This piece in BusinessWeek explains why we aren't seeing the serious price spikes in prepared/processed food when compared to fresh produce and meat items.  The meats I buy have gone up at least 25% in the last six months, and it looks like next year will be really painful, as most livestock growers are taking their herds to market early because they can't afford to feed them.  That will leave less supply in the pipeline for '09, causing prices to rise again.  Egg prices are also escalating for much the same reason:  feed costs are skyrocketing, so growers aren't adding to their flocks.  Next year, lower supply=higher price. 

The second article I came across today via Dry Creek Chronicles.  It is a more personal story about a family farm in upstate NY and their struggle to bring input costs under control and make their business model work.  If you don't read the first article, please do read this one through.  The profits being made at the corporate level for these agribusiness food manufacturers are profane. 

Our chicken feed has gone up 100% in the 15 months we've had chickens.  When I rolled into the feed store lot last week for my bi-weekly stock-up, I was alerted to another 10% increase that will take hold this week.  This increase is 90 cents worth of fuel surcharges and 10 cents worth of actual feed.  Incredible.  All of you nice people who bought my eggs last fall at $2.00/dozen, let's hold onto the memories because at this rate, we'll never see that low level again.

And it's getting dry up here again.  We've been watering from the pond all week, running the gas-powered generator to fuel the pump to access the water.  If it rains, at least the water is free.  At this rate, we're paying for gas everywhere we look!

So when Publix runs a buy one/get one free on boxed pasta, my advice is to stock up.  Buy me a couple extras, too.  We like the bowtie shapes. 

"Tomatoes on the Vine..... Product of Canada, Peak of Season Flavor"

I had no idea it was already peak tomato season in Canada.  Are they pushing the Canada angle because of the tomato issues here in the US?  I don't mean to bash the megamart but I just have one thing to say:  BUY LOCAL and enjoy the in-season produce being grown in your own local food shed.  The product will taste better, is fresher and keeps money circulating in your local economy.  Do we really need to burn fuel shipping in produce from all over the country?

Here's what's ripe this week(call or email if you want us to hold something for you):

More of our delicious sqush - Pattypan, Zephyr, Round Italian Zucchini

Blackberries from our sixty blackberry plants.  They are large, sweet and juicy.

Early pickings of our blueberries - more production each week.

Peppers - Islander (a beautiful purple pepper), jalapenos, anchos and green bell, (Sweet Italia coming soon)

Garlic - just began our harvest and hope to have some soon.

Lettuce - a few more heads of the Red Summer Crisp

Eggs - always tasty and fresh from our hens.

Heirloom Tomatoes Coming Soon - They are starting to turn color and it won't be long.

Marietta Square Farmers Market Update.  We are going to try and go to the Marietta Square Farmers Market this week.  We hope to see you there!

For example, when "hot" tomatoes are brought into the packing house directly from the field, they are cooled down to extend shelf life.  The tomatoes are dumped into vats of cool water to bring down the temp, and while cooling, the warm tomato can take up a small amount of the processing water.  If that processing water happens to be contaminated with bad bacteria, the tomato itself can internalize that bacteria and no amount of surface washing will clean it off.

[Ms. Hemmelgarn is not speculating on the source of the salmonella outbreak; she is simply documenting the system and all the steps involved in getting tomatoes to market.]

We had our two water sources tested last week after the salmonella outbreak story became front page news.  We irrigate with pond water (spring fed pond) and we clean what we grow inside with well water from the tap.  Both sources tested safe.  It's a relief to be able to back up scientifically what we've believed about our water supply, and knowing how we handle other composting inputs, we are confident that tomatoes at Burns Best Farm are solid and safe. 

We're still a couple of weeks away from having seriously large heirloom tomatoes to eat and to sell, but the cherry tomatoes have begun to trickle in and the green fruit on the vine looks great.  We encourage you to find a local tomato farmer/gardener close to you and make them your friend. 

This is the gathering from today's walk through the orchard plants.  There are more blackberries to be picked, but I got stung on my right hand by a Black Hawk helicopter-sized stinging insect and the throbbing pain that shot up my arm caused me to head to the house for relief.  I'm now on injured reserve with a sore and swollen hand and tonight's dinner preparation is in serious doubt. 

But you can see, berry season 2008 is off to a beautiful and tasty start.  (No, we haven't eaten them all yet.....but Eston is trying really hard to see the bottom of that blackberry bowl!)  Cornflakes, anyone? 

Who's your farmer?

You hear people say, "I went to my butcher"... "My barber"...."My mechanic"... etc.  How often do you hear people say, "I went to visit my farmer today?"  Our new slogan around here is going to be "Who's your farmer?"  Our goal is not just to "sell" produce but to also build relationships with people - people who will frequent our business and spread the word about locally grown, fresh produce.  It makes us feel good when customers come back and ask us for more blueberries, french filet beans, or cherry tomatoes. 

Yes, you can talk with the people who grow your food.  Ask us how we grow it (chemical and pesticide free).  Ask about the variety.  Ask for ideas on how to cook and slice the product or share a favorite recipe with us.  There are a lot of people that have never seen a pattypan squash - they are round and scalloped.  You can cook a pattypan the same way you cook a yellow crookneck squash.  Pattypan are sweet and Denise makes a great squash casserole with them (see previous post).  If you are in the area on Mondays and Tuesdays, 4-6 pm, stop by our stand at 6141 Three Notch Road, Ringgold, GA 30736.  Pick up some produce for dinner on your way home.  

We have three varieties of squash for sale this week along with two types of lettuce.  I think we'll start to have a few peppers next week as well.  Blueberries and heirloom tomatoes are still a couple of weeks away, but with this 90* heat and the occasional rain shower (thank you Lord!), they might here sooner rather than later! 

See you at the stand!      

She blanched and froze a lot of her fresh vegetables; I think by the time she was that old, all the canning supplies were a hassle for her to deal with.  Heavy, clunky, and very time consuming.  My mom did the canning at our house (green beans, tomatoes, blackberry jelly and vegetable soup) but Granny stuck to freezing.

This year, with the kitchen renovated and the garden bigger than ever, I made a solemn vow to my husband that I will put away a sizeable amount of our abundance so we can enjoy it in the winter.  Since I made that promise (last winter, when there wasn't enough summer flavor in our freezer) our grocery bills have climbed steadily north.  So beyond just the flavors and quality of our harvest, I'm looking at saving some money by taking our extra and making it work for the months to come.

The summer squashes began to ripen this week and it is my goal to have 12 squash casseroles in my freezer by Labor Day weekend.  I need to take one to a potluck lunch tomorrow after church, so I doubled my efforts and made an extra one towards my goal.  One down, eleven to go.   

On the aluminum foil:  since I only have three pyrex 8 X 8 baking dishes, I can't load up the freezer-bound food directly in the dish.  EB Jackson (home management expert, mom of five, and expat to Hungary to save the lost for Jesus) taught me this trick years ago.  Once the brick of casserole is frozen, it can be removed from the pyrex dish, sealed in a large ziploc bag, and the dish is clean and ready to use again.  I make peach pies this same way, only in a 10-inch round pie plate.  And only when the peaches are sublimely fantastic. When it's time to use the freezer food, put it back into the same-sized pyrex dish to defrost overnight in the refrigerator and then bake and serve.  Voila` and all that. 

Here's my afternoon's work (well, that and bread for the week and washing eggs and washing clothes, and feeding a baby and.....you get my drift.) 

We are pleased to announce that we will be selling our locally grown produce from our farm stand on Three Notch Road.  Please forward this e-mail on to friends you think might want to know about this.

When?:  Mondays and Tuesdays from 4-6 pm

Where?:  6141 Three Notch Road, Ringgold, GA 30736 (look for the signs and market tent)

 Why?:  To give you availability to LOCALLY GROWN, FRESH produce.  (Support your local farmer.) 

Be sure to check out our website for weekly updates of what will be coming out of our garden.  This week we have a good supply of Red Summer Crisp Lettuce and Green Grand Rapids Lettuce.  We also have an early and limited supply of summer squash - Zephyr, Yellow Crook, Green Round Italian Zucchini- as well as Farm Fresh Eggs from our pastured hens. 

 Please call us before to check availability.  706-375-1377 (farm); or 770-402-7916 (cell)

Coming Soon (late June/early July):  blueberries, blackberries, peppers, radishes, fresh garlic. 

 Longer term (July):  cucumbers, melons, okra, french filet beans, 30 varieties of heirloom tomatoes.  
  

This year we are trying a method called the "Florida Weave" which was suggested to me at the Georgia Organics Conference.  With 800 plants in the ground we needed to try something that was fast and easy to set up.  With the Florida Weave, you run baling twine down one side of posts and back on the other side to create a channel for the plants to be supported in.  As the plants continue to grow, you add more levels.  So far the Florida Weave has worked well but I'll know more in a few weeks when the plants get taller and full of fruit.  My plants are currently about 2-3 feet with small tomatoes starting to form.  The following link I found on the internet is a good descripton of the Florida weave:  http://www.foogod.com/~torquill/barefoot/weave.html

Here are a few extra pointers:

• Make sure your rows are straight - plants and posts in line with each other.
• Use hay bale twine (not natural twine).  This was a good tip for me - you can usually find it at Tractor Supply or your local cooperative.
• Keep the levels pretty close together - especially the first two.
• Don't use one continuous weave on a long row - you don't want a single point of failure should it break.  I tie every 2-3 posts, with about three plants between posts..
• Think about salsa and BLT's while you are working.

Here are a couple tomato field pictures for your review.  Thanks to David Spangler for helping me rototill the weeds between rows yesterday.  Good luck with your tomato crop this year!

We recently upgraded what is probably the most important item to think about as you start your farm/garden - water.  The upgrade consisted of moving from our well-based system to a pond-based system.  The well worked fine for a while, but as we expanded planting plots it quickly became taxed.  Last year's record drought here in the South was also a major factor.  We didn't plant as much last summer as a result of the drought and there were times I thought I was going to run our well dry..... the same well that supplies water for our home. 

This year we decided to bite the bullet and plan for current and future needs by sourcing water from the pond.  Since the pond is spring fed, it did not lose any volume last summer during the worst of the drought.  It will be a great water source for all our watering needs.  We were able to run 1 inch poly pipe from the pond to the current irrigation system and use the same timer/controller.  This reduced the total cost of the project.  Sean from Rain Image irrigation installed the pump for us and hung it from a 24 inch marine ball I sourced on the internet.  The long white tube in the boat (photo above) contains the 1 HP pump.  It is surrounded by another tube to keep it cool and reduce a whirlpool effect.  The pump was placed in the deepest section of the pond and sandwiched by chain between the ball and bottom of the pond anchored by a cement block.

So far, the pump and system are working great.  I was able to water/drip about 13 rows of tomatoes, 200 feet in length with plenty of volume.  Another advantage of this system is that I don't have to program a recovery period for the water to build back up like I had to with the well. The plants are looking good and I look forward to enjoying some summer vegetables very soon.

Not really a chicken with three heads.  But three chicken heads popping up out of the feeder they play around inside.  I caught a fourth hen on the roost, looking down into the pileup like she wanted to jump in and add to the fun. 

Two Rhode Island Reds, one Cuckoo Maran and one Buff Orpington (which you see on the bottom here) will make their daily egg deposit in the feeder, preferably when it's full and soft and cushy.  They must need the privacy.  I know how they feel.

The ladies are up to about 15-20 eggs per day, except when it rains and they decide to be mad about the weather.  The Buff eggs are almost a mauve color, brown with a tinge of pink.  So pretty next to the medium brown of the Red's eggs.  Then the jumbo sized chocolate brown egg from the Cuckoo.  I love that egg.

The new little ladies are growing up quickly and if I'm counting correctly, we are about 6 or 7 weeks away from seeing the first of their eggs. I have either three or four Cuckoo roosters in this pen of new pullets (one bird is having an identity crisis and I can't tell which way it's going to go!)  I'm very interested in sequestering the mature Cuckoo hens with one of these roosters later this summer, to see if they'll go broody and hatch our first on-farm chicklets.  Free chickens.  That would be an improvement!

• Tomatoes - We have planted almost 30 varieties this year.  On the 19th and 26th of April we had planting parties and got ninety percent of them planted.  I still have several plants in the greenhouse that need to be transplanted - mostly the striped varieties.  We have just about every color planted - purple, pink, red, yellow, reddish brown, greens, orange and even a couple white varieties this year. The plants are looking pretty good with very few lost since planting.  I did some early pruning of the lower stems again this week which should help them grow even better.  The plants are 1-2 feet tall and I'm beginning to see some blooming.  I went a little overboard on certain colors like green and certain varieties like Japanese Black Trifle. 
• Squash - so far we have about 100 squash plants in the ground that were started in the greenhouse.  They are putting on good foliage.  A couple of new varieties this year include an Italian round zuchini and Zephyr.  We'll plant more in a few weeks by direct seeding.
• Peppers - Lots of peppers this year with five varieties - Islander, Sweet Italia, Jalapeno, Ancho, Green Bell
• Lettuce - several varieties of reds and greens, arugula, chard, Napa cabbage
• Beets - two types of reds and a golden
• Other Crops - Three types of radish, green onions, broccoli raab
• Peas - Spring green peas (three varieties), plus snow peas
• Yet to be planted - okra and french filet beans, cucumbers (Diva and Marketmore), cantaloupe/muskmelons, Sugar Baby watermelons
• Weeds - yep we are growing lots of weeds!  Actually things look pretty weed free at the moment but I know if I blink that will change.

Overall, we have more variety planted at this time than ever before.  We tend to rely a lot on our berries which are looking pretty good this year despite last year's record freeze out.  We've been blessed with some well-timed rains which means little irrigation has been required.  We are looking forward to seeing our customers again at our various markets and outlets.  Also, we may try a couple new markets during the week closer to home.  This might include a weekly farm stand with posted hours.  We'll keep you updated as decisions are made.

So, how does one get that many tomatoes planted in such a short time frame?  One leans on friends and family.

Fifty people converged on farm on April 26 for Planting Day and the party that follows.  This is our fifth year hosting such an event, providing us with an opportunity to see our friends from this area and Atlanta before things really get into full swing here at the farm.  It's a great time of socializing and eating some great food that we prepare (no catering allowed).  In addition, the food editor and a staff photographer from Taste of the South Magazine helped with the planting that goes on before the eating happens.

What?  Planting?  Yes, before we load everyone we know up with hickory smoked pork bbq, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, chocolate chip cookies and all the sweet tea you can drink, we make them WORK for the food.  Here is friendship and devotion in action:

Work started about 10:30am and after a brief orientation and tutorial on "how to plant a tomato plant", everyone was digging and tamping down.  200 plants went in on April 19, when most of the Atlanta crew came up for the day.  Another 500 or so plants went in on April 26, plus the T-posts needed for the trellising system we'll use in a few weeks when the plants get big enough to need support.

Seeing so many people working on our fields, planting a crop that will define a large part of our summer season, all because they want to help us succeed at this farming operation, is a seriously humbling experience.   There would be no way we could do this ourselves.  

Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house. Proverbs 24:27.  Thanks to all who helped get our fields ready this year.

.

Let me leave you with a picture of what I am now calling "the obligatory tomato".  Michael Pollan, if you're out there reading my blog, you have to attribute this nameage to me.  This particular tomato came on a chicken sandwich from Hardee's (long story) but it could be any tomato, on any sandwich, sliced and served in any restaurant in America, especially between November and May. 

It is the tomato that the chain restaurants all over the country are obliged to serve year 'round, irrespective of season and distance from tomato-growing locales.

It is tasteless, pale, pasty in your mouth.  It has no value whatsoever, except to keep Big Ag in business and Big Immigration continuing to bring in illegals to pick it, pack it, and ship it.

It is the tomato I will not eat and I refuse to buy.

It is now 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday and on the twentieth anniversary of our last National Championship, we have done it again!  Zta Kate did not make it to tipoff.  Eston made it to halftime.  Cooper, William and Denise made it the entire game.  For the last 15 minutes of the game, William sang the KU Fight Song in a continous loop.  What a great night!  I went out front and yelled in excitement at the end of the game - you can do that in the country instead of a subdivision with nobody thinking you're nuts! 

How sweet it is!  I have called my fellow Jayhawks to say Rock Chalk Jayhawk - Ray, Phil, Mom, Dad, David & MK, Jim and Karyl Lynn and a long distance shout out to the Reads.

This is a snippet of the KU fight song - modified for Memphis, of course.  My boys and now girl have all learned this song along with the Rock Chalk Jayhawk chant from the time they were infants.  I'm not a fan of the lullaby.  Hey... if they can listen to Elmo and Veggie Tales, why not Dad?

Yes, It's the time of year here at the Burns household when Daddio wrestles control of the remote from the boys to watch college basketball.  I'm a big college basketball fan.  Denise likes college hoops - this is good.  If you go to the University of Kansas it's pretty much a requirement.  I have some great memories of watching games with friends at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.  It's probably one of the best venues for college basketball in America.  The pundits usually give Duke's gym the edge, but only because it's smaller. 

Twenty years ago, I was a sophomore Journalism major at KU when Danny Manning led a rag tag team of Jayhawks to the National Championship against Oklahoma.  Several of us made a trek to Kansas City where the final was played for no other reason than to see the team off to Kemper Arena from their hotel.  I recall sitting in the back of my good friend, Ray Myers, Toyota Celica Coupe.  It was cramped but it didn't matter because we were college kids having a fun time.  We got to the hotel about the time a big "alumni" pep rally was ending in the ballroom.  The crowd cleared out and probably headed to the game and courtside seats.  The hotel had one of those huge screen TV's playing the game and they allowed us to sit in the ballroom with a small crowd and watch the entire game.  They played a great game mainly carried by Danny Manning.  Larry Brown was the coach at that time.  We stuck around in Kansas City until the team returned and celebrated for a while.  When we left for the hour drive back to Lawrence we had the radio tuned to the campus radio station and they had three songs playing in a loop - "We Are the Champions" by Queen, The School Fight Song and some other song I can't recall.  We got back to find Jayhawk Boulevard Closed and the celebration continuing.  School was cancelled the next day.  This was good.   

Tomorrow night KU will once again play for the NCAA Tournament Championship after beating North Carolina, led by former Kansas coach Roy Williams.  For last nights semi-final I drove the 1-2 hours to Atlanta to watch the game with fellow alum Phil Kopf.  I'll probably be watching the game here at the farm tomorrow night with Denise, but one thing is certain, there will be Jayhawk fans all over the world watching the game.  I received a congratulatory email last night from the Reads.  Mark and his wife, Amy (KU Alum) have been friends for years and are currently on a sailing adventure .  A Burger King in Costa Rica was their found venue for watching the game last night (probably a local alumni group meeting place).  And so, my fellow Jayhawks, there is only one thing left to say........

"Rock Chalk Jayhawk.... GO KU!"

Let's cut down the nets!