The Soul of a Farmer

A recent afternoon in the woods

2012-01-24T16:22:00.000-08:00

Darker than Midnight

A gateway on a ridge

Dark Holler

Farm update

2012-01-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is doing well! As we get into 2012, I think back to last year. I think the word for last year is change. There were many changes happening around the farm. I realized that I couldn't grow enough vegetables, herbs, and flowers to farm full time. There is just not enough arable land to do so. And there is nothing wrong with that. That was a hard realization to come to. And so I'm concentrating on what I'm known for. Which is foraging. You will find products that I forage for at several restaurants around town. And from time to time, I will have flowers and herbs available for purchase.

So, I'm really looking forward to 2012. As I learn more and more about the flora and the land around me, I'm constantly exploring and looking for new things. I'm searching for new tastes and textures. I'm constantly amazed at how much food is all around us. I also plan on experimenting with various items. Some familiar, and some new. This week I will be experimenting with pine needles, field mustard roots, and primrose roots. I'm really excited about this! You also may have noticed how weird this winter weather has been. Weather affects wild items in a lot of ways. For instance, watercress is in season right now. It was earlier than expected this year. I could have been cutting on it in December. Also, since it is earlier will that mean it does not last as long into the spring? I will just have to wait and see.

Over the mountains

2012-01-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

This morning while driving through the foggy mountains to Ashville to pick watercress, I spotted some mushrooms growing high up on a dead tree. Colours really pop on an overcast, foggy morning. There were three oak trees with oyster mushrooms on them. I was almost too late. A lot of them were weeks old and rotting. I was able to cut several pounds of them. It looked like the mycelia was filling these trees up by the shear numbers of rotting mushrooms. It has been my observation that mushrooms grow the most near the base of the tree.

A new year

2012-01-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from the past year. You can find more pictures on my twitter account.

My New Year's Resolution for this year is to write once a week!

Goldenrod

2011-09-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Goldenrod is in season right now. Here's a link to some great information about Goldenrod and how to use it.

http://hollirichey.com/2010/08/22/prevent-colds-with-goldenrod/

Wild Foods in the City

2011-09-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

A post about hackberries coming soon!!

Fall Foraging Classes

2011-08-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Fall foraging classes are here! The dates are September 17th, October 15th, and November 19th. We will be learning about acorns, black walnuts, hickory nuts, wild grapes, persimmons, crab apples pecans, and wild pears. You do not want to miss out!

Foraging Inspiration

2011-07-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

This article appeared in 2004 in Gourmet magazine. It was one of my inspirations for getting into foraging.

Farm update

2011-07-06T07:46:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been doing a lot of foraging for wood sorrel, smooth sumac, wild blackberries and dewberries, elderberry blossoms, wild shiso, and loomis mountain mint. From the blackberries I created some delicious jam, and I made a tasty syrup from the elderflower. The garlic we recently harvested is now totally dry and ready to clean up for future planting. I have also been starting the setup/construction of the high tunnel (similar to a greenhouse), but the heat has made the process a bit slower than anticipated. I am thankful for the recent rain, but unfortunately the weeds have been thriving because of it. It's especially difficult to stay on top of the weeds before they take over the plant beds, but it is a necessary part of farming.

Have a great week!
Chris

Farm Update

2011-06-07T13:39:00.001-07:00

Little Savannah (in Birmingham) will be featuring the herbs and wild edibles of Hollow Spring Farm at their Community Farm Table Dinner this Wednesday! We look forward to tasting the wonderful creations from the chefs there! Yesterday I went out to camp out at the farm in order to rise and shine early and do some much needed weeding out at the farm. When the weather is especially dry like it has been, it is more important than ever to weed and mulch your crops. Remember to conserve water during this dry time, too. If you water your lawn, do it early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid evaporation and water waste. Today we also picked the garlic that will be used for planting next year's garlic as part of the "seed saving" efforts. Summer foraging class dates coming soon; it has just been so hot, we are hesitant to put any dates on the books. We will keep you posted. Thanks again to all of you for your ongoing support!
Have a great week!
Elizabeth

Farm update

2011-05-08T17:38:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone is ok from the awful storms of last week. We lost one chicken tractor and one hen, but we are extremely lucky that there was not more damage and no one was hurt. This week is shaping up to be a very busy one - a foraging visit with the Waldorf students, weeding winter savory and cutting garlic scapes, several hours of picking wild strawberries, picking up chicken feed and Jersey Greensand which is an organic source of potassium for soil. I am also experimenting with letting the chickens out during the day so they are not so overcrowded and stressed. During the day they were fine and seemed to enjoy themselves. I am going to take out the roosters from the tractors and leave them outside so they will not bother the hens so much.

This week

2011-04-14T07:56:00.001-07:00

It was very windy yesterday with the approaching storms. That means pollen was blowing like crazy. The blackberries and multiflora roses are starting to bloom. I've been working in the garden cultivating cilantro, which is especially interesting because it does not grow during the summer as it prefers cool weather. I've also been walking all around the woods and hollow with my dog, Wu, checking things out. During the spring things grow so fast that new things appear weekly. The mountain azaleas are blooming and all the trees have leafed out now.

This past week

2011-04-03T17:58:00.001-07:00

We have had lots of good rain this past week and weekend. Spring is usually a wet time of the year. All the rain now gives us a head start when we get into the hot dry months of the summer. The crabapple and dogwood trees are starting to bloom. April is fast approaching, and that means blackberry winter and the start of summer planting. You might not know about blackberry winter but, it is usually in the first part of April and it is when the blackberry bushes start to bloom.

This week I will go to Wilsonville to get chicken feed, adjust the chicken tractors, cut wild watercress, and host a Girl Scout Troop who will be learning about foraging. I hope to get in some more spring planting very soon!

I hope everyone has a great week and don't forget about the next foraging class coming up in April!

This week

2011-03-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! Dogwoods are starting to bloom, the trees are starting to show new leaves, and the Irises and Tulips are opening up. I'm pretty happy about the longer days as this time of the year is very busy with planting and planning. I've finished up another chicken tractor and will be moving half of the Barred Rock chickens in there this afternoon; I've also will be constructing a high tunnel (similar to a greenhouse) within the next month. It's hard juggling everything, but my days working in restaurants have been invaluable with the farm work I do in terms of making lists, priortizing as I go, and keeping it all organized.

I hope everyone has a great week and don't forget about the next foraging class coming up in April!

Foraging Class

2011-03-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of things we will be learning about this coming Saturday March 19th at the foraging class. You don't want to miss it!

Curly Dock

Broad Leaf Plantain

Field Onions

Field Garlic

Wild Daylillies

Wild Ginger

Pear Blossoms

Sheep Sorrel

Cleavers

Redbud

Wild Lettuce

Dandelion

A Quote

2011-03-15T18:00:00.001-07:00

When you love your land
You want to make it known to as many people as possible
And to make it rich.
Gastronomy is a magnificent way to do all that.
Jean Giono

Chickens in pictures

2011-01-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

These are Buff Orpington and Barred Rock Chickens. Both are Heritage Breeds.

Orpingtons were developed in England at the town of Orpington in County Kent during the 1880s. They were brought to America in the 1890s and gained popularity very rapidly, based on their excellence as a meat bird. As the commercial broiler and roaster market developed, the Orpington lost out partly because of its white skin.

Orpingtons are heavily but loosely feathered, appearing massive. Their feathering allows them to endure cold temperatures better than some other breeds. They exist only in solid colors; are at home on free range or in relatively confined situations; and are docile. Hens exhibit broodiness and generally make good mothers. Chicks are not very aggressive and are often the underdogs when several breeds are brooded together. They are a good general use fowl.

The Barred Rock is one of the all time popular favorites in this country. Developed in New England in the early 1800's by crossing Dominiques and Black Javas, it has spread to every part of the U.S. and is an ideal American chicken. Prolific layers of brown eggs, the hens are not discouraged by cold weather. Their solid plumpness and yellow skin make a beautiful heavy roasting fowl. Our strain has the narrow, clean barring so desirable in appearance. Their bodies are long, broad, and deep with bred-in strength and vitality. These chickens are often called Plymouth Rocks, but this title correctly belongs to the entire breed, not just the Barred variety.

These are pictures starting in July when they first arrived. More pictures to come!

Foraging Criteria

2010-11-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

These are questions I ask myself when foraging for wild edibles:

Can I accurately identify it?

Have I researched it?

Is it edible?

Have I eaten it?

Does it taste good?

Does the taste stand out?

Does it produce consistently?

Is procuring it labor intensive?

Am I confident?

Lessons learned

2010-07-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this piece by saying that farming is the hardest work I have ever done. I love it, and it is often very rewarding. However, it is physically and mentally demanding, and coupled with nature's constant shifts and changes it makes for an endless struggle to achieve the balance of sun, wind, water, and timing - the ultimate moving target. Time itself is a big part of farming. Seemingly little things over time become big problems for which there is no quick fix, and other things require extreme patience. It takes years for soil to develop into fertile matter, so we are constantly adding to the soil through minerals, compost, organic fertilizer, and amendments.

My tomatoes have had their roughest year yet. I planted them in a new field which has the poorest soil out of the three fields. I added compost and lime to the field, but I also should have added soft rock phosphate, greensand, and a good organic fertilizer. This fall I will be adding these along with planting a cover crop, which adds organic matter to the soil while preventing weed growth.

In years past I have used hay for mulching and added organic matter to the soil as the hay breaks down. The downside of hay is that it contains lots of seeds, which grow vigorously and infiltrate and dominate the garden beds. So this year weeds have grown out of control, and the watermelons, squash, and beans are struggling. This season we are trying a biodegradable paper mulch that comes in a big roll that you stretch across your garden bed and plant right into. After your crops are done for the season, you just till it in the remaining mulch. So after a couple of years of using it you will have less weeds.

Mistakes made in the past years can come back to haunt you, unless you maintain consistent attention to each of the moving parts that make up a successful farming operation. It is a test of patience and one's ability to multi-task successfully. Sometimes I can keep the balance, and other times I end up learning lessons the hard way. Either way, with each season the farm develops and the soil gets better and better.

Smooth Sumac

2010-07-13T05:19:00.000-07:00

Sumac. That one word strikes fear in people as most automatically think of poison sumac. There are actually several different kinds of sumac - most of which are not poisonous. The predominant one around here is Smooth Sumac - a shrub or small tree that grows anywhere from 3 to 15 feet tall in fields, along the edges of woods, and abandoned lots. It is a pioneer plant meaning it is one of the first plants to come up in a field before trees start to crowd them out. During the early summer time the plant starts making a greenish-yellow conical flower head that all kinds of bees love. The flowers produce small, red berries with tiny hairs all over them, and eventually the red berries will develop a white coating which is ascorbic acid, also known as Vitamin C. These tart little nutritious berries were a favorite ingredient for a type of Native American beverage. In the fall the leaves turn a brilliant red color, and in the winter smooth sumac is an important wintertime food source for many wildlife species.

In contrast, Poison Sumac grows in bushy and swampy areas. The flower head hangs down like grapes. So as long as the flower head grows upright you are safe from the poisonous variant of sumac.

Smooth sumac growing along the edge of woods.

You can see the ascorbic acid all over the red berries.

Of Blackberries and Chanterelles

2010-07-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

This winter and spring were interesting as it was colder and wetter than usual. As a result, some things like fennel and spinach did not get planted; wet and cold ground takes the longest to dry out, so by the time they could have been planted it would have been too warm for them. Mache has proven to be extremely hearty and is one of the few vegetables that tolerates the cold weather quite well. This was my first year to grow it, and its steady growth has made it an excellent candidate for next year’s winter garden

On the foraging front right now there are several things going on. Blackberry season is in full swing, and dewberries are starting to ripen. Dewberries look like Blackberries, but they are bigger, juicier, and have bigger seeds. Wild ginger and sassafras are growing all over the place in the hollow. The red berries of the Smooth sumac are starting to develop their white coating of ascorbic acid. The green version of the Japanese herb shiso as well as Wild Mountain Mint also grow wild all along the road through the hollow.

It is also a great time of the year for foraging Smooth Chanterelle mushrooms. In this part of the country they start appearing in early June along creek banks, draws around the hollow, hillsides where water drains, and along the road through the hollow. The picking has been good for the past two weeks. The smooth chanterelles are so fragrant and delicious!

This year has also been one of reflection. As I get older I think more and more about money and family and the long term. My girlfriend Elizabeth has pushed me to not only think about farming as a way of life, but also from a business point of view - which I find particularly challenging as a farmer. She has also helped with the marketing aspects of running a business to help spread the word about the farm. I am becoming more and more determined to become a hard nosed businessman while maintaining my vision and ideals for the farm. This has involved taking a closer look at the garden from a business and profitability standpoint. What was in high demand last year? What should I eliminate from the growing roster this coming season? It is one of the major challenges of farming – to decide where to scale back and where to expand…all while staying in sync with mother nature.

I am extremely excited for one of the new ventures for the farm – egg production. The little chicks should be arriving in the next several weeks, so I am scrambling (pun intended) to prepare the tractors and fenced area where they will live. This is a joint effort initiated by a Birmingham based restaurant owner and chef who was looking for a local source for organic farm fresh eggs.

The farm is participating in a new farmer's market this year. It is in downtown Homewood at the corner of 18th Street S. and 29th Avenue. We are there every Saturday from 7:30- 12:30. Hope to see everyone there!

Hard work, determination, and some savvy planning will keep Hollow Spring Farm on the path to profitable sustainability and biodiversity.

Smooth Sumac

Smooth Chanterelle

Farming from a cook's perspective- Part 1

2010-04-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

I moved from Chicago back home to Alabama four years ago to get my family's farm back up and running again. I thought long and hard about leaving the kitchen behind. I looked deep within myself to make sure I was making the right decision. I loved cooking, but it did not come naturally to me. Farming does. There were so many times when I would check produce in and look in disgust at the produce and the herbs. The produce and herbs were lifeless. The best food and technique in the world are for nought if the food you are buying is of a low standard. So seeing so much sub-standard food was a catalyst for me. I also knew there was a ton of potential with the farm here.
One of the biggest catalysts for me is the chef Michel Bras. His book Essential Cuisine struck a deep chord in me. His talk about deep connections with the land through food and foraging really made me want to get the farm going.

Baby Goats

2010-02-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

Say hello to Groucho and Harpo! They were born in the wee hours of Monday morning.

Advice from a Old Farmer

2010-01-23T05:10:00.000-08:00

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.

Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

Don ‘t judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life.. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

Don ‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in

If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around..

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.

Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

–

Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.

Fatliter

2010-01-11T12:00:00.001-08:00

Fatliter goes by many different names. Pineheart, fat wood, or heart of pine are some of them. Whatever you call it, it makes for a great fire starter. I burn a lot of wood during the winter time. Mostly hickory, oak, and lately chestnut. I can't imagine starting a fire without it.

Basically fatliter is the very center of a pine tree. Over time the sap in a pine tree hardens into a rock hard substance that is very resinous. The fatliter never rots. Often times it is the only thing left from a pine tree. It will get a fire going really hot. It will burn even when wet. If you break a piece in half it will smell piney. It's just great stuff that is indispensable.

Reflecting back

2009-12-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

During the winter time things slow down on the farm. Vegetables don't grow as fast. It's colder outside and the days are shorter. So, it's a time to reflect back on the year and to think ahead for the coming new year.

As I reflect back on the year, two things come to my mind. The wetness and warmth of the year. Those two things played the biggest part in the garden. It was warm earlier than usual. It snowed the first day of March and then was in the 70s for the rest of the month. The early warmth meant that the bugs appeared sooner than usual. Then it rained and rained and rained. It has been one of the wettest on record here in Alabama. You might think that tons of rain is good for vegetables. Well think again. They like moderation. Tomatoes succumbed to disease early on thanks to the rain. Rain brings on disease quicker. It was a horrible watermelon year. If a watermelon gets to much rain right before it is ripe it will explode. The rain will also wash all the flavor out. So the spring and summer pass and you start thinking how great the fall will be. Then it starts raining again and again. So the soil is to wet and the fall vegetables are late getting going.

Things are looking up now. Everything is doing well. But let's not just think back on the year and commiserate about how bad it was. Some things did well. The Music garlic, cannellini beans, flowers, and potatoes were standouts. This has been the 2nd year for the farm. We are steadily making improvements.

Winter time is a great time for working on projects. We will be putting up a greenhouse and getting all the infrastructure ready for laying hens come March. Seed catalogs also start coming in the mail. It's always exciting to get new catalogs. I love pouring over them.

As I look ahead to next year I see the farm growing by leaps and bounds. It has come a long way since I moved back in 2005. As each year passes by the soil gets better, the vegetables become more consistent, and income for the farm grows.

And last but not least. I am very thankful for my family, whom I would not be able to do any of this and to a new member of the farm, my girlfriend, Elizabeth Sanfelippo. Elizabeth has been instrumental in helping the farm grow. One of the biggest things she has done is implementing a email list. Through the email list people are able to buy vegetables and or flowers when available.

Flowers

2009-10-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

Zinnias and Cosmos ready to be delivered.

Writing

2009-10-07T03:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've got so much to write about. So much just waiting to be written about. I promise post them soon. But for now check me out in the Hot and Hot Fish Club cookbook! It's in stores now!

Food Inc.

2009-09-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where to begin. I first heard about Food Inc., the movie several months ago. My first thought was oh cool. I thought it would be kind of similar to King Corn or some of the other documentaries out there. But I think Food Inc., stands out from the others by addressing labor and business practices of big agribusiness.

The movie was screened here in Birmingham Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Word on the street is that there was an overwhelming show of support for the movie. In fact Sunday when I went, was sold out. The room was packed with anticipation. Just as those seats were starting to get uncomfortable the movie was over. The screen came up and there was the panel to discuss those burning questions everyone had. The panel was made up of a professor from Montevallo, Edwin Marty of Jones Valley Urban Farm, Kathy Crenshaw, Chris Dupont of Cafe Dupont, and a Professor from UAB who was a pediatrician. The q and a session went well and then on to the food! The food was made by Cafe Dupont and Bottletree.

I think the event went well. Listen up Birmingham! The sky is the limit to what we can do here. Now it's up to us to make it happen. Yes we can!

2009-09-08T03:54:00.000-07:00

Chili de Arbol Peppers

Winter Savory

Anise Hyssop

Available this week

2009-08-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hollow Spring Farm

www.hollowspringfarm.blogspot.com

Please let me know before 4pm Tuesday if you would like to get some of these Wednesday evening. You can also order by 4pm Thursday for items that you can pick up at the Pepper Place Market on Saturday.

This week’s special announcement:

The Farm Table at Little Savannah will feature

Hollow Spring Farm, Tuesday, Sept. 1^st, 2009

The evening focuses on three key things: the diverse local ingredients that thrive with our local farmers in Alabama, the creativity that goes into preparing these ingredients in the kitchen, and the bond that is created through sharing a table together.

Reservations are required and only 20 seats are available.

Call 205.591.1119, and be sure to specify that you want the Community Farm Table.

$35 for four courses of family-style food (plus tax and 18% gratuity).

Drinks are not included, but come early for $5 cocktails at the bar and on the patio.

Bar opens at 5pm.

Provider Green Beans - $3/lb

Mixed Bouquets of Zinnias, Comsos, and Sunflowers- $5/ bunch (also can do bunches of just Zinnias or Sunflowers).

Green Peppers- $1/each

Carmello Red Peppers- $2/each or $3/lb - Long frying type that is sweet

Super Red Ruffled Peppers $2/each or $3/lb - Small sweet pepper that is good for stuffing

Fresh herbs $3/bunch

· Thyme

· Lemon Basil

· Lime Basil

· Marjoram

· Rosemary

· Garden Sage

Books on cooking that inspired me.

2009-08-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

When I worked in the restaurant industry there was a handful of books that inspired me. I still go back to them. They still inspire me. Even though I don't cook for a living anymore, food rules my world.

What's available this week

2009-08-18T04:10:00.000-07:00

Hollow Spring Farm

www.hollowspringfarm.blogspot.com

Please let me know before 4pm Tuesday if you would like to get some of these Wednesday. You can also order by 4pm Thursday for items that you can pick up at the Pepper Place Market on Saturday. If you are interested, let me know what and how much you would like.

This week’s featured item: Orange Banana Tomatoes- $3/lb-Its amazing sprightly sweet flavor, reminiscent of Sungold but with more depth and diverse tones, makes an ambrosial sauce by itself and adds a vivid fruity complexity to any sauce with other tomato varieties.

Green Peppers- $1/each

Provider Green Beans - $3/lb

They just keep on providin’ that rich, beany taste of a classic green bean.

Mixed Bouquets of Zinnias, Comsos, and Sunflowers- $5/ bunch (also can do bunches of just Zinnias or Sunflowers).

Black Cherry Tomatoes - $3/lb Two-bite cherries with the dusky color and complex flavor typical of the best black tomatoes.

These are particularly good for drying…

Principe Borghese Tomatoes -$3/lb

An Italian heirloom with excellent flavor. Used for sun-dried tomatoes as it has few seeds and little juice.

Lilliput Tomatoes - $3/lb

Hybrid Cherry tomato. Heavy cropper with small round tasty fruits. Great for drying, too.

Sun/Oven Dried Tomatoes – Overview

Plan on 10 standard tomatoes to get one ounce of dried tomatoes. Homemade dried tomatoes should be placed in an airtight bag or container and stored in the refrigerator or freezer (for up to six to nine months for optimum shelf life.)

When packing your own in oil at home, be sure to keep them refrigerated, especially when adding fresh herbs or garlic to avoid the risk of botulism. Once opened, oil-packed dried tomatoes should be refrigerated and used within two weeks.

The Die Hard Way to Sun Dry Tomatoes

· Simply slice tomatoes in half, place on a raised screen, lightly sprinkle with salt and optional herbs, and place in the hot sun until dry. Depending on your weather conditions, this could take anywhere from four days to two weeks.

· Cover them with cheesecloth, raised so it does not touch the tomatoes, to keep out any critters and provide proper ventilation.

· You will also need to bring them in during the night, lest the evening dew undo your drying process.

· Transfer the tomatoes to zip-lock bags and store in either the refrigerator or freezer.

The Simpler Way to Oven Dry Tomatoes

Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 6 hours

· Preparation: Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. or the lowest setting possible.

· Trim and discard the stem ends of the tomatoes. Halve each tomato lengthwise. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, side by side and crosswise on cake racks set on the oven racks. Do not allow the tomatoes to touch one another. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

· Place in the oven and bake until the tomatoes are shriveled and feel dry, anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. Check the tomatoes from time to time: They should remain rather flexible, not at all brittle. Once dried, remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow them to thoroughly cool on cake racks. (Smaller tomatoes will dry more quickly than larger ones. Remove each tomato from the oven as it is dried.)

· Transfer the tomatoes to zip-lock bags and store in either the refrigerator or freezer.

Flowers

2009-08-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Autumn Beauty Sunflower

Velvet Queen Sunflower

Valentine Sunflower

Cosmos

Zinnias

Loving the cool weather!

2009-07-21T04:07:00.000-07:00

The pond this past Sunday.

Loomis Mountain Mint

Lemon Verbena and Summer Savory

Anise Hyssop

Lemon, Lime, and Red Rubin Basils

Yeah for rain

2009-07-14T03:19:00.000-07:00

Wild Shiso. The green shiso grows wild along the road in the hollow.

Could it be? Chanterelles? Yes!

A juicy hot post

2009-07-03T04:55:00.000-07:00

Dewberries

More Dewberries

Honeysuckle that needs to be picked for syrup.

Music Garlic and Cipollini oinions curing in the barn.

Last of the spring photos

2009-06-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

The garlic heading to the barn.

Music garlic to be exact.

Bright Lights Chard

Lots of tomatoes have gone in these rows.

Leeks, garlic, and sugarsnaps.

Available this week

2009-05-11T03:37:00.000-07:00

Skunkyo Semi-Long Radishes

Marjoram

Sugarsnaps

Long Standing Bloomsdale and Tyee Spinach

Strawberries

2009-05-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

Oh yes the strawberries are here. I picked three quarts worth this afternoon. I only picked maybe half of them. The story of how I found them goes something like this. Last year around this time I walked up to the top of the hill behind the house just to look around and check things out. I was walking back down the hill when I noticed a plant that had gone to seed. The seed heads didn't look familiar, so I checked the plant out. It was wild sorrel. So I start walking again and notice strawberry plants EVERYWHERE. Now there are two types of wild strawberry plants. One is called Woodland strawberry and is tasteless. The birds will not even eat them. The other is the one I have growing. The berries are small and very intensely strawberry flavored. They are rare as well. Anyway, the strawberry plants were starting to bloom. I made a mental note to check back on them to see if they were the real deal. About two weeks later I'm bush hogging the area and as I'm going along I look down and notice little red strawberries. I stop immediately and pick one. My first thought was, OH MY GOD!!! I just fell to my knees and started looking around. There were strawberries everywhere! They make eating any other strawberry hard to do. They last for only two weeks. The most I picked last year was seven quarts. Hopefully there will be more this year!

Fade into the sun

2009-05-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

The road going over the dam by the pond.

Honeysuckle hanging on a tree.

Deep in the woods.

The front field

Looking towards the old garden.

The view from the old garden looking back towards the front field.

Mulberries up in the tree.

No, those are not gummi bears. They are unripe mulberries that the rain has knocked off the tree.

The strawberries are coming

2009-05-02T04:04:00.000-07:00

Farming is the place

2009-05-01T03:58:00.000-07:00

Lemon Verbena coming back.

What's left of one of the compost piles.

Looking at the barn

Wild Sorrel

Columbines

Where the wild ginger roams

Irises

Wild Ginger

2009-04-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Wild Ginger is everywhere down in the hollow. It's usually found along the sides of the ridges and back up in the draws. I just started foraging for it after giving it many months break. The taste is somewhat different than the regular stuff. It has more of a clove and medicinal taste. Yesterday I harvested 70 roots for a restaurant. I'll be delivering them tomorrow along with a ton of Skunkyo Semi-Long Radishes and a paltry amount of Purple Mizuna. The Purple Mizuna is a whole nother post.

Below is one of the areas where I was digging the ginger plants up at.

Goats

2009-04-27T03:34:00.000-07:00

The goats in action

Pictures. Lots of them

2009-04-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

I got my camera. Lots more pictures to come!

Old Gourds

Wild Ginger

Loomis Mountain Mint

Multiflora Rose

Sassafras

Sweet Shrub

Radishes are under the remay. Sugarsnaps next to them.

Music Garlic

2009-04-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Here's some wild sorrel that has bolted. When a plant has bolted it means it has gone to seed.

I know the picture is blurry. I'm getting a good camera this weekend. Then the pictures will come fast and furious.

Bukowski and writing

2009-04-15T04:37:00.000-07:00

Bukowski said this about writing. This is the way I feel about farming.

if it doesn’t come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don’t do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don’t do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don’t do it.
if you’re doing it for money or
fame,
don’t do it.
if you’re doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don’t do it.
if you have to sit there and
rewrite it again and again,
don’t do it.
if it’s hard work just thinking about doing it,
don’t do it.
if you’re trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.
if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you’re not ready.

don’t be like so many writers,
don’t be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don’t be dull and boring and
pretentious, don’t be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don’t add to that.
don’t do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don’t do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don’t do it.

when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.
— Bukowski

I live to weed

2009-04-15T04:20:00.000-07:00

The wild arugula has been weeded now. It badly needed it. The wild arugula is under remay which is a floating row cover. The remay protects the arugula from flea beetles which can devastate arugula or any other leafy brassica. Remay lets air, sunlight, and rain in. It also offers some frost protection depending on the thickness of the material. Sometimes when you put remay over something you tend to forget about it a little. You don't see the weeds growing. So you lift it up to check on the arugula and you are taken aback by the forest of weeds growing. So then you have to do some hand weeding.

Weeding is something that people dislike for some reason. I however love to. The plants definitely thank you. Weeding for me is meditative. I kneel or squat down and focus everything on the weeds. Getting your hands dirty, busting clods of dirt off weeds, and seeing the row of arugula take shape is awesome. Getting my hands in the earth, getting them dirty is therapeutic. Weeding is Zen like.

Past time

2009-04-14T04:15:00.000-07:00

Yeah I know. I'm such a slacker about updating this. I'm going to make it a point of posting something everyday. Whether it's my own writing or from around the web.

The winter was very tough here. The first killing frost didn't come until Christmas. Then January and February were really cold. And then March was warm! I had not done any serious gardening in the winter time before. I know now what it takes to grow during the winter here. More row covers, hoops under the remay, and I definitely see a high tunnel or two in the future.

Spring has been strange. What little we have of it now. It's been warm and wet. Unusually warm. But everything is doing well. This year there is more growing. There's Skunk-yo semi long, French breakfast, and icicle radishes, Bleu de solaize leeks, Sugarsnaps, Mammoth Melting Snowpeas, Green Arrow peas, Bright Lights Chard, Red Russian Kale, Tyee and Long Standing Bloomsdale Spinach, Montebianco Fennel, Bouquet Dill, Jantar Cilantro, Chioggia Beets, Bachelor Buttons, Wild Arugula, Calabrese and Arcadia Broccoli, Des Vertus Savoy and Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage, La Ratte and German Butterball potatoes and Music Garlic. The radishes haven't seemed to like the warm weather we had in March, but are otherwise doing fine.

My dad and I built a little mini-greenhouse on to the side of the shop. Aunt Lillian's, Lilliput, Orange Banana, and Aunt Ruby's German Green tomato seedlings are doing well. As well as Jimmy Nardello and Padron peppers, Anise Hyssop, Winter Savory, and Wormwood seedlings.

The animals are doing well. We finished up a new goat shelter for the goats dow by the mulberry tree. The goats love their new area.

There's so much going on right now.

Something to ponder

2009-01-09T05:16:00.000-08:00

A 50-Year Farm Bill

By WES JACKSON and WENDELL BERRY
Published: January 4, 2009
New York Times Op-Ed

THE extraordinary rainstorms last June caused catastrophic soil erosion in the grain lands of Iowa, where there were gullies 200 feet wide. But even worse damage is done over the long term under normal rainfall — by the little rills and sheets of erosion on incompletely covered or denuded cropland, and by various degradations resulting from industrial procedures and technologies alien to both agriculture and nature.
Soil that is used and abused in this way is as nonrenewable as (and far more valuable than) oil. Unlike oil, it has no technological substitute — and no powerful friends in the halls of government.
Agriculture has too often involved an insupportable abuse and waste of soil, ever since the first farmers took away the soil-saving cover and roots of perennial plants. Civilizations have destroyed themselves by destroying their farmland. This irremediable loss, never enough noticed, has been made worse by the huge monocultures and continuous soil-exposure of the agriculture we now practice.
To the problem of soil loss, the industrialization of agriculture has added pollution by toxic chemicals, now universally present in our farmlands and streams. Some of this toxicity is associated with the widely acclaimed method of minimum tillage. We should not poison our soils to save them.
Industrial agricultural has made our food supply entirely dependent on fossil fuels and, by substituting technological “solutions” for human work and care, has virtually destroyed the cultures of husbandry (imperfect as they may have been) once indigenous to family farms and farming neighborhoods.
Clearly, our present ways of agriculture are not sustainable, and so our food supply is not sustainable. We must restore ecological health to our agricultural landscapes, as well as economic and cultural stability to our rural communities.
For 50 or 60 years, we have let ourselves believe that as long as we have money we will have food. That is a mistake. If we continue our offenses against the land and the labor by which we are fed, the food supply will decline, and we will have a problem far more complex than the failure of our paper economy. The government will bring forth no food by providing hundreds of billons of dollars to the agribusiness corporations.
Any restorations will require, above all else, a substantial increase in the acreages of perennial plants. The most immediately practicable way of doing this is to go back to crop rotations that include hay, pasture and grazing animals.
But a more radical response is necessary if we are to keep eating and preserve our land at the same time. In fact, research in Canada, Australia, China and the United States over the last 30 years suggests that perennialization of the major grain crops like wheat, rice, sorghum and sunflowers can be developed in the foreseeable future. By increasing the use of mixtures of grain-bearing perennials, we can better protect the soil and substantially reduce greenhouse gases, fossil-fuel use and toxic pollution.
Carbon sequestration would increase, and the husbandry of water and soil nutrients would become much more efficient. And with an increase in the use of perennial plants and grazing animals would come more employment opportunities in agriculture — provided, of course, that farmers would be paid justly for their work and their goods.
Thoughtful farmers and consumers everywhere are already making many necessary changes in the production and marketing of food. But we also need a national agricultural policy that is based upon ecological principles. We need a 50-year farm bill that addresses forthrightly the problems of soil loss and degradation, toxic pollution, fossil-fuel dependency and the destruction of rural communities.
This is a political issue, certainly, but it far transcends the farm politics we are used to. It is an issue as close to every one of us as our own stomachs.

Wes Jackson is a plant geneticist and president of The Land Institute in Salina, Kan. Wendell Berry is a farmer and writer in Port Royal, Ky.

Come Wind, Come Rain

2008-11-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

Ah yes November. It's getting colder here. We've had many frosts by now. The coming months will be interesting to see what does well over wintering. The winter here is mild but it does get down into the 20s on average. I just can't get enough of these crisp, cool blustery autumn days. I love the kaleidoscope of colors and the angle of the light this time of year. Things do slow down a little bit around here. It does get dark at 5 PM now. But I do farm all year round, so there's always busy.

This morning I bush hogged all morning. Yeah that's right get your mind out of the gutter. Bush hogging is using the tractor and attaching a brush mower aka bush hog and cutting brush with it. That means briars, privet, kudzu, small saplings. Pretty much scrub and anything you can run over SAFELY. It can be dangerous depending on the area you are cutting. It can get quite wooly bully at times. The area that I bush hogged is an area we call Bennett's Folly. We have names for different parts of the farm. This area in inside the fence along the gasline that goes back towards the hollow along a ridge. The area used to be pasture, but has grown up with honeysuckle, briars, kudzu, privet, and assorted trees. Well it's almost all cut back now. Some stuff was to big to run over. But it looks a whole lot better. Now I just have to keep it cut.

Then this afternoon I went foraging for wild ginger. I have a order for 15- 20 roots to fill. Wild ginger is all around the place. From what I've observed is that it likes the sides of the ridges along the hollow. Sassafras seems to be a companion to it as it is usually in the same area. When I set out this afternoon I had a location already picked out. I don't like to go to the same area every week. I dig up the whole plant using a digging fork. It took about 2 hours to find and dig 20 plants. The ginger is coming to an end for this season. It goes dormant when it starts getting cold consistently. Which will be the end of November.

Tomorrow will be busy busy. Harvesting all morning then delivering then hanging with my lady love. It will be a grand glorious day.

Fall Fall Fall

2008-10-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since my last post. Things are always busy here. I wonder if anyone reads this?

The fall plantings are coming up pretty well. Oasis turnips, Long Standing Bloomsdale Spinach, Lacinato and Red Russian Kale, Wild Argula, Red Giant Mustard and Georgia Southern Collard Greens are all doing well. The Over the Rainbow and St. Valery Carrots are starting to come up. The Harris Model Parsnips take forever to come up. Calabrese and Arcadia Brocolli have been planted along with Romanesco. Des Vertus Savoy and Mammoth Red Rock cabbage, Lettuce, and Falstaff Red Brussel Sprouts need to be transplanted. Oh yeah and Bleu De Solaize leeks need to be planted as well. Last week I planted 20 lbs. of Music Garlic.

The Muscade de Provence pumpkins are doing really well. I've picked 5 so far. There's lots more to come. The biggest one so far is 30lbs!

I'm starting to pick wild persimmons. Last week I picked a quart and a half. Many people think that you have to wait till it frosts to eat them, but that's not true. At least here in Alabama they start ripening at the end of September. About two weeks ago we temperatures in the 40s and that helped to sweeten them. Persimmons do get even better after a frost.

Simple Pleasures

2008-08-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Summer is all about simple pleasures. Whether it's seeing that first tomato turning color on the vine, or cutting into a watermelon summer time is a marvelous, magical time. It takes longer than you think for a tomato to turn ripe. Watermelons take about three months to ripen. Gardening is all about patience. Early pickers are not welcome in the garden. Patience certainly pays off though. Biting into that first tomato or watermelon just brings a big smile and a deep joy to me.
The summer crops are really coming on strong right now. Harvest goes on just about everyday. There's green beans, squash, zuchinni, okra, purple hull and black eye peas, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Watermelons and cantaloupes are starting to ripen. Fall vegetables are being seeded into trays for an early start. I'm daydreaming about fall weather right now. I'm also looking forward to a week off in early October.

Hot Fun in the Summertime

2008-06-15T07:49:00.000-07:00

It's been hot here. Hotter than usual for this time of year. The heat comes on like a blanket. It makes me want to eat watermelons and tomato sandwiches. I'm behind on summer planting and the compost is running out. Ahhhh!!! But it will be ok. This week I will finish the summer planting. Here's what I have left to plant.....Musquee De Provence pumpkins, Potimarron and Melonette de Vendee winter squash, Boule D'Or melons, and Cannelini beans. Tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, watermelons, peppers, and eggplant are all doing well. The rows are 150ft. long. The garlic is totally dry now. It cured in the barn and is now ready to sell. The wild blackberries are starting to come on now. Last Thursday I picked four pints worth. Mulching like crazy.

Blue Jay Way

2008-04-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

There's so much going on lately. We bought a billy goat. His name is Zappa. He's a Boer billy. We were just going to buy some more goats to help the three girls with brush control. Then we thought well why not just get a billy. The goats are doing a most excellent job eating the brush down. They really go crazy over it. The weather here has been perfect! Spring is a beautiful time of year here on the farm. My favorite time is late in the afternoon around dusk. The garden is doing great! This morning I harvested French breakfast radishes and baby kale. About the kale. I direct seeded the kale. Well when you direct seed just about anything you need to thin it. Well if you let the kale or say radishes get big enough you can harvest the thinnings. Spring is not yet over and planning for summer is under way. Tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, squash, beans, and watermelons have been seeded into trays.

Donkeys and manure

2008-03-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

Donkeys are awesome. Besides being a very noble creature. They are fun to have around. You can do all kinds of things with them. With donkeys you have jennies(female) and jacks(male). With the jennies you can train them to be ridden or carry items. They are also very good guard animals. Donkeys hate dogs and coyotes and will stomp one in a heartbeat. Loads of people have them for their sheep, goats, and cows. Jacks on the other hand are alot different. They still hate dogs and coyotes, but you can't have them around other animals except for donkeys or horses. Jacks will chase and kill goats. They can be sweet and gentle one moment and the next turn aggressive. We have a jack named Buford. We originally got him to guard the goats. But then we figured out that you can't have him and the goats together because he will chase them. The reason why he does this is because he's a stallion and the pasture and woods is his domain. You know he's the man. He pities any other fools. So we have them separate. He's very social though. He likes to hangout next to the girls on his side of the electric netting. Even though Buford can be aggressive he's ajoy to have around. On of my favorite things about him is his manure output. He makes lots of good manure for compost. One cool thing about donkeys is that they poo in big piles. They just don't go anywhere and everywhere. They have piles. It makes it so easy for hauling manure. That leads me to my next post. Manure and soil.

Tippy Toes

2008-03-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Lots of planting going on. Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning was busy with planting. Green Arrow and Sugarsnap peas, Cylindra beets, Icicle and French Breakfast radishes, Monte Bianco Fennel, Red Russian Kale, Agretti(also known as Roscana...it's an Italian vegetable that looks like a huge chive...flavor is a bit bitter and sour...good braised in olive oil with garlic), Merlo Nero Spinach, Wild Argula, and Bianca Di Miaggio and Red from Florence Onions. The Oasis Turnips are coming up really well. They are a salad turnip that you can eat raw. Flavor is a sweet. Perfect in salads.
The preparation for planting something goes like this. Since some of the area we're planting in as been a garden in quite a long time there's alot more work involved. The ground was plowed with a chisel plow. Then tilled in. Alot of farmers will then take a drag harrow and pull it over the newly plowed and tilled area. The harrow pulls out of the ground clods of grass and debris. Since we don't have one I used a regular rake. It doesn't get everything out, but it definately helps. Then I spread composted horse and donkey manure. I till it in one more time. Now I've got a nice bed. I stretch out a string as a guide. Then if I'm direct seeding I make a furrow with a hoe right next to the string. I go along tapping the seeds out of the pack. I cover the seeds up with dirt. I tell the seeds I'm tucking them in. Then I lightly tamp the soil down and water them in.

Planting and Rednecks

2008-03-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

Planting is in full swing here. Mammoth Melting Snowpeas and Oasis turnips have been directly seeded into the soil. Des Vertus Savoy and Mammoth Red Rock cabbage, Gobbo Di Nizzio Cardoons, Calabrese broccoli, and Bianca Di Miaggio onions have been seeded into trays. Rouge Sang carrots, Blue Solaize Leeks, and Music Garlic are going strong. Today Sugarsnap peas were planted. Tomorrow Green Arrow peas, French Breakfast and Icicle radishes, Cylindra beets, and shit I can't remember the variety of fennel that will be planted. Oh well. Merlo Nero spinach, wild argula, Lacinto and Red Russian kale, and Agretti need to be planted.
I hate four wheelers and the rednecks who drive them! They have no respect for anything and everything. We've always had problems with four wheelers. They have shit for brains and think oh there's some wide open land let's go ride alllllll over it. They don't think this could be someones property.

Terroir

2008-02-02T19:09:00.000-08:00

Terroir is the key. It is pronounced terwar. Terroir refers to the soil, climate, and topography of a microregion, and pinpoints what makes an ingredient grown in one place taste different from the same ingredient grown in another. But terroir isn't merely rainfall, mineral content, and angles of exposure to sunlight. No matter where we're from terroir is our cultural and historical link to the land, the expression of the land itself and of the people who live there.
The land here in Chula Vista Alabama is very hilly with plateaus. We're in the foothills of the Appalachain Mountains. In fact you can see a small mountain called Bald Rock from the farm. The soil here is sandy from all the sandstone in the area. The soil is also acidic. You can tell its acidic from all the pine trees in the area. Plants can tell you lots of things about your soil. It gets very windy here from time to time.

Why Butter is Better

2008-01-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

This is an article from the Weston A. Price Foundation website.

Why Butter Is Better
by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD

When the fabricated food folks and apologists for the corporate farm realized that they couldn't block America's growing interest in diet and nutrition, a movement that would ultimately put an end to America's biggest and most monopolistic industries, they infiltrated the movement and put a few sinister twists on information going out to the public. Item number one in the disinformation campaign was the assertion that naturally saturated fats from animal sources are the root cause of the current heart disease and cancer plague. Butter bore the brunt of the attack, and was accused of terrible crimes. The Diet Dictocrats told us that it was better to switch to polyunsaturated margarine and most Americans did. Butter all but disappeared from our tables, shunned as a miscreant.

This would come as a surprise to many people around the globe who have valued butter for its life-sustaining properties for millennia. When Dr. Weston Price studied native diets in the 1930's he found that butter was a staple in the diets of many supremely healthy peoples.1 Isolated Swiss villagers placed a bowl of butter on their church altars, set a wick in it, and let it burn throughout the year as a sign of divinity in the butter. Arab groups also put a high value on butter, especially deep yellow-orange butter from livestock feeding on green grass in the spring and fall. American folk wisdom recognized that children raised on butter were robust and sturdy; but that children given skim milk during their growing years were pale and thin, with "pinched" faces.2

Does butter cause disease? On the contrary, butter protects us against many diseases.

Butter & Heart Disease
Heart disease was rare in America at the turn of the century. Between 1920 and 1960, the incidence of heart disease rose precipitously to become America's number one killer. During the same period butter consumption plummeted from eighteen pounds per person per year to four. It doesn't take a Ph.D. in statistics to conclude that butter is not a cause. Actually butter contains many nutrients that protect us from heart disease. First among these is vitamin A which is needed for the health of the thyroid and adrenal glands, both of which play a role in maintaining the proper functioning of the heart and cardiovascular system. Abnormalities of the heart and larger blood vessels occur in babies born to vitamin A deficient mothers. Butter is America's best and most easily absorbed source of vitamin A.

Butter contains lecithin, a substance that assists in the proper assimilation and metabolism of cholesterol and other fat constituents.

Butter also contains a number of anti-oxidants that protect against the kind of free radical damage that weakens the arteries. Vitamin A and vitamin E found in butter both play a strong anti-oxidant role. Butter is a very rich source of selenium, a vital anti-oxidant--containing more per gram than herring or wheat germ.

Butter is also a good dietary source cholesterol. What?? Cholesterol an anti-oxidant?? Yes indeed, cholesterol is a potent anti-oxidant that is flooded into the blood when we take in too many harmful free-radicals--usually from damaged and rancid fats in margarine and highly processed vegetable oils.3 A Medical Research Council survey showed that men eating butter ran half the risk of developing heart disease as those using margarine.4

Butter & Cancer
In the 1940's research indicated that increased fat intake caused cancer.5 The abandonment of butter accelerated; margarine--formerly a poor man's food-- was accepted by the well-to-do. But there was a small problem with the way this research was presented to the public. The popular press neglected to stress that fact that the "saturated" fats used in these experiments were not naturally saturated fats but partially hydrogenated or hardened fats--the kind found mostly in margarine but not in butter. Researchers stated--they may have even believed it--that there was no difference between naturally saturated fats in butter and artificially hardened fats in margarine and shortening. So butter was tarred with the black brush of the fabricated fats, and in such a way that the villains got passed off as heroes.

Actually many of the saturated fats in butter have strong anti-cancer properties. Butter is rich in short and medium chain fatty acid chains that have strong anti-tumor effects.6 Butter also contains conjugated linoleic acid which gives excellent protection against cancer.7

Vitamin A and the anti-oxidants in butter--vitamin E, selenium and cholesterol--protect against cancer as well as heart disease.

Butter & the Immune System
Vitamin A found in butter is essential to a healthy immune system; short and medium chain fatty acids also have immune system strengthening properties. But hydrogenated fats and an excess of long chain fatty acids found in polyunsaturated oils and many butter substitutes both have a deleterious effect on the immune system.8

Butter & Arthritis
The Wulzen or "anti-stiffness" factor is a nutrient unique to butter. Dutch researcher Wulzen found that it protects against calcification of the joints--degenerative arthritis--as well as hardening of the arteries, cataracts and calcification of the pineal gland.9 Unfortunately this vital substance is destroyed during pasteurization. Calves fed pasteurized milk or skim milk develop joint stiffness and do not thrive. Their symptoms are reversed when raw butterfat is added to the diet.

Butter & Osteoporosis
Vitamins A and D in butter are essential to the proper absorption of calcium and hence necessary for strong bones and teeth. The plague of osteoporosis in milk-drinking western nations may be due to the fact that most people choose skim milk over whole, thinking it is good for them. Butter also has anti-cariogenic effects, that is, it protects against tooth decay.10

Butter & the Thyroid Gland
Butter is a good source of iodine, in highly absorbable form. Butter consumption prevents goiter in mountainous areas where seafood is not available. In addition, vitamin A in butter is essential for proper functioning of the thyroid gland.11

Butter & Gastrointestinal Health
Butterfat contains glycospingolipids, a special category of fatty acids that protect against gastro-intestinal infection, especially in the very young and the elderly. For this reason, children who drink skim milk have diarrhea at rates three to five times greater than children who drink whole milk.12 Cholesterol in butterfat promotes health of the intestinal wall and protects against cancer of the colon.13 Short and medium chain fatty acids protect against pathogens and have strong anti-fungal effects.14 Butter thus has an important role to play in the treatment of candida overgrowth.

Butter & Weight Gain
The notion that butter causes weight gain is a sad misconception. The short and medium chain fatty acids in butter are not stored in the adipose tissue, but are used for quick energy. Fat tissue in humans is composed mainly of longer chain fatty acids.15 These come from olive oil and polyunsaturated oils as well as from refined carbohydrates. Because butter is rich in nutrients, it confers a feeling of satisfaction when consumed. Can it be that consumption of margarine and other butter substitutes results in cravings and bingeing because these highly fabricated products don't give the body what it needs?.

Butter for Growth & Development
Many factors in butter ensure optimal growth of children. Chief among them is vitamin A. Individuals who have been deprived of sufficient vitamin A during gestation tend to have narrow faces and skeletal structure, small palates and crowded teeth.16 Extreme vitamin A deprivation results in blindness, skeletal problems and other birth defects.17 Individuals receiving optimal vitamin A from the time of conception have broad handsome faces, strong straight teeth, and excellent bone structure. Vitamin A also plays an important role in the development of the sex characteristics. Calves fed butter substitutes sicken and die before reaching maturity.18

The X factor, discovered by Dr. Weston Price, is also essential for optimum growth. It is only present in butterfat from cows on green pasture.19 Cholesterol found in butterfat plays an important role in the development of the brain and nervous system.20 Mother's milk is high in cholesterol and contains over 50 percent of its calories as butterfat. Low fat diets have been linked to failure to thrive in children21--yet low-fat diets are often recommended for youngsters! Children need the many factors in butter and other animal fats for optimal development.

Beyond Margarine
It's no longer a secret that the margarine Americans have been spreading on their toast, and the hydrogenated fats they eat in commercial baked goods like cookies and crackers, is the chief culprit in our current plague of cancer and heart disease.22 But mainline nutrition writers continue to denigrate butter--recommending new fangled tub spreads instead.23 These may not contain hydrogenated fats but they are composed of highly processed rancid vegetable oils, soy protein isolate and a host of additives. A glitzy cookbook called Butter Busters promotes butter buds, made from maltodextrin, a carbohydrate derived from corn, along with dozens of other highly processed so-called low-fat commercial products.

Who benefits from the propaganda blitz against butter? The list is a long one and includes orthodox medicine, hospitals, the drug companies and food processors. But the chief beneficiary is the large corporate farm and the cartels that buy their products--chiefly cotton, corn and soy--America's three main crops, which are usually grown as monocultures on large farms, requiring extensive use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. All three--soy, cotton and corn--can be used to make both margarine and the new designer spreads. In order to make these products acceptable to the up-scale consumer, food processors and agribusiness see to it that they are promoted as health foods. We are fools to believe them.

Butter & the Family Farm
A nation that consumes butterfat, on the other hand, is a nation that sustains the family farm. If Americans were willing to pay a good price for high quality butter and cream, from cows raised on natural pasturage--every owner of a small- or medium-sized farm could derive financial benefits from owning a few Jersey or Guernsey cows. In order to give them green pasture, he would naturally need to rotate crops, leaving different sections of his farm for his cows to graze and at the same time giving the earth the benefit of a period of fallow--not to mention the benefit of high quality manure. Fields tended in this way produce very high quality vegetables and grains in subsequent seasons, without the addition of nitrogen fertilizers and with minimal use of pesticides. Chickens running around his barnyard, and feeding off bugs that gather under cowpaddies, would produce eggs with superb nutritional qualities--absolutely bursting with vitamin A and highly beneficial fatty acids.

If you wish to reestablish America as a nation of prosperous farmers in the best Jeffersonian tradition, buy organic butter, cream, whole milk, whole yoghurt, and barn-free eggs. These bring good and fair profits to the yeoman producer without concentrating power in the hands of conglomerates.

Ethnic groups that do not use butter obtain the same nutrients from things like insects, organ meats, fish eggs and the fat of marine animals, food items most of us find repulsive. For Americans--who do not eat bugs or blubber--butter is not just better, it is essential.

Notes

Price, Weston, DDS Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, 1945, Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Inc., La Mesa, California
Representative of American folk traditions about butterfat is this passage from "Neighbor Rosicky", by American author Willa Cather: [The Rosickys] had been at one accord not to hurry through life, not to be always skimping and saving. They saw their neighbours buy more land and feed more stock than they did, without discontent. Once when the creamery agent came to the Rosickys to persuade them to sell him their cream, he told them how much the Fasslers, their nearest neighbours, had made on their cream last year. "Yes," said Mary, "and look at them Fassler children! Pale, pinched little things, they look like skimmed milk. I'd rather put some colour into my children's faces than put money into the bank."
Cranton, EM, MD and JP Frackelton, MD, Journal of Holistic Medicine, Spring/Summer 1984
Nutrition Week Mar 22, 1991 21:12:2-3
Enig, Mary G, PhD, Nutrition Quarterly, 1993 Vol 17, No 4
Cohen, L A et al, J Natl Cancer Inst 1986 77:43
Belury, MA Nutrition Reviews, April 1995 53:(4) 83-89
Cohen, op cit
American Journal of Physical Medicine, 1941, 133; Physiological Zoology, 1935 8:457
Kabara, J J, The Pharmacological Effects of Lipids, J J Kabara, ed, The American Oil Chemists Society, Champaign, IL 1978 pp 1-14
Jennings, IW Vitamins in Endocrine Metabolism, Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Springfield, Ill, pp 41-57
Koopman, JS, et al American Journal of Public Health 1984 74(12):1371-1373
Addis, Paul, Food and Nutrition News, March/April 1990 62:2:7-10
Prasad, KN, Life Science, 1980, 27:1351-8; Gershon, Herman and Larry Shanks, Symposium on the Pharmacological Effect of Lipids, Jon J Kabara Ed, American Oil Chemists Society, Champaign, Illinois 1978 51-62
Levels of linoleic acid in adipose tissues reflect the amount of linoleic acid in the diet. Valero, et al Annals of Nutritional Metabolism, Nov/Dec 1990 34:6:323-327; Felton, CV et al, Lancet 1994 344:1195-96
Price, op cit
Jennings, op cit
DeCava, Judith Journal of the National Academy of Research Biochemists, September 1988 1053-1059
Price, op cit
Alfin-Slater, R B and L Aftergood, "Lipids", Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, Chapter 5, 6th ed, R S Goodhart and M E Shils, eds, Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia 1980, p 131
Smith, MM, MNS RD and F Lifshitz, MD Pediatrics, Mar 1994 93:3:438-443
Enig, op cit
"Diet Roulette", The New York Times, May 20, 1994.
About the Authors

Sally Fallon is the author of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats (with Mary G. Enig, PhD), a well-researched, thought-provoking guide to traditional foods with a startling message: Animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels. She joined forces with Enig again to write Eat Fat, Lose Fat, and has authored numerous articles on the subject of diet and health. The President of the Weston A. Price Foundation and founder of A Campaign for Real Milk, Sally is also a journalist, chef, nutrition researcher, homemaker, and community activist. Her four healthy children were raised on whole foods including butter, cream, eggs and meat.

Mary G. Enig, PhD is an expert of international renown in the field of lipid biochemistry. She has headed a number of studies on the content and effects of trans fatty acids in America and Israel, and has successfully challenged government assertions that dietary animal fat causes cancer and heart disease. Recent scientific and media attention on the possible adverse health effects of trans fatty acids has brought increased attention to her work. She is a licensed nutritionist, certified by the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists, a qualified expert witness, nutrition consultant to individuals, industry and state and federal governments, contributing editor to a number of scientific publications, Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and President of the Maryland Nutritionists Association. She is the author of over 60 technical papers and presentations, as well as a popular lecturer. Dr. Enig is currently working on the exploratory development of an adjunct therapy for AIDS using complete medium chain saturated fatty acids from whole foods. She is Vice-President of the Weston A Price Foundation and Scientific Editor of Wise Traditions as well as the author of Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol, Bethesda Press, May 2000. She is the mother of three healthy children brought up on whole foods including butter, cream, eggs and meat. See her website at http://www.enig.com/trans.html.

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