About those fruits and veggies

[These are strawberries we grew without chemical inputs or pesticides.]

Local food is becoming more and more popular and important! Franciscan Skemp Health insurance customers may sign up for local food and earn a $100 credit on their insurance premiums. Our farm was not included in the upcoming "Know Your Farmer" open house (no one told me about it!) but we are working to get on their list.

Why aren't we a CSA?
Because of our crazy work schedules, we have decided not to become a regular delivery CSA. Also, I wouldn't want to pay for stuff I don't really want and I think others may not want to either. Instead, we sell veggies and fruits as they are available by word of mouth, phone or internet orders. This summer I vow to update our site as soon as things are available. Regular egg customers will get info with their egg deliveries.

We usually have available (in season): asparagus, lettuce, chard, peas (snow peas, snap peas and garden peas), green and wax beans, strawberries (depending on weather), tomatoes, peppers (many varieties), eggplant, corn, summer and winter squash, cucumbers (slicers and picklers), pumpkins and sometimes potatoes. We often use organic seeds. Most of our seed comes from FEDCO, a wonderful cooperative whose catalog is truly the best garden reader ever published. We do not use chemicals or pesticides on our garden.

Why aren't we Certified Organic?
For a small farm, the cost of preparing for and being certified as organic - in time and money - is excessive, I believe. I am all for organics, and our vegetables are organically grown, but being certified isn't our focus right now. Some fairly well known gardeners have questioned the bureaucracy involved in obtaining official organic certification. Well-known long time organic farmer, Eliot Coleman has written, "In my opinion, 'organic' is now dead as a meaningful synonym for the highest quality food. Responsible growers need to identify not only that our food is grown to higher, more considered standards, but also that it is much fresher because it is grown right where it is sold."

So, right now we are concentrating on producing high quality great food (that we eat ourselves) and sharing them with people who appreciate local, fresh food. At the same time, we are looking into the requirements for the "Certified Naturally Grown" label.

In the end, the best thing is to find local sources for as much of your food as possible and get to know and trust your farmers.