Happenings on the Ranch

Being a proponent of locally, sustainably grown foods I refuse to by tomatoes from Mexico or apples from China.  If there is something I want that is hardly grown in the U.S., like plantains, I will purchase it on occasion.  That purchase does go to support the local economy in that country and I view it as a luxury purchase.  Having labels on these products makes my decision in the grocery store much easier when I can’t buy things at farmer’s market or grow it myself.  Even so, I will rarely buy produce in the winter.  I can’t justify the shipping cost and impact on the environment through the use of fossil fuels just so I can have a head of lettuce in February, even if it is grown in the U.S.

So I, personally, was very happy when legislation came out requiring Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on all nuts, fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood.  But there are quite a few items that this legislation doesn’t cover, like dairy products.  Unless I am able to buy from a local producer or the company specifically puts where the item comes from on their label, how am I to know that the milk or butter I’m buying isn’t using milk coming from New Zealand or, worse yet, China?

Now, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing for legislation to require country of origin labelling on all dairy products including yogurt, cheese and ice cream.  I know I can’t be the only one saying, “hooray” for this one.  Many of today’s consumers are much more conscious about where their food comes from and how it is produced.  Producers that are just as conscious about these issues proudly display where their milk is produced and how it is handled.  But large manufacturers very infrequently put any labeling at all about where their milk is coming from and how it is produced, including whether the cows are treated with bovine growth hormones.

Where do you stand?  Does where your food is coming from affect your purchases more now than before the COOL legislation was passed?  Would this new legislation make a difference in the dairy products you buy?  Sound off, please.  I want to know where you stand.

I’ve come to the conclusion that trying to blog during the busiest part of our season is just an exercise in hopelessness.  As evidenced by the fact that I haven’t written a word since May, the season went very well for the most part and we were very busy.  The weather has had it’s ups and downs and it never really got to our usual summer temperatures, but some patience was all it took for most of our crops to come in and fair quite nicely.

Our fall schedule, however, has been thrown completely off by the early cold weather.  Our first two plantings of spinach and lettuce did absolutely nothing.  Not even a sprout.  That, I think, was due to all the wet weather and inconsistent temperatures.  The third planting is now coming up nicely, but we lost all the green beans and the majority of the tomatoes, peppers and squash way earlier than expected; the temperatures have been 20 degrees below normal and we’ve had heavy frost several times.  We had the forethought to cover many of the tomato plants, along with some of the peppers, and the herbs have toughed it out through the cold nights.

We are in the process of putting together our new greenhouse (more on that later) and, in the meantime, have added a smaller version to the front of the house.  This area is serving well for some of the mums and other decorative plants and will serve as a winter area for more herbs, peppers and greens.  It’s also doing a great job of adding warmth to the house in general.  On a sunny day, it’s like summer on the front porch!

Even though the largest part of our season is coming to an end, we do have plenty going on.  Right now we are taking sign ups for our 2010 CSA season.  We’ve already had several folks from our last two seasons sign up again and several new members have found us, as well.  We are also trying our hand at a winter farmer’s market at the Grand Court Farmer’s Market at 107th and Wornall.  We will have our free-range, organically grown chicken, canned and baked goods and whatever we can manage to grow through the season.  Right now it looks like we’ll have leafy greens, radishes, herbs, tomatoes and peppers (for as long as they last), along with micro greens and sprouts.  We are also planning to do some holiday gift baskets, so come check it out!

I have also been invited to give a talk/class at Powell Gardens in February.  As soon as the class is listed in their directory, I’ll be sure to let you all know!

Now that the season is winding down a little, I hope to be able to post more frequently and give you all updates.  And maybe, just maybe, I can get organized enough for next season to be able to keep everyone updated throughout the summer, too.  Here’s to wishful thinking!

Until next time!

Our opening day of the Lee’s Summit Farmer’s Market was yesterday.  I, as it happens, was not there.  I am writing this from my grandmother’s kitchen in Colorado Springs (on my mom’s new mini laptop!).   I’ve been here since Thursday so Arcenio had the task of managing our first market day.  While we don’t have produce ready yet we did have meat and eggs available and I’m happy to say it sounds like many of you came out to see us.  Thanks for that and I will be out there on Wednesday starting at 7am so be sure to come by and say “hi.”  And remember you can always order online ahead of time and we’ll bring your order to market ready to go!

I’ve also gotten reports that we have had four goslings hatch since I’ve been gone.  I love watching the babies being born so I’m sorry I missed it but will be sure to post a picture when I get home.

Our son Devon has also had his first two baby pigeons born to one of his pairs.  I saw those before I left and, I have to say, those little things are pretty ugly when they are born.  When the parent birds don’t mind me getting a little closer I’ll post a picture of them too, while they are in their “ugly” stage. 

I’ll post again when I’m back! -Karin