge has tarnished the effort, calling it "arbitrary and capricious." Public health's paternalism can only go so far. Don't get in the way of the people and their pepsi.

The season starts

This last week of February -11 weeks before the last average frost date in our area - our farming season begins. Our seed starting station in the front hall is in its place (hopefully the last time we'll have to use it since we'll be putting up our greenhouse this spring). Our cold frame is now a hot frame, full of hot manure and compost to keep seedlings warm at night. And today we started the onion family - red onions, yellow onions, leeks, shallots and scallions.

Farmer's insurance

I wish, when I mention "farmer's insurance," I were referring to the notion that at the very least we'll have food, if not a lucrative salary!

Sadly, I am referring to that giant structure we've created, that is mandatory in some circles, foolish not to get in others, but nonetheless, an additional expense that also dredges up the true complications of our highly legalized world. Insurance no longer feels like a friendly safety net for those times of loss, but rather a preventive measure we must pursue to avoid potential costs associated with our era of frivolous, out-of-control litigation.

I won't dither in our personal woes of trying to obtain insurance for our farm. Instead I'll comment on the broader problem I see happening in the farming world...

A little over a century ago, lots of people were in the farming "business." That is, many people managed their own diverse ecosystem with some crops in the ground and some livestock for meat, dairy and eggs. Then, along came a hefty movement, motivated in large part by two forces: industrialization and a growing population. Born out of this movement was what we now call "conventional farming," a practice of agriculture that creates monocultures. There's a spinach farm here, a broccoli farm there... a dairy farm here, an egg farm there. Farmers become specialized, species are separated. And this is a "good" thing, because, among other things, there is no contamination of plant species with animal manures. The public health community got behind it, the agricultural community got behind it, and the food-purchasing community got behind it, too.

Only now, after at least one generation grew up in a world where packaged, factory-produced food seemed safer and better that conventionally-conventionally (i.e., naturally and biologically) produced food, us farmers are reversing the trend. We are scared by the prospects of mono-cropping and have moved back to diversity. We want to grow a variety of vegetables. And we want to have some animals to supply ourselves with manure and compost. And we might even want to throw in some fruit and situate ourselves next to woodland so we can really be a part of our naturally diversified ecosystem.

But, our system of insurance now has to grapple with this change. Things were simple when you could insure a dairy farmer for everything that could go wrong with a dairy farm and didn't have to worry about that farmer "biting off more than they could chew." Now that you've got dairy farmers who also want to cultivate vegetables and go to farmers markets with their goods, insurance companies are taking pause (to put it nicely). They are starting to realize that they are entering into uncharted waters (that is, the insurance companies have never really had to insure mass amounts of diversified farms because they've become accustomed to the ease of specialization; not that diversified farms are uncharted) and they don't know how to distribute the risk. And this is what they are in the business of.

So instead of distributing risk, running new algorithms, problem-solving how to safely insure this growing movement of small-scale, diversified, biological and organic farms, they are dropping farmers' coverage. Farmers who have paid their premiums and retained policies for years are receiving calls from their insurance companies informing them that they are no longer being granted the "safety net" of insurance.

I interpret this as insurance underwriters being scared of litigation and having to pay out huge sums of money that they had not hedged on before. As new methods for "regulating" these small-scale diversified farms are under development and old ones are being modified (e.g., GAP guidelines), farmers have to struggle to keep up. Or some might choose to ignore. But whichever the case, the potential for increased litigation in an era of chickens living next door to spinach and tomatoes is playing itself out now.

A season's stillness

A good friend took a trip up here this past weekend to take a winter break from the City. He was exactly the right person and came at exactly the right moment to revel in the stillness of a snow-covered landscape, untouched by cars or plows, trodden on only by little feet, basking in the low, lazy winter sun. Barely a breeze, feeling shorter than usual as we sank into the snow up to our knees, the boys tapped a melting sheet of snow off of our wood shed roof. We peeled back the carpet covering our winter compost pile and witnessed the steam of decomposition, some sprouts sprouting and our springtime humus taking form. Appreciating these opportunities to capture the little things the land and nature have to offer is what seasons are for.

Snow cover

The winter storm arrived and now our outdoor work is properly stalled and the ground is properly insulated. We got about 16 inches and - after shoveling - enjoyed the beautiful outdoors.

Winter's work and winter's rest

February is nearly here, which means the farm season begins. We start our seed sowing in just a few weeks, and hardly feel like we've been away from the fields.

This winter we've worked on our greenhouse, seed ordering and planning. And then there's the chores that never go away: collecting compost, harvesting vegetables, cleaning tools and caring for the chickens. And we must be caring well, because take a look at that egg in the picture... wish I knew which one of our ladies was laying that one.

But don't let me steer you wrong, we've also had time to rest a bit, taking a short trip to Maine, relaxing by evening fires, thinking, and writing our thoughts... rejuvenating for the next season, and we can't wait.

Boomers and stickers

In planning a course on food justice and farming, I listened to Wendell Berry's 2012 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, "It All Turns on Affection." I adore anything Berry writes, and this talk was no different.

One point in particular stood out to me. He reminds us of the "boomers" and "stickers," a notion his great teacher, Wallace Stegner, imparted on him:

"Boomers, he [Stegner] said, are 'those who pillage and run,' who want 'to make a killing and end up on Easy Street,' whereas stickers are 'those who settle, and love the life they have made and the place they have made it in.^' “Boomer” names a kind of person and a kind of ambition that is the major theme, so far, of the history of the European races in our country. “Sticker” names a kind of person and also a desire that is, so far, a minor theme of that history, but a theme persistent enough to remain significant and to offer, still, a significant hope."

And so, there's hope. And maybe there's even a little bit of "sticker" in all of us that has just gotten beaten down in this culture we've created. Indeed, there is little room to be a sticker if we owe thousands of dollars in interest to banks and other entities for the privilege of getting a college education, must purchase health insurance for ourselves and our family (or, more realistically, take a cut in salary so our employer can offer us coverage), have the "American Dream" of a home mortgage awaiting us, live in a place that has devalued community and extended kinship, grapple with rising costs of basic necessities, and are bombarded with messages that we need more, bigger, better...

Let's let our inner sticker shine. Let us be able to love the life we have and the place we have made it in. Let it start with us, because, as Berry also notes, we as individuals are implicated:

"That we live now in an economy that is not sustainable is not the fault only of a few mongers of power and heavy equipment. We all are implicated. We all, in the course of our daily economic life, consent to it, whether or not we approve of it. This is because of the increasing abstraction and unconsciousness of our connection to our economic sources in the land, the land-communities, and the land-use economies."

Food for thought.

2013 CSA season + other happenings

Join Longhaul Farm's 2013 CSA season!

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)? In CSA, a farm offers "shares" or memberships to the public. In return for your investment you receive a weekly box of freshly harvested produce throughout the growing season, typically from June to September/October.

We offer two membership options:

(1) Household share membership: Whatever is seasonal and harvestable, we’ll share with you. The weekly box should feed 2-3 vegetarian adults or a family of 3-4 with mixed diets and include a variety of 5-15 items, season and weather-permitting. Household share price: $700.

-->  Split shares are also available. For a small farm with limited hands, a ‘split share’ will make harvesting more manageable.  You may split your share with a friend or neighbor. Or, if you’d like to split but don’t have anyone in mind yet to share with, we can do the pairing up for you. People often split shares in two ways: (1) every-other-week pick-ups; or (2) dividing weekly pick-ups with each other. Contact us for more information. Split share price: $350.

(2) Community share membership: Receive a weekly household share of vegetables (see [1] above), plus anonymously subsidize shares for families who don’t have the means to become members themselves. Community share price: $1,400.

What kinds of vegetables will CSA members receive? You will receive a variety of seasonal vegetables, from arugula to zucchini and everything in between. Please click here to see a tentative list.

When and where are pick-ups? Pick-ups are on the farm on either Tuesday or Friday afternoons, your choice.

Will Longhaul Farm’s CSA be different from other CSAs? We follow a similar model of CSA as most local, organic farms. The main difference between our CSA and others is that our CSA will be small-scale, offering up to 25 memberships per season. That means we can provide more individual attention to you as members and collaborate on ideas for improving the current CSA model. We hope our smallness leads to more flexibility and a more satisfying season for both us and our members.

How you can become a member: Space is limited. Please contact us at longhaulny@gmail.com or (845) 424-6277 to become a member. We offer two payment options: (1) full-pay: pay your membership fee by January 31, 2013 – this option gives us the most freedom as growers because we can rely on early resources throughout the season; or (2) pay in 2 installments: pay half of your membership by January 31, 2013 and the other half by June 1, 2013. If you would like to request additional payment options, just contact us and we will work something out.

Other ways you can participate in Longhaul Farm’s season:

(1) If there is surplus produce, we hope to also offer it for sale on a week-by-week basis through our email list. To learn more about these weekly offers and other opportunities, please join our email mailing list at longhaulny@gmail.com.

(2) One Saturday a month we will host a work-day. All CSA and other community members and their families are invited to join us on the farm for a few farm tasks followed by a communal meal together. We want to offer you the opportunity to really see how your food is produced and the work that goes into it. These work-days are optional, but we hope you can join us and help lend a hand!

(3) We will hold classes on food preserving, food preparation, food waste, gardening skills and other educational issues. There will be a fee for participation in the classes. We are looking forward to these small group gatherings where we can share ideas and learn a skill or two together. We will send out more information regarding 2013 classes in the coming months.

Supporting our neighbors with local, nutritious food and a spirit of community is an important part of Longhaul Farm’s mission that we look forward to fulfilling throughout the year. If you have any questions or would like to join, please be in touch: call us at (845)424-6277, email us at longhaulny@gmail.com, or just do it the old fashioned way and drop by at 69 South Mountain Pass.

Busy sitting down

Like many of us, I spent my twenties moving through a series of office jobs trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a living.  Most jobs revolved around my interests -- education, community organizing, or political change -- but the setting was always the same: some version of a room with a desk and computer, which I sat behind dutifully.

For a long time I was unhappy at work and I always thought the job was the problem.  Invariably after a year or two, I would polish up my resume and head for greener pastures.  Rewind and repeat.  You get the picture (and may even find yourself caught up in it at the moment).

In my early thirties, I found myself in the job I had been working towards, directing a small, scrappy advocacy organization that was working for social change and finding success.  But there I was, behind the computer, moving in and out of meetings, the sun and sky and outside world in a window hanging on my office wall like a picture.  And I had a jarring realization -- what if it was working in an office that made me so unhappy?  That was a lot harder to change than a job.

A recent NY Times article about the sedentary routines of our modern life made me think about all of this again.  The article was mostly about obesity, but linked that growing epidemic to a much larger problem -- the western "sedentary life-style that is colonizing the world".  Research studies noted that almost 45% of American's are caught up in daily routines that are almost completely inactive, failing to walk or be active a minimum of twenty minutes a day.

Breaking ground

They key to healthy vegetables is healthy seedlings. This past year we did everything we could to nurture our young plantings... but nothing beats the temperature control, sunlight exposure, or humidity control of a greenhouse.

42" deep into the 1st foundation hole

Luckily for us, a very friendly neighbor gave us a disassembled Lord & Burnham Imperial Evenspan with a curved eave greenhouse. He had it stored in his barn for years, above his sheep stalls and high up in the rafters. He got his hands on it from another neighbor, who got it from another neighbor, who salvaged it from a rooftop on a flophouse in New York City's Hell's Kitchen in the '90s. And even more luckily for us, our neighbor who salvaged it wrote every single part number on every single piece, and we managed to get our hands on the 2-inch thick stack of plans and papers and blueprints for the structure that have been passed around to even more neighbors.

Just this week we broke ground. We are sourcing some local locust for foundation poles and will build the 3-foot foundation the plans require, hopefully before the ground freezes or snow gets in the way.

And this is all in the name of healthy vegetables.

Kinda what our greenhouse will look like

Recipe with corn

Corn souffle

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients: Corn, onion, butter, sugar, salt, cayenne, cornmeal, milk, eggs, cream of tartar

Preparing: Melt 4 Tbsp butter. Add finely diced onion and cook until soft. Then add 2 cups sweet corn kernels (we used frozen, so be sure to drain out excess moisture). Cook until onions and corn have browned, about 10 minutes (when using frozen corn). Add 3 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, cayenne, and 2 cups milk. Bring to a boil, then turn off, cover and let steep for 15 minutes. In the meantime, whisk together 1 cup cornmeal and 3/4 cup milk. Immersion blend the corn mixture and reheat. Once mixture is boiling, whisk in cornmeal/milk mixture slowly and cook a few minutes until thick. Let mixture cool to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400F now. Once mixture is room temp (and oven should be heated by now), whisk in 3 egg yolks. In a separate bowl, beat 3 egg whites and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar to stiff peaks. Fold in egg whites into corn mixture, one-third at a time. Put in well-greased (I used crisco) 1.5 qt souffle pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Eating: Serve immediately out of the oven, but it's also delicious reheated the next day. When serving at the table, just spoon the souffle out. I like this as a substitute for cornbread, which I often find to be too dry.

Dish history: We had friends over who had supplied us with all of our sweet corn, so we had to showcase the vegetable.

Voila!

After writing about it over a year now, sinking the foundation poles last November, and a lot of other farm work in between, we've finally raised the roof on our wood shed/rain harvest roof/pole barn. We had the help of some friends, advice from others, and a really windy day to make the mounting of our last metal roofing panels that much more challenging.

Do it for the workers

We listened to a story this morning on the radio about immigrant farm workers in New York. Apparently, state labor laws do not apply to them: they are not entitled to overtime pay, have no right to a day of rest, and can not collectively bargain.

When will farm workers' wages be something us customers are willing to pay more for? I pay extra to buy organic seeds, organic food, free-range chickens. A lot of this extra cost is going to workers, precisely because there are some (organic farming is more labor-intensive than conventional farming). But why is it so difficult to get me to pay even more so the laborers who are planting and harvesting and packaging can earn a decent wage and a day off?

There are plenty of driven advocates working on this issue. But rather than tax incentives to farmers to encourage higher pay, I think we're in need of a cultural change. We all have to start paying more for our food. So farmers can make a living and their workers can, too.

But raising prices is not what most producers want to do. Perhaps we can start, market by market, with farmers collectively agreeing to charge a little more so they have more to give back to their staff. And we can continue, market by market, with creating educated consumers who learn to care more about the welfare of human laborers than a farmyard animal.

Our changing climate

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, I, along with many others, have been thinking about climate change. I was engaged in a conversation just the other night with a family friend who does not subscribe to the argument that indeed our planet is warming due to increased emissions of CO2. So I asked him, "Why do you choose not to believe in it?" He immediately replied by asking me why I do believe.

I believe for three reasons.

First, I have concern for future generations of humans, wildlife and plants and the overall life of the planet. I do not want us or them or it to become extinct prematurely. Just as I exercise regularly to be sure I live long and prevent premature death, or someone quits smoking cigarettes or another person receives heart bypass surgery to do just the same, I am willing to take action to prevent the premature extinction of our earth and its inhabitants.

Second, I am a scientist. I have read research on global warming and climate change and understand the use of statistical models to predict the future, and based on my read of the decades of evidence, see a potential for truth. In other words, the evidence is strong enough to me that I reject the possibility that the patterns we are observing are happening by chance alone.

Third, I appreciate the argument's ability to raise ecologic consciousness. If I choose to believe that the warming of our climate, rising of sea levels, and melting of ice caps are a result of me and my fellow humans, it makes me very conscious of what I do on a daily basis. What natural resources do I consume, and can I potentially reduce my consumption? How far do products travel to get to me, and can I choose local purveyors to reduce that travel time? This daily self-reflection, I think, is healthy, because it makes me consider things in a broader perspective. It connects me to so many layers and nodes around the globe and empowers me to realize that what I do matters.

My friend's response to my question of why he chooses not to believe can be boiled down to two reasons, unfortunately (mind you, I'm boiling them down): because the solution costs too much and he doesn't like being told what to do. It's a fascinating response, and I wonder if there are other reasons to shrug off the evidence of climate change... in spite of the storm that flooded NY and NJ after years of rising sea levels and a changing jet stream. I am very willing to listen.

First roast

It's getting cold outside, so we decided to enjoy a nice roast chicken - eating the first bird that we harvested a few weeks ago. It was tasty and substantial and we can't wait to appreciate more!

First roast

Recipe with roots

Glazed roots (such as turnips, or carrots, radish, rutabaga, parsnips)

Ingredients: turnips, butter, sugar, water

Preparing: Cut turnips to desired size. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a shallow pan. Add turnips, sugar (can use brown or white sugar) and water (can use broth) and a pinch of salt. Cook on low heat, partially covered, until the water has evaporated and the turnips are glazed (the longer you cook the more caramelized the turnips will be- but be careful not to burn!).

Eating: A good side dish to add to your Thanksgiving table.

Dish history: Our take on the classic glazed carrots. You could mix a variety of root vegetables, I'm sure, but be careful of different cooking times. You could try honey or maple syrup as the sweeteners, too.

There's always time to vote

After a long day of mulching and covering up vegetables, we voted. Hope you did, too.