| Norwich Meadows Farm (NMF) began in 1998 when Zaid and Haifa Kurdiehs plowed 1/2 acre behind their house in Norwich, NY, a sleepy town half way between Albany and the Fingerlakes. Originally, they sold their produce mostly to local residents, but as they entered into partnerships with other farmers and started participating in CSA programs and farmers markets, the farm kept growing. Currently they farm over 35 acres and supply produce to 10 CSA programs (including my own). They also participate in some farmers markets and sell specialty produce to upscale restaurants. During the peak growing season, they employ about 25 people. They have an exchange program with some organic farms in Egypt, and Egyptian farmers come over to help on the farm for a season in exchange for knowledge and experience.
 NMF grows hundreds of different vegetables. I've personally eaten lettuce, lamb's quarters, Swiss chard, kale, bok choi, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, hot peppers, corn, kohlrabi, green beans, fava beans, fennel, celery, garlic, onions, scallions, tomatoes, turnips, radishes, beets, potatoes, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, parsley and more things I've forgotten. Many of these items are grown in several different heirloom varieties. (Right: Artichokes)
Unfortunately, now is the end of the growing season, so many of the plants had already been harvested, like the corn (below left) and husk tomatoes (below right). But it was still amazing to see the sheer abundance of produce, even on a dreary, rainy day at the end of harvest season. NMF has recently branched into fruit as well, with a couple of fruit trees, some strawberry patches and a few fields of melons, including some intensely delicious watermelon.
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Being in upstate New York means a fairly short growing season, but they extend it a bit by using tunnels to grow certain crops. The tunnels let in light and keep out bad weather while retaining heat. They've constructed about 30 tunnels on the farm and sell additional tunnels to other farmers. They've already had their first frost, so as the growing season tapers off, the tunnels become increasingly important. Below on the right you can see bok choi growing in a tunnel, and the artichokes pictured above are also being grown in a tunnel.
 
NMF raises about 1,000 free range chickens of different breeds for both eggs and meat...
 
... as well as a handful of extremely rain-adverse turkeys...
... and some sheep. They also raise a few goats, but we didn't see them on the tour.
Another fairly recent addition is a few colorful beehives that produce about 500 pounds of honey annually.
While the CSA produce mostly gets a quick rinse after harvest, items bound for the next day's market in Union Square are carefully washed...
...before being packed in crates for the ride. Zaid left at midnight on Sunday to arrive at the market at 5 am this morning. That's garlic on the left and turnips on the right.
 
I loved seeing all the animals and crops, but perhaps my favorite part was learning the innovative ways the farm is trying to reduce its impact, from experimenting with solar power in the living quarters to using heat from compost piles to keep the tunnels warm. It was hard to say goodbye, but the dairy beckoned. My only regret was that I neglected to get any photos of Zaid or Andrew, our tour guide. Next time!
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Dave Evans is a third generation dairy farmer who grew up on his farm in Norwich, NY and originally raised cows conventionally, selling the raw milk to processors. But when milk prices steeply declined in the late 90s, he and his wife Sue desperately searched for a way to hold on to their way of life. They knew some farmers were having success by converting their operations to organic, and the idea appealed to them despite the expense and extra paperwork. Another idea was to was eliminate the middleman and process and sell their own milk, but the necessary equipment was even more expensive. Then they learned about a program that loaned used pasteurizers (worth $22,000) to dairy farmers for a year in an effort to preserve small dairy operations. Dave and Sue signed up, made the move to organic and were soon hooked. They purchased the pasteurizer at the end of the year.
 Since then, they've expanded their processing facilities twice, added a range of products from yogurt to butter to cheese, and even offer processing services to other small companies like Siggi's, makers of Icelandic-style strained yogurt. The Evans farm currently has about 50 cows and uses its own milk and the milk of surrounding local, organic farmers (some of whom learned everything they know by apprenticing on the Evans farm) to create their products. (Left: Random Piece of Diary Processing Equipment)
Milk, butter and yogurt are some of the add-ons I'm able to purchase through my CSA program, so I immediately started researching Evans' Farmhouse Creamery and was thrilled to discover that their products have received numerous (scroll down) accolades, as well as recognition from The Cornucopia Institute and the renowned Cornell Organic Working Group (warning: pdf) at Cornell University. Just the kind of small operation I actually enjoy supporting with my hard-earned cash. I'd be willing to support them even if their products were mediocre. So the fact that they're superb is just a bonus. I've tried their butter, medium-sharp cheddar and every yogurt flavor and unequivocally recommend them all. (Though I will say that if you're used to Greek-style strained yogurt like Total, Evans' Farmhouse yogurt will seem thin. It's not strained and not stabilized with gelatin or tapioca starch like many commercial yogurts.)
Because Dave and Sue live right down the street from Zaid and Haifa, I couldn't resist the opportunity to drop in. We got a tour of the processing facilities, which feature lots of stainless steel and machines like pasteurizers, homogenizers, separators, incubators and churns. Sue painstakingly explained the different machines to us, but I promptly forget everything she said. I do remember that the machine below is for holding the raw milk at 34 degrees and keeping it mixed so it doesn't separate too much.
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After the equipment tour, we walked around the farm, visited the farm store (where they generously also sell products from other local farms) and got a free yogurt sample. In addition to cows (more on them later), Sue and Dave and their children have a virtual menagerie that includes chickens (left, I believe they're Rhode Island Reds) and what someone said were geese although they look more like ducks to me (right).
 
They also had cats and kittens...
 
...pigs...
 
...and a pony named Missy.
But the stars of the show are the 50 cows, each of whom has a name. (Except the one that they're planning to eat later this year. That one is still referred to as number 21.) I don't remember their names, but they sure are cute. The top two are young and haven't developed their udders yet. They don't do that until they get pregnant for the first time.
Our tour coincided with their evening feeding and milking, so we helped herd in the cows. The farm buildings are in the background.
And after that we got to see the milking equipment (held by Sue)...
...followed by the stalls where the cows are milked and fed and where they stay in really bad weather.
Just as we were about to leave, Dave came home from his day job. (He's a local judge.)
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Meeting these wonderful people yesterday really solidified my thoughts about eating locally. They all treat their animals and the earth with love and respect, and I'm happy to support their efforts. My sincere thanks to Zaid Kurdiehs and his tour guide Andrew as well as Sue and Dave Evans for being so generous with their time and knowledge.
See you next Sunday when we'll return to our regular programming.
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If you're interested in foraging and missed the earlier diaries in the series, you can click here for the previous 26 installments. As always, please feel free to post photos in the comments and I'll do my best to help identify what you've found. (And if you find any errors, let me know.)
Here are some helpful foraging resources:
"Wildman" Steve Brill's site covers many edibles and includes nice drawings.
"Green" Deane Jordan's site is quite comprehensive and has color photos and stories about many plants.
Green Deane's foraging how-to clips on youtube each cover a single plant in reassuring detail.
Linda Runyon's site features only a few plants but has great deals on her dvd, wild cards and books (check out the package deals in particular).
Steve Brill's book, Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places is my primary foraging guide. (Read reviews here, but if you're feeling generous, please buy from Steve's website.)
Linda Runyon's book The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide contains especially detailed information about nutritional content and how to store and preserve wild foods.
Samuel Thayer's book The Forager's Harvest is perhaps the finest resource out there for the 32 plants covered. The color photos and detailed harvest and preparation information are top-notch.
Steve Brill also offers guided foraging tours in NYC-area parks. Details and contact info are on his website.
Don Wiss's website is a treasure trove featuring hundreds of photos of common northeastern edibles.
Finally, the USDA plants database is a great place to look up info on all sorts of plants.
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