Think Wal-Mart will benefit local farmers or eaters? Really?

Recently we've heard that Wal-Mart intends to expand into two new markets, local food and urban neighborhoods. For people who like or need their stuff cheap and plentiful, these sound like really great ideas but on closer examination the long-term consequences have proven otherwise. Normally I wouldn't post anything about Wal-Mart on my blog because it goes against my core philosophy, that people are healthier and happier when they are for something rather than against something. But I can’t let this opportunity pass.

Last week I started hearing some friends and acquaintances talking about how great it would be to buy their local food from Wal-Mart, and that this market will be good for farmers and eaters. Really? This morning while drinking my coffee and reading the news I came across this article, Wal-Mart and the End of the Local Food Movement. It concisely lays out what really happens to producers who enter into a "partnership" with Wal-Mart. Low paying jobs, family owned business driven out of town, producers enslaved by bullying contract negotiations, huge formerly healthy producers periodically driven into bankruptcy, and ravaged communityscapes when the company abandons a megastore to build a super-mega store 3 miles down the road. Think a small family farm can survive these practices? Not likely.

Scary!  Nooooo....doooon't doooo iiiiit!

Slow Food Reno Fall Potluck - another great meal and chat!

Last night we attended another fantastic Slow Food Reno potluck to eat, visit, and learn along with the usual cohort and many new folks, about 60-70 of us.  Pantagonia again let us use their fantastic facility for the spread...we love them!

Of course the food was fantastic.  There's no pressure to be a culinary star; we just bring what we like to eat.  It's amazing how diverse and colorful the dishes are.  I don't have any pics because I came prepared only to eat and chat, which is exactly what Slow Food is about.

Learn to grow food in Northern Nevada on a community scale

The other night at the Slow Food Reno Fall Potluck Rick Lattin talked about a few of the most important agricultural and local food programs to develop over the last 10 years or so.  Among them is the Western Nevada College Specialty Crop Institute.  This program reaches out to people who want to grow food on a community scale and teaches them how it's done.  Much of the new local food grown in Nevada comes not from existing large commodity crop farms (hay, alfalfa, etc.) converting to specialty crops (tomatoes, fava beans, etc.) but from folks who want to grow food on just a few acres, so these workshops are for anyone who interested in local food production.  The Romanos (see pic) are excellent examples of contemporary farmers.

Here's another fantastic and versatile program for both approaches. When I get to work today I'm going to ask the boss for November 19th off!

From my mailbox to you:

Buy Nevada-grown baby ginger at the Great Basin Community Food Co-op

Ray and Virginia Johnson of Custom Gardens Organic Farm has been growing baby ginger for a couple of years with great success.  The only way to get some was through their CSA , which has been full for years, or drive out to Silver Springs to pick it up.  Now we can get it through the Great Basin Community Food Co-op!

Baby ginger is very different from the fiberous tuber we see in the supermarket.  It is perishable and tender so needs to be used up or stored.  My friend Mackenzie buys a bunch of baby ginger each year and puts it in the freezer. 

Below is a bit of information and some recipe ideas from Ray and Virginia.  From my mailbox to you:

Local ginger is available now!

From my mailbox to you:

Certified Organic Baby-Young Ginger Crop is being dug in October and November, Order now, while supply lasts!

Our regular Sunday On-Farm Market has ended for the season, but seasonable produce is still available by order. Farmers, Ray and Virginia Johnson are growing Certified Organic Ginger in the hoop-house to the left, (hoop house #3 two 50’wide beds) along with future beets, carrots and turnips in the other beds. The other three hoop houses are planted to cold-hardy fall, winter, to spring vegetables, available by orders to be picked up at the farm, starting the second week of November.

Pick some up at 3701 Elm St. Silver Springs, Nevada - 89429


More information? customgardens@att.net  or 775-577-2069

Nevada needs a mobile slaughterhouse unit!

This is so exciting, and so important for Nevada! On Thursday September 9th, from 8:30 to 3:00 (RSVP by September 1st) the USDA will be in Carson City to talk about mobile slaughterhouse units. If we ever want to buy Nevada meat in a market setting we're going to need one of these.

A key component of a responsive local food network is the consumer's ability to buy locally raised meat one cut at a time, that is, from the market. Buying in bulk is an option and ultimately more sustainable because we eat the whole animal rather than just the stylish cuts, but sometimes it would be nice just to pop down to the market and pick up one piece. We don't have that option in Nevada because we lack a USDA inspector to provide the mandatory certification. A Nevada rancher can arrange to have their product individually packaged and USDA approved but they have to transport the cattle out of state and then transport it back as a saleable product. However, the increased cost to the rancher is rarely what a consumer wants to pay. These mobile slaughterhouse units come with USDA inspection certification.
A mobile slaughterhouse unit is exactly what we need to reestablish the link between ranchers and new local food consumers in Nevada.

I’m off work this day so plan to go…maybe I’ll see you there. Woo hoo!

Red Meat Mobile Slaughter Unit Information Session
Thursday, September 9, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
2621 Northgate Lane, Suite 15, Carson City (UNCE office)
RSVP by Sept. 1 to Clint Koble, 775-784-5411 x117

Nevada raised grass-fed beef and lamb

These guys have been around for a while but I just learned about them last month. Though we haven't eaten Albaugh meat yet I hear good things about them, and they certainly have tons of experience.

From my mailbox to you:

"Albaugh Ranch in Fallon is now offering grass-fed beef and lambs, locally slaughtered and processed.
For details, call Norris Albaugh, 775-423-3361, or visit their website."

Canning tomatoes - get 'em while you can

It's been a really crazy growing season. While I sit here in sipping coffee in my winter fleece, outside the weather is cold and cloudy...and it's August! Usually this time of year I’m giving away tomatoes just to get them out of my house, but not this year. Of the seventeen tomato plants I started with in May six survived and 1.5 are producing ripe tomatoes. The rest just sat there and took up space and nutrients all season. Thank goodness for farmers otherwise my family would have to get through winter eating fewer of my favorite cold weather meals.

Lattin Farms has tomatoes now. Get them while you can!


$15 for a 20 pound box (update - I called today to put in my order and learned that the price is $20 per 20 pound box) or 50¢ a pound for u-pick - all certified organic. Delivery options can be made for Reno. Call the farm at Toll Free: (866) 638-6293 or Local: (775) 867-3750 to order.

How are we doing? Results from informal Nevada farmer survey

It’s been about four years since I discovered that there are still farmers in Nevada and that it is possible to buy locally grown food. In 2006 I didn’t know anyone who purchased food grown in Nevada, or anyone who even knew a farmer. Now there are 20-25 people in my world for whom local farmers provide much of their food and almost daily I meet many who shop at farmers markets and would buy local food if it were easier to get. The market says that where there is demand new sources will develop, so it seems logical that if more Nevadans are eating locally we would eventually see more people farming, an increased number of access points, and new products.

All over the world new farmers are taking over abandoned farmlands and converting them to organic farms. Some farmers who’ve managed to avoid or get out of the Monsanto-cycle that often results in financial ruin are converting to alternative practices. So, I need to know…is Nevada part of this trend?

Nevada grown fruit? Wouldn't that be great!

I love fruit, which is why I spend a big portion of our food budget at the farmers markets this time of year. Each year I fill our pantry and freezer with fruits grown for taste and harvested when they're ripe.  Ahh...if only some of them were grown in Nevada.  Yep, Nevada grown fruit is scarce but here's an opportunity to help fix that.  Learn more about growing fruit on a farm or in your yard.  From my mailbox to you...

 WNC Specialty Crop Institute Small Farm Orchard & Berry Production Workshop


A harvest-time workshop on orchard and berry production could bear fruit for those interested in becoming commercial small farmers, or improving their current farming processes.

Western Nevada College Specialty Crop Institute announces an orchard and berry production workshop on Friday, Sept. 10, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., at WNC Carson City campus, 2201 West College Parkway. Cost is $35 if registered by Monday, Aug. 31, or $45 after August 31. Lunch is included in registration; seating is limited.

Participants will learn about orchard and berry production for the small farm including best varieties to grow in northern Nevada's climate and soils; site selection and planting, fertilization, pruning, pest management, and more. The workshop is intended for experienced and new farmers interested in small-scale commercial production and sales. It includes classroom training and an on-farm tour of Agape Organics, a certified organic apple orchard in Washoe Valley.

Featured speaker is local expert Michael Janik, who has grown and experimented with orchard fruits and berries for more than a decade. He's grown more than 100 apple varieties, as well as currants, grapes, berries and more. Janik is a certified arborist and is accomplished at grafting.

Eat this! First baby squash summer of the season

We bought these beautiful baby summer squash from the California Street Lattin Farm booth this morning.  They're perfect for a recipe we got out of the new Eating Local cookbook mentioned earlier...Summer Squash Carpaccio with Arugula, Pecorino, and Almonds.  We've served it twice and everyone raved!

Summer activity - kids in the garden with art!

Join the Riverschool and Urban Roots Garden Classrooms for a week of fun as we grow our own
food, make sculptures out of nature, harvest fruits and veggies, make fashion out of trash, find garden
critters, turn gourds into art, and MORE!

Who: 5-11 year old students

Where: The Riverschool
7777 White Fir St.
Reno, NV 89523

When: August 9-13 from 9am-3pm

Cost: $125 early bird registration by July 15,

$150 after July 15

Bring: Sack lunch (we provide daily salad), water bottle, sunscreen!

EcoArt + Gardening Day Camp. First come, first serve! Visit us online at http://www.urgc.org/ to secure your spot or contact Lynnae Fischbach at lynnae@urgc.org to register today!

Happy to be a CSA member 'cause the weather is making it tough all over

It's tough year for farming all over the world this year. Floods and tornados in the mid-west, cool weather and water wars in California, drought and political conflict throughout the world.  (Wow...gloomy...shake it off)

Last year the weather was great in Nevada...we actually had an abundant fruit crop. This year it has been far too cold for far too long. The growth in my vegetable garden has come to a complete stop. The greens have gone milky and bitter because the daytime temps are higher, but the warm weather crops are dormant because the air temps have been abnormally low well into the traditional growing season so the soil temps remain too low.   This is a picture of summer squash.  The weather stayed warm long enough to encourage the plant to set blossoms, then a mid-June freeze killed the foliage. 

I look into my backyard and get cranky because my hobby isn't going well and the lack of growth is messing with my dreams of donating huge quantities of fresh food this year. Then I remember that farmers deal with the same issues but on a huge scale....and their livelihoods rely on it. This year I feel really good about being a CSA member because I know that our family's support will help our farmers work through what looks to be a tough year for food. Not just in Nevada, but everywhere.

Farm update - Custom Gardens

Virginia at Custom Gardens periodically sends out an update about upcoming events and how the growing season is going..Below is the latest.
The Silver Springs On-Farm Green-Market farm stand opened on the 20th. 10 AM to 2 PM, for the season, although the selection and quantity will not be terrific until after July 4th.

Sunday visitors will have a lot to look at when visiting, as the hoop houses are looking great. (We have tomatoes set)! The public demonstration plot is looking good - the 2010 theme being Asian Vegetables and Herbs (last year it was Mediterranean).

Think good thoughts for better weather days, soon. Our soil temperature is still hovering at 63 degrees and we need both soil and air to be at least 70 degrees + less wind, please. Cool weather crops (germination and growth) are doing quite well, however. This was not a good tree fruit or table grapes year for us, due to late freezes and or high winds. Apples? YES! Of course we will have lots of melons of all types, and the strawberries will be fine, after they too recover from a late frost. (Jams this fall, of course.)

Nuts!

When I visit the California farmers market each Saturday I stop by Boggeri Farms to pick up a couple bags of nuts, and some fruit.  Look what I found this time...Red walnuts!  They come out of the shell like this...no Red Dye #5 is involved.

I had planned to use them in dish that would put the beautiful color on display so was thinking about adding them to a really great salad.  Turns out I didn't have to think about at menu too long because we ate most of them right from the bag.  Delicious! 

Robert Boggeri tells me Natalie at 4th Street Bistro beat me to it and will be including these on her menu.

A really great cookbook for Nevada CSA fans

Here's a great cookbook for northern Nevada CSAers....Eating Local: the Cookbook Inspired by America's Farmers, by Janet Fletcher and Sur la Table. It's filled with recipes that work with many of the vegetables grown in Nevada, along with great pictures and farmer profiles.  I'll be testing one of the recipes for my lunch today -- Summer Squash Carpaccio with Arugula, Pecorino, and Almonds. It's available at the library if you want to take a peek before buying.

edible Reno-Tahoe summer edition cover to cover

Last night I put on a pair of my favorite pajamas and snuggled down with a glass of wine to read the latest edition of edible Reno-Tahoe from cover to cover. What a great way to spend an evening! Amanda Burden and her crew have produced another fantastic edition. It was especially thrilling to see the cover of the spring edition on page 42 in company with covers from other community publications. Don't miss the great portrait of BJ (Mr. Bojangles) on page four.

Commercial Lavender Production Workshop

From my mailbox to you:

Western Nevada College Specialty Crop Institute announces a commercial lavender production and sales workshop Friday, July 9, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., at Lavender Ridge Farm, 7450 W. 4th St. in Reno. Cost is $35 if registered by June 30; $45 after June 30. Includes lunch.

The workshop is intended for new and experienced farmers interested in starting a lavender farm or business. Classroom and on-farm instruction will focus on commercial lavender production, from plant selection through harvest and marketing. Topics include site selection, soils, irrigation, pests and diseases, lavender varieties and their uses, harvesting and pruning, oil distillation and product and market development.

Too early to think about 2012? Not really--Farm Bill discussion happening now.

Prior to 2008 our agricultural policies and practices were already recognized as problematic and in need of change. Farm Bill 2008 presented an opportunity of fix some things but resulted in more of the same. It turned out to be good for agribusiness and processed food, but came up seriously short for small farmers, communities, and real food. The next Farm Bill comes up for vote in 2012 so the House Committee on Agriculture is soliciting feedback and collecting information right now. Go to Slow Food USA for a bit of information and submit your comments to the HCA, if you choose.

The Food Bill is complicated and impacts our lives in ways I had never imagined. It sounds so pastoral and innocuous, but it is actually industrial and has had far reaching effects on everything from school lunch to the environment to African farmers. Author Daniel Imhoff demystifies it nicely in Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill. If you want to read it for free ('cause you already paid for it with your taxes) a copy is available at the library. Take an insider tip and search the catalog by author to get around the faulty catalog record.

Here's what I submitted.  I put it together in about 5 minutes so it's brief, but cut and paste all you want.

Soil, fertility, compost and cold-weather gardening class in Truckee

If you garden you know the most important thing you do is take care of the soil. In this region adding compost is vital.  Craig Witt of Full Circle Compost cooks fantastic compost!  We add a truckload to our garden every year because even though we make our own compost it isn't as nutritious as his, and we need more than we can make on our golf-course property (tiny lot and huge list of rules).  Here's a chance to learn about composting and gardening from another area expert.

From my mailbox to you:

This class will be presented by Full Circle Compost from Carson City

When: Saturday, May 22 at 2:00 pm

Place: Truckee Community Garden, Truckee River Regional Park, 10500 Brockway Road (behind the playground)

Cost: $10:00. Each attendee will receive a bag of Full Circle garden soil.

Brought to you by Slow Food Lake Tahoe.

Master Gardeners Plant Faire happens this weekend, Saturday May 22nd

The annual Master Gardener Plant Fair happens this weekend! In an earlier post I talked about the benefits of including locally grown plants in your garden, and this event is the perfect opportunity to buy some if you’re not inclined to grow your own.

This is the time of year Northern Nevada gardeners really start getting geared up to plant. Even if the sunny places in our houses are already filled with starts, we still feel the need to buy other varieties. Those of us who plant strictly purchased plants flock to the nurseries and hardware stores, and impulse-buy tomatoes at the supermarket. But going to the Plant Fair is way more fun than that!

The Feds want to "protect" our food supply

My first reaction to this piece of news was anger, which enticed me to go off on a sarcastic rant referencing the benefits of government regulation in the finance and oil industry. But I’ll control myself and try to present accurate information relatively free of my own baggage, so here goes…

It's Northern Nevada - snowed last week, tomato plants next week

I know it snowed earlier this week but still, in Northern Nevada it’s time to get ready to plant those heat loving vegetable plants. Plant when the snow is off Peavine, on or after Memorial Day, or after June 10th -- pick the tradition that works for you.

If you don’t grow your own transplants then you probably buy them. And likely from a big-box store - but we have better options.

Get ready to plant your own local food - River School organic gardening workshop

Tom Stille at the River School puts these organic gardening classes on every year and they're not to be missed if you want to learn to grow your own local food in this region.  This weekend he'll cover irrigation and water conservation.  RSVP, bring $20, and get ready for the planting workshop scheduled for May 22nd. And, if the weather prediction holds, Saturday will be a perfect day to be outside.

                                                                                     Saturday, May 8 at 9:00am to 12:00pm       Map


(Pic - April 2010, our organic heirloom tomato transplants)

First Tractors and Truffles event tears it up in Fallon

From my mailbox to you...

Tractors & Truffles Showcases Nevada Agriculture & Arts

Fallon celebrated its inaugural small farm agriculture and arts event Tractors & Truffles on Saturday, April 24, with a sold-out crowd who were treated to farm tours, wine tasting, gourmet dinner and a performance by country blues artist Rory Block.

The event showcased the small farm agriculture industry that is alive and thriving in Northern Nevada. Guests toured two Nevada farms and feasted on a lunch and four-course gourmet dinner prepared almost entirely from Nevada-grown foods.

Northern Nevada farm-to-plate event - Excellent!

From my mailbox to you:

Fallon hosts the perfect stay vacation for Northern Nevadans with the introduction of Tractors & Truffles, a small farm agriculture and arts event, Saturday, April 24.

The full-day event will include farm tours, wine tasting, gourmet dining and a live music performance.

Highlighting the event is a four-course dinner with wine pairing prepared by a team of award-winning chefs, including Steve Hernandez of the Slanted Porch, Mark Davis, Cordon Bleu, and Ryan Scott, Bravo's Top Chef Chicago. The gourmet dinner will be served at historic Oats Park, and it will include locally-grown beef, produce and wine from Northern Nevada farms.

The event begins with lunch and a tour of Lattin Farms, known regionally for its corn maze and on-farm bakery. The fifth-generation family farm celebrated 100 years of farming in 2009.

Wine tasting and a tour of Churchill Vineyards, Nevada's only estate winery, will follow lunch. Churchill Vineyards grows ten different varieties of fine European wine grapes and is considered a pioneer in Nevada's wine and viticulture industry. Father and son Charlie and Colby Frey established the winery on the fourth-generation farm in 2001.
Blues Music Award winner and country blues artist Rory Block, provides a nightcap to the event with a performance in Barkley Theater, considered the finest small performing arts house in Nevada.

Block has won five WC Handy Blues Music Awards, and according to the Blues Foundation, she is widely regarded as the top female interpreter and authority on traditional country blues worldwide.

"Tractors & Truffles showcases two of Fallon's greatest assets - its small farm agriculture industry and the vital and eclectic arts scene," said Rick Gray, executive director of the Fallon Convention and Tourism Authority and producer of the new event.

Tickets for the event are $100 and can be purchased by calling toll free 1-866-432-5566. More information is available at http://www.tractorsandtruffles.com/

Northern Nevada farmers market 2010 schedule

Farmers market season is just around the corner. Yippee! Go to Edible Reno Tahoe for a listing of markets in Nevada and closer California markets.

One of the joys of eating local food is the chance to know the farmers. The Dayton and Fallon markets are sourced primarily by Nevada farmers so a little extra drive time is worth the trip. You can still meet some Nevada farmer at the other markets. Just ask the market manager to point you in the right direction.

Thanks to the Edible Reno Tahoe crew for putting together a really comprehensive resource. Here's the info on the Nevada markets.

CARSON CITY, NEV.
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from June 12 through Sept.18 at the Saturday Morning Farmers’ Market in the Third and Curry streets parking lot. Details: Carsonfarmersmarket.com or contact Market Manager Linda Marrone at 882-6741, 720-7789, or marrone2@yahoo.com .

Wednesdays from 3 to 7 p.m. June 9 through Aug. 25 at Carson Farmers’ Market, Pony Express Pavilion at Mills Park, Hwy. 50, west of North Saliman Road. Details: Crystal Bridge Enterprises at 746-5024; crystlbrdg@hotmail.com .

DAYTON, NEV.
Thursdays from 3 to 6:30 p.m. from June 17 through September at Community Roots Nursery, Hwy 50 and Second Avenue. You’ll find only local Nevada farmers this year. Details: Wendy, 250-7884; www.NevadaGrown.com .

EUREKA, NEV.
Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. July 29 through Sept. 30 at Gold Street. A market will not be held on Aug. 15. Details: Gary, 237-5326; www.NevadaGrown.com .

FALLON, NEV.
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 12 through Sept. 4 on Maine Street in downtown Fallon. Details: Rick Gray, Fallon Convention and Tourism Authority at 423-4556 or Wendy Nelsen from Candylicious in Fallon at 423-1100; www.NevadaGrown.com .

Tuesdays 4-8:30 p.m. June 16-Aug. 25. Closed July 7. Churchill County Fairgrounds, 325 Sheckler Road. Details: Don, 427-3428.

GARDNERVILLE, NEV.
Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. from June 2 through Sept. 16 at Lampe Park, 328 Waterloo Park. Details: Jana, 782-9828 or Sharon Rusk, 588-4105; www.NevadaGrown.com .

INCLINE VILLAGE, NEV.
Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting June 19 outside of the Village Market.

MINDEN, NEV.
Tuesdays from 4 to 8 p.m. from June 2 through September at Esmeralda Avenue in downtown Minden. Details: Roxanne, 782-2444; www.NevadaGrown.com .

RENO, NEV.
Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. from June 5 through Oct. 2 at California Avenue Market, Reno Village Shopping Center at California Avenue and Booth Street.

Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June through September at West Street Market, downtown Reno on West Street between First and Second streets. Details: 334-2077.

Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 8 through Oct. 5 at Shoppers Square, corner of Plumb Lane and South Virginia Street.

Wednesdays from 3 to 7 p.m. June 16 through Aug. 25 at Somersett Towne Square, 7650 Town Square Way. Details: Linda Student, 787-4500, ext. 311; www.Somersett.com .

Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 11 through Oct. 8 at Tamarack Junction Casino, 13101 S. Virginia St.

SPARKS, NEV.
Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 1 through Sept. 14 at United Methodist Church, 1231 Pyramid Way. Details: Everett, 358-0925.
Thursdays from 4 to 9 p.m. June 10 through Aug. 19 at Sparks Hometown Farmers’ Market on Victorian Avenue. There will not be a market on Aug. 5 due to Hot August Nights. Details: Greg von Schottenstein or Andre Stigall, 353-2291; www.Sparksrec.com .

TONOPAH, NEV.
Mondays from 4 p.m. to dusk from July 6 through Oct. 5 at Hwy 95, Main Street at Pocket Park. Details: Mary, 482-3118.

WINNEMUCCA, NEV.
Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. from July through September next to the community garden. Details: Ed, 623-8413.

What's it like to "grocery shop" at a 4-H auction?

The Fallon 4-H kids will be auctioning off the animals they've raised soon, so it's a good time to buy beef, pork, or goat meat. Our family cowpools so I know about buying and storing in bulk, but our farmer takes care of everything for us; we just take delivery of the boxes and put the meat in the freezer. So I need to know: How does the animal get from auction yard to the freezer? How would a buyer know if the meat is pasture or grain fed, organic or conventionally raised? Who does the driving?

First thing, talk to the farmer, or in this case, the 4-H'er. They'll be able to tell you all about their animal and will be available all day Friday and Saturday up until auction time. When you find one raised according to your values, for example, grass versus grain fed, conventional or organic, bid on it. Next question...

Food...as it goes in Washington, so it goes here. Help make something good happen!

I try to keep this blog focused on local issues and food, but the more I learn about the direction our food system is going the more I understand that being passionate and hungry is not enough.  I have to be willing to get involved at a national global level.  Since it's highly unlikely I'll quit my day job and try to go up against the B-guys (Big Ag, Big-Biotech, Big-etc.) on K street, I make my positive, yet passionate voice heard online.  Here's your chance.

Finally the government is talking about the corporatization of the food system, but neither farmers nor consumers are invited to the table (pun intended) for the discussion. It’s all big ag! Now's our chance to tell the USDA and the Department of Justice we expect our food choices to be made by someone who cares about our families, rather than the contents of our wallets. And yes…I'm feeling snarky this morning! Sign the petition and tell your friends and family.

Thanks to our contribution the NDOA Plant Industry escaped budget cuts -- for now

A huge "Good on ya!" to everyone who contacted their Nevada Senate and Assembly representatives and told them it is important to save the Nevada Department of Agriculture Plant Industry (read the original post). For now, this really important government service escaped full closure. Time to be happy!

However, it is also time to get ready for the next round. The last emergency legislative session was charged with addressing a 1 billion dollar deficit -- according to the word I hear from people closer to the process the next session will involve a 3 billion dollar shortfall. Hard decisions will have to made, so we'll all have another chance to step up.

Woo hoo! Go foodies!

Rise and Shine Farms has a new buying club program -- maybe now I can get a duck!

Here's the thing...I've been wanting to try to prepare charcuterie, specifically duck confit, at home but haven't been able to buy just one happy duck. I found a great charcuterie cookbook at the library but couldn't find a local happy duck.  Now Rise and Shine Farms offers a buying club so I can pay a small membership fee and buy their products (including a duck) outside of a CSA system.  From my mailbox to you:

Northern Nevada gets its own local food magazine

Local folks who love food and have a warm place in their heart for local food have been working hard to develop a new facet to the local scene, and soon we’ll reap the benefits -- a magazine focused completely on food in the Reno Tahoe area. March 6th is the launch date for Edible Reno Tahoe. Check out the food and fun filled launch weekend schedule; get yourself an annual subscription, or sign up for updates.


Washoe County Library System will also have a copy on the shelf at the Downtown Reno, Sparks, Spanish Springs, Incline Village, North Valleys, and South Valleys branches. Stop by to take a peak at the Spring edition.

USDA closes big-“organic” dairy loophole and makes a step in the right direction for small farmers

Look at this...a heartening story about organic diary.  The USDA has made a decision that is good for small dairy farmers and consumers. 

Thanks Mom, for sending me the story!

Important! NV State Legislature will consider cutting an important NDOA program

This is so important -- to farmers, to the economy, and to us!  The Nevada Legislature will soon consider cutting a department that is vital to all  food  grown and sold in Nevada. It looks like the NDOA programs that our local farmers are affiliated with are once again in danger of being eliminated. Food grown and sold by local farmers is integrally tied to this program, and therefore also to anyone who values local food and a local economy.  Please read the entire post and take a few minutes to contact your assembly and senate representatives today.  We've heard they'll meet to discuss this on February 23rd.

We've included some important talking points to cut and past into emails, and contact info is included.

New CSA program for lucky Northern Nevada families

We have a new CSA option in Northern Nevada! Curtis and Anna Bateman of NanaDew Herb Farm in Fallon are now the proud purveyors of NanaDew Herb Farm CSA. Curtis and and Anna have been growing food in our region for some time and have been part of the farmers market and CSA scene for a while. Now they're putting together their own CSA, which will include certified organic or naturally raised food. And this CSA program offers add-ons so families can tailor their basket to their needs/wants and receive other products like goat milk soap, honey, and whatever else is seasonally available. Lovely! They're ready for 2010 signups now.

CSA farmers are ready to hear from their 2010 CSA families

This is the time of year our local farmers ask us to enter into CSA partnerships.  The cool weather crop growing season is just around the corner so CSA farmers are planning and paying for supplies now. The Great Basin Basket CSA is ready for 2010...are you?  If Great Basin Basket is the program for you, sign up now!

Nevada Small Farm Conference - meet and mingle with the people who grow our local food

Wow! The 2010 Small Farm Conference  looks to be packed with great speakers.  Getting to know the people who make fresh local food happen is one of the best feel-good aspects of eating close to home.  The Small Farm Conference provides everyone (all are welcome) an opportunity to meet the farmers and the people who advocate for a local system.  The conference runs two days, March 12-13, and includes a line-up of sessions dealing with subjects ranging from seed production to marketing to hoop houses. There's something for everyone! Sign up by March 2nd to get the early-bird discount.

Could 2010 be a tipping point for local food in Northern Nevada?

 Interest in local food has reached a point where some farmers are actually able to expand their operations. Great Basin Basket is making value-added products like soup and bread CSAs and jams available during the winter months. NanaDew Herb Farm, which previously contributed to a collaborative CSA, is now spearheading a new program. Rise and Shine Farms had to order more chickens to meet the demand.  And Grow For Me is introducing a personal farmer program to our list of local food options.

For weeks I've been chatting with people looking for advice on how to cowpool, wanting to talk about CSAs, and asking about seasonality and cooking at home.  And they're loving it.

I've said it before....Woo Hoo!

Rise and Shine Farms CSA 2010

It’s CSA sign-up season so here’s one of a few options for anyone living in or around Reno, Sparks, and Fallon.

Rise and Shine Farms is taking CSA membership sign-ups now. Here’s a little info about what’s going on at the Marsh place.

BTW….check out the part about holiday season offerings… heritage turkey, duck and goose!

From my mailbox to you:

Eeeew! Choose the hamburger you want to eat or they'll do it for you

If you've seen Food, Inc. you already know what's really in that big-box store or fast food hamburger.  If you haven't and still think your hamburger comes from here......

.....look again!

These guys are shooting for 100% of the market...scary! Now's the time to stock up on grass-fed beef that hasn't been anywhere near a place like that. Mmmm...BBQ season isn't that far away.

Grow For Me personal farmer program - an expanded CSA

General local food knowledge says that if everyone purchased as little as 10% of their food from local farmers communities could nurture and maintain small farms in their region and farmers could stay on the farm rather than work two or three jobs. It takes remarkably little effort to eat 10% in Nevada during “the season”, especially if the family diet is vegetarian. Each year it gets easier as more new or established farmers offer CSAs. For those looking to get even more variety in their CSA, here’s a great new program.

Introducing the Grow For Me Personal Farmer program. This is a one-stop-shop (mostly), sustainable, chemical-free CSA that will include veggies, fruit, eggs, meat (beef, chicken, lamb, and pork), and milk! For a few hundred bucks a month, depending on the payment plan a family chooses, it is possible to eat way more than 10%. Bonus, going “grocery shopping” could be a visit to the farm where kids (or you!) can see where food really comes from and only 20 miles or so from Reno and Sparks. Gotta love that!

There are other benefits as well, too numerous to go into here so check out the Grow For Me website.

Nevada organic eggs - my bad!

Oops! Recently a friend reminded me to be very careful how I use the word organic on LFNN. The "organic" label requires farmers adhere to certain activities, pay hefty fees, and navigate administrative processes in order to call their product “organic”. I incorrectly wrote that River School had “organic” eggs. They didn’t tell me this, I just made the jump because I know they use organic practices so always think of their food as organic even though it’s not labeled organic.

As far as we know there are no “organic” egg producers in Nevada. Shoppers looking for a program that certifies sustainable practices might look for Certified Naturally Grown. Many farmers, including many in Nevada, produce food using practices equal to or more stringent than the federal organic regulations but they can't call their product organic. Certified Naturally Grown verifies sustainable practices through farmer and consumer inspections, rather than federal inspections.

Any inaccurate reference to organic eggs on this blog is my fault. The farmers I talk to don't say their eggs are organic, only that they use organic practices. It is my responsibility to convey the information correctly, which I didn't in this case. My bad!

Custom Gardens 2010 - local food program update

My mailbox is overflowing with 2010 local food updates.  What's really exciting this year are the 21st century and increased consumer convenience options our local farmers are incorporating into their operations. Like this one....Custom Gardens is offering EZ payments plans and opening earlier this year.

From my mailbox to you:
Custom Gardens (NV Certified) Organic Farm and CSA in Silver Springs. This is the beginning of the new year 2010.

Local garden seed for your Northern Nevada backyard garden

Here's a great new development! Mewaldt Organics is offering their regionally acclimated garden seed for sale online and early.

If you’re new to backyard gardening here’s a bit of advice…buy seed now!

River School has local eggs

If you eat local food you know by now how much tastier fresh food right from the farm is compared to supermarket fare. Of all the great local food we've eaten over the last few years eggs are a standout. Just this morning we had a simple scrambled egg and bacon breakfast: eggs from Rise and Shine, bacon from the Mill family in Fallon, and toast with jam made with peaches from a friend's tree. Everything was awesome but I remember thinking...these eggs are so tasty they don't even need to be smothered in salsa or cheese to taste great - unless you really like cheese and salsa on your eggs.