Greetings from Against the Grain and welcome to the seventh week of the 2021 CSA!
Just like previous weeks, the customization period begins once this notification lands in your inbox (which should be around noon on Friday) and will end at 11:59pm on Sunday, July 4th. During this customization window, you can make swaps to your box and add extras. Pick up your box at your chosen location on Wednesday, July 7th. Just as a reminder, if you'd like to change pick up locations for the share that is currently open for customization, please email Harvie support to request that change support@harvie.farm. Always feel free to double check with Holly to make sure the change was made. It is so important to the farm that CSA members have flexibility in their pick up location.
If you'd like to donate your box, change your pick up location to the FARM Cafe and email Holly to let her know you'd like to share the love!
This week's newsletter offering is, once again, brought to you by M Mueller, Biodynamic farm worker at ATG.
At Against the Grain Farm standards of food production are pretty high. The goodness you taste in food from their fields is not an accident. While the High Country has many talented farmers producing excellent foods, growers Andy Bryant, Holly Whitesides and Ben Nommay have a certain penchant for pushing the envelope toward the superlative.
Part of this effort is reflected in the certifications the farm agrees to. Normally farms seek certification when they are selling food to customers who have no other knowledge of the farm than the label that promises the food is indeed certified by certain agencies. For example, ATG’s meats are “Animal Welfare Approved.” The standards for approval are available at https://agreenerworld.org/certifications/animal-welfare-approved/standards/. This certification assures consumers: “The basic premise of all our standards is that animals must be able to behave naturally and be in a state of physical and psychological well-being, and that the way we raise our animals, the nutritional quality of the food they produce, and the impact of the farming system on the environment are all intrinsically linked.” In addition, the farm is certified “Appalachian Grown.” These standards may be found at https://asapconnections.org/resources/appalachian-grown-certification/. Two additional certifications tell a deeper story.
Most conscious eaters are aware of the “USDA Organic” logo. ATG keeps painstaking records to assure itself and the US government certifiers that the foods sold are grown in accordance with the highly detailed standards that must be met before the use of that logo is allowed. As difficult and time consuming as this recordkeeping is, it is worth the effort to check oneself against a demanding standard and continue to meet or exceed those expectations. But ATG not only meets those standards, it goes a step further, some would say beyond organic, to Demeter certifcation.
Demeter is a not-for-profit incorporated in 1985 with the mission to enable people to farm successfully, in accordance with biodynamic practices and principles. Demeter’s vision is to heal the planet through agriculture. Demeter certification for vegetable growers such as ATG begins with USDA Organic certification. The biodynamic practices and principles it requires in addition are based on a form of traditional agriculture that is almost 100 years old, but currently on the cutting edge of sustainable agriculture. Their website at https://www.biodynamics.com/ contains a wealth of information on aspects of biodynamics which go far beyond traditional good farming, to holistic practices which take into account all the creatures under, in, over and around the farm, and a convincing connection with the many influences touching the earth from the realms above and beyond the earth.
It just so happens that our good friend, Alex Tuchman, from Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary in Floyd, VA (https://spikenardfarm.org/) will be giving an introduction to biodynamic principles and practices Wednesday July 21, 2021. You can learn more at https://www.biodynamics.com/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=148. While ATG is always happy to explain biodynamic practices to any who ask, Alex’s presentation is guaranteed to be clear and concise. We hope you will learn more about biodynamics and come to appreciate the care it assumes of all its practitioners.
These are just a few of the ways we try to assure ourselves that we are doing all we can to give you, our customers, all the goodness our dear earth affords. We hope you enjoy!
Much love and happy eating,
Holly, Andy and the ATG Crew
