Our recent weekly updates have focused on why we grow this food…why we have chosen to farm for a living.

You can learn more – and see all of this up close and in person – at our next Farm Tour:
Saturday, May 17, 2014 – THIS Saturday!
Guided Tour at 3:00
Family friendly. No RSVP or fee required. Please – no pets.
Driving directions are found on our Events page.

But it doesn’t matter that we grow this bounty if our community doesn’t know how to eat it, which we hear from a lot of people is the case.

We have CSA members point out to us that Americans are familiar with – at max – 10 different vegetables, including potatoes and corn (which, as you know, hardly count as veggies. They are really starchy.) We grow more than 40 different things, not counting varieties.

 Pictured below is the set of vegetables we provided our Farm Share CSA members this past week. A diverse mix of vegetables is the most healthy foundation of a good diet. And we Americans tend not to eat enough of them.   

We shared last week that we have seen reported that just FIVE PERCENT of Americans eat the amount of veggies recommended by the USDA. And in our opinion, the USDA recommendation is too low. Our herbalist recommends to her clients to eat one fist-size serving of vegetables per 20 pounds of body weight per day. 

So – Americans don’t know how to eat this healthy. What is the trick? This Forbes article points out that the USDA recommends that people spend about 8% of their food budget on leafy greens. That is a good start. Get it in your fridge.  

(above: a pepper of the future)

Make yourself prepare leafy greens for 2 – or even 3! – meals per day. Cover your plate 3/4 with vegetables and just 1/4 with proteins, fats, and carbs. Peruse our Recipe Page (updated weekly!). Eat at home, not out. Make and bring your lunch to work, school, etc. Eat our Bok Choy (or kale or collards or spinach or…) alongside eggs for breakfast. Eat a big salad (mix our lettuces with our heartier greens, then add roots like radishes and turnips) topped with proteins and fats.    We think that is a pretty simple formula for success. And if you are buying from us, you will want to eat more vegetables, more salads, more meals based around leafy greens…because what we provide for our community is completely different than what is sold at the grocery store. It tastes WAY better, and we are certain it is more nutritious. AND you have no worries about harmful pesticide residue. And you can rest easy that all of your food is grown with the health of the soil microbes, pollinators, watershed, farm workers and wildlife in mind. Certified Naturally Grown, like Certified Organic, means our farm and inputs are based on plant and animal derived substances. Clean. Truly sustainable. 

And phenomenally delicious and nutritious. Eat it up. We are here to grow it for you.

And, to follow up on the mention last week that most farmers in this country aren’t able to make a living out of farming, we want to remind our community that we have eased into our farm business over the past 3 and a half years (as outlined in this post). We have increased the amount of our energy our farm receives and decreased the amount of work we have put into off-farm work. 

We are proud (and a little nervous) to announce that Janet has notified her part-time, off-farm job of her upcoming resignation. She has led our state’s organic farming association, the VABF, for the past two years, but that work must now come to an end. The not-for-profit organization is now searching for a qualified candidate to become the new Executive Director. Please spread the word. And please spread the word about our farm to your friends, family, and neighbors. We believe we are a valuable part of our community. And we are committed to running a financially sustainable business that supports our family for many years to come. This puts us in the ultra-minority of farmers in this country. It is only possible thanks to you. 

(above: future watermelon)

Enjoy ~

Janet, Dan, and the whole Broadfork Crew

This Week’s Harvest:

Our Farm Share Bag (consisting of the items in the Farm Share this week, in one easy to order option), Arugula, Asian Greens (Pac/Bok Choi, Asian Spinach), Chinese/Napa Cabbage, Collards, Cucumbers, Hearty Mix, Kale, Lettuce (little gem, romaine, more…), Microgreens, Radish, Salad Mix, Spinach, Turnips, Transplants for your garden (Basil, Chard, Tomatoes, Eggplants)…plus Pepper Jelly, and our Naturally Leavened, Hearth Baked Bread.     (Not all transplants can be listed in our online store. If you want a plant not listed, please indicate in the notes section.)

Recipe Suggestions: (always cataloged on our Recipe Page)
Radishes – Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter
Collards –  Marinated Collards with Sausage and Gruyere Grits, Quick Sauteed Collard Ribbons
Cucumbers – Drink it: Cucumber Lime Chia Fresca, Korean: Cucumber Kimchi (Admission: Janet is currently eating this 2-3 meals per day. Omit carrots and substitute our radishes, diced), Cold: Tzatziki
Kale – Green Kale Salad, Kale Salad with Strawberries
Lettuce – Lettuce Wrap Chicken Tacos, Veg Asian Lettuce Wraps (Ignore the bell pepper! They aren’t in season here yet!)
Salad Dressing – Strawberry Vinaigrette (We are so sorry we don’t grow strawberries, but can’t resist sharing this recipe.)

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We continue at two farmers’ markets this Saturday: South of the James in Forest Hill Park, from 8am – 12pm, and the Brandermill Green Market in Market Square from 9am – 12pm. 

2014 Market Share CSA Members: Choose your selection through our Online Store to order for pick up on Saturday at our farm, at the Brandermill Green Market , or at the South of the James Market in Forest Hill Park from.

Everyone else: Please sign up for our 2014 CSA and get first priority for the wonderful vegetables that we grow.

 

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Upcoming Event at Broadfork:

Spring Farm Tour
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Guided Tour at 3:00
Family friendly. No RSVP or fee required. Please – no pets.
Driving directions are found on our Events page.