Sampler Platter

Good to see Coleman's work (4.00 / 4)

gaining more recognition.

I know, being a Maine locovore, that it's mighty tasty. Grown a jones for the bitter tang of winter greens.

And you had way to much fun with the Rolling Stone pick; makes me wonder if you spend too much time thinking dirty, composty thoughts.

You know, in ME, they got around the rbGh issue at Oakhurst Dairy (and now at Hood) by saying they buy from farmers who pledge not to use it.

It works; people know what they're buying, and lots of farmers are happy to sell to both dairies.

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by: zic @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 17:43:41 PM UTC

I don't know the details on the OH ruling (4.00 / 4)

partially bc I've been doing a poor job reading emails. Same goes for Kansas. But I believe that historically in this debate, states are a lot more likely to fuss over claims about the composition of the milk (i.e. "rbGH-free") than they are over claims about the production process (i.e. "Made from cows that have not been treated with rbGH"). And saying that farmers pledge not to use it seems even MORE acceptable - it's the easiest thing to prove.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 17:58:42 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Coleman's new book arrived today; (4.00 / 3)

it's much more than I thought. Written for commercial growers; but the the notion, perhaps, that anyone with a typical greenhouse can be a commercial grower.

And the pics are beautiful.

We're going to DC Sunday through Thursday; so I'll take it for trip reading; try to get the review next Friday or over the following weekend.

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by: zic @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 19:47:37 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

There is a new book I sent for today. (4.00 / 2)

The title is Growing Green: Animal-Free Organic Techniques.  Mike at TinyFarmBlog said he was reading it.  I looked it up on Amazon and it looked interesting: some detailed discussion of techniques for generating soil health without using animals.  

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by: DennisP @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 23:42:55 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I hope it's interesting. (4.00 / 2)

But I am a bit skeptical of animal-free organics; you need a HUGE amount of plant material to compost to make up for the composting an animal does for you.

Most of the people I know who are doing animal-free organics are really resource shifting; using guano or sea-weed in place of composted animal manure.

Your chickens will provide you with a wonderful source of manure for your garden; just make sure you compost it really well, because chicken dung is extremely high in nitrogen; it will burn if used raw. And when you compost it, get as much dry brown stuff to mix with it as you can; helps control the smell.

I do think it's important for non-animal organics for folks who live in urban areas and have trouble with neighbors and or little room for gardening and animals.

I don't have animals myself; my mom owns horses, and so I garden with horse manure. Each fall, I send my son for a truckload of it, and then I use it the following spring.

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by: zic @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 00:59:02 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Actually, I'm animal-inclined myself. (4.00 / 4)

From all the reading I've done, it seems like the chemicals and hormones in animal manure is essential.  But I'm interested in what the authors do, in what they recommend.  And yeah, I'm planning to use the shark manure to fertilize the garden.  Putting in wood shavings from a local lumber mill as the bedding for the birds.

But what's interesting, I don't know if one can really be self-sustaining in serious gardening.  I'm not at all sure that I can.  I've got now 2500 sq. ft. of garden and there's no way I can generate off my property enough compost for all the beds.  

I'm hauling in several cubic yards of compost from a local composter, and I raked several bags of leaves from a marsh a 1/3 of a mile north as well as a lot of grass clippings after the road crew went through. And last summer I also begged a van-full of alfalfa from a near-by farmer. So much of what I apply to the beds is not from my 7 acres.  

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by: DennisP @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 03:27:46 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

There's a really terrific book about farming in China (0.00 / 0)

written in the early 1900's, "Farmers of forty centuries in China." I read it because Eliot Coleman recommended it in a biography in "The New Organic Grower." One of the most enlightening books I've ever read.

And the answer to your ever-so-observant conundrum was revealed to me in it, (you're correct about the difficulties of a farm being self-sustainable; this is one of the primary goals of bio-dynamic farming):

night soils.

We take way too many drugs, hormones, etc. to make that a viable option here. But I'm pretty sure back in the day of the outhouse it's what farmer's did.

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by: zic @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 13:14:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Rodale has animal-free organics going (4.00 / 2)

as part of their farm systems trial (they also have an organic system with manure too). They use composted leaves. Re: needing a huge amount of plant material, I'd imagine that actively aerated compost teas would help make up for that to some extent - it's a good way to make a little bit of compost go a long way.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 05:22:48 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I think you're right about the tea; (0.00 / 0)

composted leaves are great for many things; but they have the problem (as far as I can tell, from my experience here) of amplifying the acidic ph of my soil.

But I think if you look at the Rodale operation, it's likely they're bringing in a lot of leaves/materials from outside the areas the farming area. In "Farming and Health," Sir Albert Howard wrote about the Indori composting on tea plantations. But again, there were huge amounts of plant material available, and while he doesn't specifically say it, there were also cattle on the tea plantation, and I imagine their manure was mixed in.

Another key to animal-less organics is green manures; I'm still struggling to work out how to use green manures/cover crops and no-till planting in the same plot without smothering you crop.  

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by: zic @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 13:22:40 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Let's start a dairy called NORBGH DAIRY COMPANY (4.00 / 5)

and sell milk in Kansas and Ohio, specifically to tweak these twits.

If challenged we'll just say it's in honor of my great-uncle, Harry Norbaugh, whose typewriter was missing a couple of vowels, if you know what I mean (wink).

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 18:37:53 PM UTC

Lol, great idea! (3.75 / 4)

I can live in Kansas for a little while.  It would have to be Lawrence, though.  I'll run it...

:)

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 22:39:13 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Is your website hosted through soapblox? (4.00 / 2)

What kind of plan do you have?

Vote for yourself at www.ni4d.us!

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by: rossl @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 20:33:49 PM UTC

Yes it is (4.00 / 2)

I think I've got the cheapest plan. It's getting upgraded though - tomorrow I think.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 22:05:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

How do you like it? Any advice? (4.00 / 2)

I'm thinking of starting a soapblox blog for these folks:  http://www.ni4d.org

Vote for yourself at www.ni4d.us!

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by: rossl @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 22:49:56 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I love it (4.00 / 2)

very easy, although it's a little bit quirky whenever I try to make changes to the layout.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 05:23:28 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I just wish... (4.00 / 2)

Sustainable Table dishes on the Farm to Cafeteria Conference held in Portland. JayinPortland got to go to some of it, and I'm soooo jealous.

I just wish that I could have gotten into that last night's dinner at U of Portland!

Oh yeah, to hear Joan Gussow's talk, too.  While eating, of course.

:)

The food spread before the Social Media panel was awesome though, and I helped myself to a bit.  Mmmm, mushrooms and cream sauce...

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 22:49:20 PM UTC

Grilled cheese... (4.00 / 2)

This one sounds good!

chicharron de queso - with cheese that's grilled until it's crispy then tucked inside a torta with black beans, lettuce and pico de gallo

Mmmm, the pub down the block from me does great grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough.  They even do one with feta...

Best thing for an early Spring cool and rainy Portland day!  Grilled cheddar sourdough sandwich with a Mirror Pond Pale Ale, in a corner booth with a good book, or at the bar with a Blazers game on...

:)

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 23:42:03 PM UTC

Heh... (4.00 / 2)

just looked up chicarron - I'd leave that off.

:)

Add some more beans!

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 23:44:41 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Boooo (4.00 / 1)

Give me a bowl of beef/bok choy pho, a sierra nevada pale ale and a Kings vs Warriors game ;D

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by: Curtis Abbey @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 07:03:54 AM UTC

[ Parent ]