#food self sufficency
Tomato season is finally upon us. You have no idea how giddy this makes me. Yesterday I pulled off two Sungold cherries, two Jaune Flamme saladettes and who knows what the other red variety was. I’ve lost track. And my peppers are not far behind. It’s time to start thinking about salsa!
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Growing Burr Gherkins
You can grow your own gherkin pickles and more with this pest-proof mini cuke/squash from Africa. Try growing burr gherkins to make delicious pickles and a spicy Brazillian stir-fry.
By William Woys Weaver
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Nominations Sought for 2015 Moses Organic Farmer of the Year Award
The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) is seeking nominations for the “2015 MOSES Organic Farmer of the Year” award, which will be presented at the 26th annual MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wis., Feb. 26 to 28, 2015.
The award recognizes an organic farmer or farm family with a history of outstanding land management, resource conservation, and farming innovation. These exemplary farmers also are committed to spreading the organic message in their communities. This is the 13th year for the award program, which comes with a prize package that includes full admission to the 2015 MOSES Conference.
North Dakota seed and grain farmers, David, Ginger, Dan and Theresa Podoll of Prairie Road Organic Farm and Seed in Fullerton, ND, received the 2014 MOSES Organic Farmers of the Year award. Their farm story and other recipients’ stories are online at the MOSES website under the “Projects” tab.
Anyone can nominate a farmer for this award. Nomination forms are available on the MOSES website, or by calling the MOSES office at 715-778-5775. Nominations are due by Sept. 15, 2014.
This prestigious award comes with a number of prizes including a cash award, lodging, a bookstore gift certificate and full admission to the Organic Farming Conference, the nation’s largest gathering of organic farmers.
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Many, but not enough, food heritage sites are included in the US National Registry of Historic sites. One we came across recently entirely by chance, enticed along the way by farm stands overflowing with blueberries, is Whitesbog Village in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. The coastal plain Pine Barrens of South Jersey comprise over one million sandy acres, peppered with bog lands.
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There are reasons growing carrots organically is challenging. Carrots germinate slowly. Weeds germinate fast. What if you could plant the carrots into the weed-free soil after they are already germinated with green tops? They would be weeks ahead of the weeds yet to germinate. It’d be like a five mile head start in a marathon.
Carrots are delicate. Their foliage is delicate, and early on it is barely discernible from the weeds. By the time the tiny lacy greenery is substantial enough to see, the weeds are taller and bigger. Weeding them is painstaking. [Keep reading….]
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Growing Grains
Growing, harvesting, milling and using amaranth, corn, wheat, oats, rye and triticale.
By John Vivian
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All You Need to Know to Eat Good, Grass-Fed Meat
Learn how to choose and use inexpensive cuts of grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and pastured pork for better nutrition and out-of-this-world flavor.
By Deborah Krasner
PHOTO: PHOTRI IMAGES/MARK S. MYERS
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What To Feed Chickens: Formulating Your Own Chicken Feed
Joan Salmonowicz tells readers what to feed chickens, how to mix your own chicken feed, including buying mixed ration feed in bulk, feed ratios, and common supplements.
By Joan Salmonowicz
PHOTO: FOTOLIA/KNEIANE
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Raise Small-breed Milk Cows
If you want fresh milk and cows that are easier for beginners to handle, these small breeds of cattle are just the right size for a homestead.
Interview by Troy Griepentrog
Photo by PAT SCHOUT
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