Sharing the Wealth

The farm tours we hosted this year were a lot of fun, each one being a little different than the others. Not only did we have a theme to each one, but as the season progressed, naturally the crops, trees and fields changed. Yet each farm tour was designed to be sure all our guests had the opportunity to see, feel and learn the organic, biological principles that drive our food-farming systems here at Elmwood Stock Farm.

The impetus to offer farm tours was grounded in our desire to help friends and family make better food choices. We see the need to clarify food labels, advise people they are unwittingly supporting genetically modified crop production, and show them how we can feed them without donning hazmat suits and respirators to apply highly toxic synthetic chemicals directly to the food they eat. We have been using the idea that when people interact with nature, they are more likely to remember it when deciding what foods to consume. For example, those of you on the Good Bug, Bad Bug tour interacted with insects, leaving images in your head that rival any David Attenborough film. The feedback we have received from tour goers leads us to believe the messaging hit home. Thanks to each and every one of you that came out, as you helped us refine that message.

Now we are ready to take our message to town. Because we commune with nature so intimately, we have captured images to share, and we can demonstrate biological systems with living plants and the food you eat. Our script can be tailored to meet the needs of a particular audience, or we have a guide that covers the key principles of our organic food and farming: why pasture-raised meats and eggs are better, why it matters that we convert solar energy into beef, and how we naturally extract nitrogen from the air to produce the vegetables you consume. We can help you understand the reality behind food labeling and the actual attributes behind those labels.

So please send us a note now that cooler weather is moving in and life on the farm is slowing down. We will gladly come to your office, civic organization, church, restaurant, gym or neighborhood gathering to spread the gospel of truth about food. We will go most anywhere, most anytime, to help people in our community make better food choices. Not only will it be fun, but it just might change the way you think about food forever.

Year-Round Markets

Speaking of coming to town, we will also be at farmers markets all winter. In fact, I think I will be at the market every Saturday the rest of my life, with a few exceptions. The hens keep laying, and the goodies harvested before frost moves in are looking for a good home. Enough of you have braved the cold to shop with us that we planted even more greens to harvest from under fabric row covers in the field so we can have them available year-round.

We are glad to have braved the cold the last few winters at the farmers market under the Fifth Third Bank Pavilion at Cheapside Park in Lexington to be sure you had access to good food. Special thanks to Vice-Mayor Steve Kay and Councilmember Jake Gibbs for finding the funds to have sidewalls installed on the pavilion this year. The new green-and-clear-plastic panels will break the wind yet allow natural light in, showcasing the vegetables. Between the windbreak and our patio heater, not only can you comfortably shop with us, but the products themselves will not freeze. Our hope is other vendors will join us on Saturdays in Lexington this winter, as well.

The year-round support from our Cincinnati customers is very rewarding, also. We will continue to see you indoors at Clark Montessori in Hyde Park on Sunday mornings and at the Madeira Presbyterian Church on Miami Avenue in Madeira on Thursday afternoons.

Our Fall CSA

The fall CSA is underway, and it’s not too late to get in. With this being the latest first-frost date in recent memory, we are still harvesting tasty tomatoes and peppers to go along with fresh greens and other items. These make for bountiful baskets that we deliver to members every-other week. A bumper crop of sweet potatoes, winter squash and watermelon radishes bode well for the CSA winter shares all the way through March. The freezer is well-stocked with our seasonal beef, chicken, turkey and pork harvests, to be sure they are available all year, as well.

Our motivation for our year-round food-production and educational outreach is to make sure you not only know your farmer but know how your food was grown. You are a vital part of making the system complete. We are not only happy to work all winter to grow good food for you, we are happy to share the wealth of knowledge. —Mac Stone