The November/December 2006 issue of Sierra Magazine was an issue on Green Cuisine. This article, Cheap Food Nation, discusses how Americans spend a smaller percentage of their income on food than anyone else, but it costs us dearly.
December 2007 Archives
From Sierra Magazine.
Old news by now, but the Oxford American Dictionary named "locavore" their word of the year. This brief from the NYT blog The Lede
The Splendid Table has posted the results of their survey on Preferences for Making Sustainable Food Choices. Over 15,000 people completed the survey, the first of its kind.
As a midwestern gardener, I never had to face many of the challenges intrinsic to deep south gardening, including the problem of fire ants. In our yard they seem to favor sheltered spots, e.g. near paving, tree roots, and in raised beds or other structures, such as our compost bin.
Since I use organic methods I won't use poison bait, and the method I've settled on for now is pouring boiling water on the mound. There are drawbacks, the first of course being that it requires large quantities of boiling water and it's dangerous to carry full pots around for any distance. It also kills not only the ants, but any plants, other animals, and soil organisms in the immediate area; you may have a spot of dead grass for a good while (i.e. months) afterwards. This method is documented as being about 60% effective; keep in mind that chemical controls are only about 80% effective. My experience has been that the first round of boiling water may not disperse the colony. They sometimes rebuild in the same spot or a short distance away (though it is almost always a smaller colony than previously).
Another remedy I've read about that sounds promising is the use of citrus peel derivatives (containing d-limonene), which I've read breaks down the ants' exoskeleton. My concern at this point is that I don't know how it affects other insects and plants. There is at least one commercial product containing d-limonene, and there are recipes for making a home brew. You can download a 2002 Review of 'Organic' and Other Alternative Methods for Fire Ant Control from the Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project at Texas A&M.
Previously, I've also had some success with simply disturbing the mounds. I had a smaller colony of fire ants in the compost a number of months ago, and with regular turning the ants eventually packed up and moved elsewhere. The colony that's there this time seems bigger and more determined to stay. I've used boiling water on them once, reluctantly, since I didn't want to kill the bacteria in the compost, but as it turns out it had no substantial effect on either the compost or the ants.
What's your preferred organic control method for fire ants?
From Orion, an article about Your Backyard Farmer, an Oregon business that will grow your food for you in your own back yard.
Today I attended a few sessions from the "Organic Production" track. I actually was interested in the ones on organic certification, but I skipped those because it's not exactly immediately relevant to my efforts as a home gardener.
As most people already know, there is a lot of controversy around organic standards (many feel that the standards have been watered down to the point of being useless, while at the same time including requirements that are prohibitively difficult for small growers to meet), and presenter Edwin Marty's comment that the label "organic" is merely a marketing tool was met by many knowing smiles.
Marty's overview of "Lessons Learned in Building Organic Soils" was full of information based on hands-on experience rather than science. He provided this link for a private soil testing company: http://timberleafsoiltesting.com/. While more expensive than testing from the state extension office (which I have always found a bit lacking), it is more tailored to small organic growers. He also directed people to ATTRA and to the University of California Davis' Agriculture and Natural Resources publications.
Teresa Maurer of the National Center for Appropriate Technology and head of the ATTRA project, gave a guest presentation later on the wide variety of ATTRA resources, many of which are of general interest and not strictly for those involved with sustainable agriculture.
After talking with Diane Claughton, coordinator of the Slow Food Gulf Coast chapter and owner of the Ocean Springs Fresh Market, I decided to attend the Deep South Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference on her suggestion. If nothing else, I figured it would educate me on local issues and interests, and give me a chance to meet people involved in our region's agriculture. I was not disappointed.
The conference was held at Mobile's Riverview Plaza hotel. Today I attended the "Farmers Markets and Community Food Projects" track. Following are some highlights and snippets.
The fact emphasized repeatedly throughout the day is that there is a growing interest in and demand for locally farmed produce, and there are not enough farmers to supply that demand. While there are nationwide trends, such as the decline in small farm ownership, that contribute to the problem, in our area--particularly Mississippi--hurricanes Katrina and Rita put many farmers out of business permanently. Farmers themselves complained of the disappearance of ag courses in the school systems, and the related problem of youth regarding farming as an unattractive or untenable profession. As one woman put it, 'if my child came to me and said he wanted to be a farmer, I could not honestly encourage him [because of the economic difficulties farmers face].' Another issue, with Gulf Coast states capitalizing on the tourist and retirement community potential of coastal counties, is the rapid conversion of rural land for the development of gated communities, subdivisions, and big box retail centers.
Another repeated request was for participants to contact their senators in support of a Farm Bill with provisions in support of small farmers, farmers' markets, ATTRA, and USDA grants for community food projects. The latest speculation is that the bill will go before the Senate in January.
A lot of the farmers market presenters supplied advice on how to market the products. Everyone agrees that the business and marketing aspects of farming are just as important as the growing. Some presenters also emphasized ethnic products as an emerging market.
For me, the highlight of the day was the afternoon session on community food projects. Speakers touched on programs from New York City to New Orleans. There is a phenomenal one in just up the road in Birmingham AL, Jones Valley Urban Farm, which has grown to 3.5 acres in downtown Birmingham, uses sustainable agricultural practices, has several successful educational programs, and last year did approximately $45,000 in sales of organic vegetables and flowers. (That may sound like a lot of money, but executive director Edwin Marty was at pains to clarify that their expenses far outstrip that.)
There is really so much good work going on, and I would love to get involved in something similar here in Mobile. I talked to Marty briefly, and he said that as far as he knows there is nothing similar in Mobile, but that for many reasons this city is a perfect location for a community food project.
Part of my goal for this site is to create a place where people involved with local food can publicize their own efforts and communicate with others who have similar interests. I plan to contact a variety of sources to see what kinds of community food projects are already underway here, and what can be done to expand or connect them.
Our fall lettuce is ready for cuttings now, and at this point I'm mostly just thinning out the growth in the planting. We use a mild-tasting leaf lettuce mix; I tried a mesclun blend last spring but it was too pungent for my palette. The heads are growing so rapidly though I'm afraid we may soon be eating salad at every meal to keep up with the plants. Lettuce fresh from the garden is so good that the watery grocery varieties just don't compare.
Our first planting of snow peas started blooming this week, so I hope we get some mature ones before the holidays. The broccoli also looks great.
What are your favorite fall crops?
