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Archives for May 2017

Farmers’ Market Season

May 26, 2017 by monte Leave a Comment

Produce Notes: Tons of New Mexico grown produce for you. Tomatoes, romaine lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers, bell peppers, kale, and cantaloupe all ripe and ready for your taste-buds.
Strawberries continue to impress me every week too. And the Las Palmalitas avocados are some of the best that we have ever had. All in all, a great time to be eating your fruits and veggies. Happy summer break to all you parents out there.

 

The Dinner Bag for the Week

Black-Eyed Peas with Kale and SKRS Farms Green Chile Pork Links &
Seared Chile-Lime Tuna Steak Sandwiches with a Garden Salad

Take Me To Your Web Site

For many farmers, June means the start of the farmers’ market season. Long days harvesting, followed by getting up at the crack of dawn, followed by crossing your fingers that someone will actually show up that day and buy the produce that you have lovingly grown for months. I used to love farmers’ markets. Every week was like a gamble. You had a great day or you had a terrible day. It was (is) a very manic way to make a living. Unfortunately, farmers’ markets are about the most unsustainable way to market sustainably-grown food. Let me walk you through this.

As a starting out farmer, you almost feel like you have to sell at the farmers’ markets. It is a rite of passage in a sense. All the cool kids are doing it so you better buy a tent and join the circus. So you do. But then an old farmer walked up to me when I was selling at the U District market in Seattle and brought my moment of clarity in one question. He said “Do you know who the biggest winner is at the farmers’ market?” Then he pointed to a box truck from the local food bank that was filled to capacity as farmers donated all of the produce they could not sell during the market.

I was 25 at the time and thought he was just being cynical. But week after week I saw that same truck from the food bank drive off completely full. Don’t get me wrong, it is great that it went to the food bank where someone would enjoy the fruits of growers’ labor, but the farmers got nothing for it. Nada. And as I prepared to break ground on my own farm in my native NM, I had to ask myself if farmers’ markets would be a viable way for me to run the business?

And the answer was a resounding No. How can you run a financially sustainable business when you have no consistent sales, no year-round income, and no promise that the weather will be nice enough for people to come out. I mean, you not only have to worry if the weather will allow you to grow healthy crops, but now you have to worry about the weather driving customers away? That is too much risk.

So starting the farm in 2003, I put all of my proverbial eggs into the CSA basket. I needed a consistent way to sell my produce even if it meant that the numbers were low to begin with. So we launched the CSA with 17 people our first week. The members doubled to 34 by the second week and just like that our CSA venture shot out of the gate like a rented mule.

And here is the most important part of this decision to just focus on the CSA; it meant that I had more time to farm. I was not spending time standing around in a parking lot hoping to sell my food. I was able to spend my time farming and not selling. I mean this is the conundrum of the farmers’ markets isn’t it? If you want to sell more food, you have to go to more markets, which inherently means that you will lose more time growing food. Are you a farmer or a marketer?

So just as growers are trying to answer that question, the USDA comes along and funds/incentivizes the expansion of farmers’ markets. Instead of trying to bring more shoppers to existing markets, the goal became to provide grant money to increase the numbers of farmers’ markets. So downtown ABQ went from having 1 really successful market, to having 4 lame markets. It doesn’t take an economist to realize if you divide the markets by 4 without bringing any new customers to the table, you end up worse off than you started.

I have to tell you that this is what I love about the CSA model; our business is driven by you and not contingent or dependent on the whims of a grant. We have grown with your support and we have been fortunate enough to bring other local suppliers onto our team with your support. This is how a sustainable local food landscape should look.

And if you find yourself at a farmers’ market this season, buy some food. Too often markets get over-run with musicians and face painters and you almost lose track of why the market exists. The market’s purpose is to sell food. It is not a dog park where you can buy a cup of coffee and burrito.

My hope is that some of these markets will close down soon and we can get back to a point of having more concentrated support for growers at a small handful of locations, rather than diluted unsustainable sales on every street corner.

Farmer Monte

Filed Under: Newsletter

A Face to Love

May 19, 2017 by monte Leave a Comment

Quick produce note, we had a grower call us and lament that he had some incredibly tasty tangerines, but that some weather issues had made them with “a face that only a mother could love.” So instead of watching tasty fruit go homeless, we jumped on the opportunity to find those tangies a home. So you will see perfectly high quality tangerines hit your doorstep, that may not look like they are ready for a beauty pageant. You will love the flavor and the value though.

Plant Sale will resume this weekend (5/20) if you do not have your garden planted. Tomorrow, Saturday, from 9-Noon at the Warehouse 3435 Stanford Dr NE

Our credit card reader is down, so please bring some greenbacks for your plants, or we can put them on your account.

The Dinner Bag for the Week

For you super supper lovers, we are looking at the following for some fun meals this week…

Grilled Ratatouille w/ Ravioli,
Baked Scotch Eggs &
Homemade Tangerine Marmalade!

Take Me To Your Web Site

I am going to let you in on a little secret; the healthy food system of the future will be based in emotion and not facts. I can tell you about carbon footprints, cancer rates, life cycles of earthworms, and maybe even how many Silver Minnows have been saved because of Organic farming. But you will probably fall asleep halfway through my soap box rant.

For the most part, facts are pretty boring and do not excite consumer behavior. I know that political junkies (several of them are family members of mine) will say that facts are very important. And in some circles they are, but facts seldom influence consumers. The goal for healthy food advocates is to help consumers make better choices. Education (facts) plays a part, but the education must be rooted in something more emotional in order for the facts to “stick.” So if you follow me for a moment here we will look at how emotions can create a healthy lifestyle.

Maybe the easiest way to think about this is through a sports team analogy. You/we love a team not because we read the statistics and say “Man, I really like this team’s shooting percentage.” At some time or another we have a personal experience with a team that helps to build a bond with them. Maybe your grandpa sat you on his lap as you watched an exciting game or maybe a player gave you a high-5. The point is that it was through a personal experience that each fan had that made them love that team. So how do we translate that same feeling into the world of fresh food?

Study after study show the same findings with making healthier food choices as a society. You have to either a) be an integral part of growing the food, or b) be an integral part of making the food. Sorry, but opening the freezer and throwing a frozen hockey puck called lasagna into the microwave does not count as making the food. It needs to be more than that.

We have to be involved in the magic that our food really is. Personally, I love when a seed breaks its dormancy and you see 2 tiny leaves emerging from the soil. Well, unless those leaves are a weed seed, then I don’t get quite as mushy. But the seed springing to life is pretty darn incredible.

I feel that same sense of awe when I see a loaf of bread baking in the oven or microscopic yeasts chewing through fresh apple juice to make hard cider. There is something special at work. These everyday occurrences in the natural world are the closest that we can get to being surrounded by magic. And so the more processed foods that we eat and the less time that we spend in the kitchen, we rob ourselves of the ability to be amazed.

Seeing this estrangement and inherently sensing this void that has become common place in our society, I would like to try and do something to help turn the tides. We cannot change everyone, but we can start with dozens and then expand the reach from there.

So when it came time to hire a new face around here this spring, I knew that we needed someone who could grow plants. But I also wanted someone who could help connect our members to all of this magic that we surround ourselves with daily. And who better to help teach our members than a teacher. We are happy to have Michelle join our farm team to help keep the plants green and launch some big ideas.

So without further ado, I am really excited to announce the rebirth of our Farm Camp. What better way to get our kiddos involved with cooking and growing food than a camp designed strictly for cooking and growing food?

To begin with, we are going to offer 3 weeks of camps and fill in more weeks as demand grows. The camps are designed for kids from 3rd grade to 8th grade. We also will need some high school volunteers if you have or know of anyone who might be interested. Camp weeks will be June 5th, July 10th, and July 31st. The will run from 9am-3pm. Lunch provided!

Each week will be unique and different if you are interested in attending multiple weeks. Cost will be $300 per week with some following deductions. If you are a current customer of the farm, save $25 per kiddo. If you have multiple kiddos or want to sign up for multiple weeks, save another $25. You can sign up now on the web site if you’re interested.

Farmer Monte

Filed Under: Newsletter

Driven By Emotions

May 12, 2017 by monte Leave a Comment

It’s Alive! Plant Sale was resurrected this week and we will be open tomorrow, Saturday, from 9-Noon at the Warehouse 3435 Stanford Dr NE

Not a ton of tomatoes this year, but some great melons, squash, and greens.

The Dinner Bag for the Week

A super fun and tasty week for dinner recipes:

One Pan Roasted Chicken (& veggies)
Comfort Carrot Soup
Baked Cornbread with Veggies and Chorizo Links

Take Me To Your Web Site

I am going to let you in on a little secret; the healthy food system of the future will be based in emotion and not facts. I can tell you about carbon footprints, cancer rates, life cycles of earthworms, and maybe even how many Silver Minnows have been saved because of Organic farming. But you will probably fall asleep halfway through my soap box rant.

For the most part, facts are pretty boring and do not excite consumer behavior. I know that political junkies (several of them are family members of mine) will say that facts are very important. And in some circles they are, but facts seldom influence consumers. The goal for healthy food advocates is to help consumers make better choices. Education (facts) plays a part, but the education must be rooted in something more emotional in order for the facts to “stick.” So if you follow me for a moment here we will look at how emotions can create a healthy lifestyle.

Maybe the easiest way to think about this is through a sports team analogy. You/we love a team not because we read the statistics and say “Man, I really like this team’s shooting percentage.” At some time or another we have a personal experience with a team that helps to build a bond with them. Maybe your grandpa sat you on his lap as you watched an exciting game or maybe a player gave you a high-5. The point is that it was through a personal experience that each fan had that made them love that team. So how do we translate that same feeling into the world of fresh food?

Study after study show the same findings with making healthier food choices as a society. You have to either a) be an integral part of growing the food, or b) be an integral part of making the food. Sorry, but opening the freezer and throwing a frozen hockey puck called lasagna into the microwave does not count as making the food. It needs to be more than that.

We have to be involved in the magic that our food really is. Personally, I love when a seed breaks its dormancy and you see 2 tiny leaves emerging from the soil. Well, unless those leaves are a weed seed, then I don’t get quite as mushy. But the seed springing to life is pretty darn incredible.

I feel that same sense of awe when I see a loaf of bread baking in the oven or microscopic yeasts chewing through fresh apple juice to make hard cider. There is something special at work. These everyday occurrences in the natural world are the closest that we can get to being surrounded by magic. And so the more processed foods that we eat and the less time that we spend in the kitchen, we rob ourselves of the ability to be amazed.

Seeing this estrangement and inherently sensing this void that has become common place in our society, I would like to try and do something to help turn the tides. We cannot change everyone, but we can start with dozens and then expand the reach from there.

So when it came time to hire a new face around here this spring, I knew that we needed someone who could grow plants. But I also wanted someone who could help connect our members to all of this magic that we surround ourselves with daily. And who better to help teach our members than a teacher. We are happy to have Michelle join our farm team to help keep the plants green and launch some big ideas.

So without further ado, I am really excited to announce the rebirth of our Farm Camp. What better way to get our kiddos involved with cooking and growing food than a camp designed strictly for cooking and growing food?

To begin with, we are going to offer 3 weeks of camps and fill in more weeks as demand grows. The camps are designed for kids from 3rd grade to 8th grade. We also will need some high school volunteers if you have or know of anyone who might be interested. Camp weeks will be June 5th, July 10th, and July 31st. The will run from 9am-3pm. Lunch provided!

Each week will be unique and different if you are interested in attending multiple weeks. Cost will be $300 per week with some following deductions. If you are a current customer of the farm, save $25 per kiddo. If you have multiple kiddos or want to sign up for multiple weeks, save another $25. You can sign up now on the web site if you’re interested.

Farmer Monte

Filed Under: Newsletter

Thanks Mom!

May 5, 2017 by monte Leave a Comment

Tons of fruits to choose from for this upcoming week. Perfect for your mother’s day celebration. Speaking of mother’s day…
We have got you covered!

The Dinner Bag for the Week

A splendid brunch for mom!
an easy and tasty brunch that even the kiddos can help with:

Lorraine Frittata
Fresh Fruit Parfaits
Jicama Fries &
Coffee Cake!

Take Me To Your Web Site

OK, so after last weekend’s winter snow storm, I finally think that the cold weather is behind us. We might have another freak freeze, but I really feel like we are on our way to greener pastures now. And soon enough, the comfortable 70 degree days will give way to the 90s and we will have a hard time even remembering if we had a spring at all this year. Seems like our autumns last for months and our springs last for a few weeks. Gotta love living in New Mexico.

That is probably a pretty good transition into a real “Oh Crapola” moment with our annual Plant Sale. We were building our new greenhouse at the same time we were planting seeds for the plant sale this year. In the chaos of things, our plants did not have the warm heater that we usually have for them in the spring. This lack of heat really caused some inconsistent growth in the plants and made it so that all of the plants were not ready at the same time.

So it was with a heavy heart and optimistic eyes for the future that we have had to restructure our plant sale this year. We have some gorgeous summer squash ready right now, but other warm season crops are lagging behind. So we welcome you to come out during the weekdays from 9-5 to check out the new greenhouse and buy some plants that might have your name on them. I apologize for the folks who were looking forward to the plant sale. I’m sad we missed it this year.

But with that said, I am totally thrilled with where the greenhouse is right now. This is really a work in progress and all of the plants and the systems are looking to be very impressive. The plant growth and water efficiency are both blowing me away. I look forward to sharing the greenhouse and the harvests from the greenhouse with you.

Currently we are working on systems to grow greens (lettuce, salad mix, arugula, and spinach), roots (beets and radishes), herbs (basil and dill), and some Asian greens like Bok Choi. All are showing great signs of working and when we feel confident in the systems, it will be time to expand them into some pretty major production to feed all of our members.

For this weekend coming up, I have to say Cheers to Mom. And by mom I mean my mom, your mom, and everyone’s mom. We are all obviously thankful to our mothers because without them we would not be here. But I have to tell you that without our moms, I am not sure if the Organic movement would even have gained momentum.

With very few exceptions, our moms create the culture of our homes. Our schedules, our schools, and our food are largely influenced by our mums.

So in this food culture driven by our moms, there began (in the early ’90s) a push for better food choices. And don’t think for a moment that the intense interest in better food was by accident. In the early ’90s we saw an explosion of information. The internet was coming to life at the exact same time that demand for food choices became a hot button of conversation. The days of the ignorant consumer were done. Over. And the educated consumer was born.

For the first time ever, if we wanted to know what was in a product or how it was produced, we could find it out for free within seconds. This educational access to our food changed the way we eat forever.

So folks, largely driven by our moms, demanded a healthier alternative to the industrial food system. The paradigm needed to shift. The status quo needed to go. The Organic label and “Buy Local” campaign came from this demand for change. And as I wrote in last week’s newsletter, this change in our food system has transitioned from the fringe to now having a place at the mainstream table. So add that to the list of reasons why we are so thankful for our moms.

Lastly on this warm and toasty week, eggs. We are getting a ton of pullet or “spring” eggs from our chickens. They are smaller than the standard large egg, but they also boast having a greater yolk to white ration than most eggs. What that means is that they are smaller but insanely tasty. To make up for the smaller size, we are dropping the price on them for you too.

Have a great Derby de Mayo weekend, Farmer Monte

Filed Under: Newsletter

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