News:
Last week we celebrated Patrick's birthday!! Be sure to give him some belated birthday love next time you see him! Both him and Kelly celebrated by taking 4 days off from the farm to hike, climb, hot spring and relax in Idaho!
We are coming to the end of our season and this is our final month at the Vancouver Farmers Market. Come by and say hey! We love seeing all our CSA members. We are there every Saturday from 9am-3pm.
Farmer Thoughts:
The other day while working in the field, we started talking about the recent food shortages impacting schools nationwide. Since the pandemic began we’ve seen our supply chains broken and things not as readily available to us as they once were. In regards to schools and supplying lunches to students this made me wonder, why we are not advocating for each school to have it’s own garden/small farm? And what needs to happen so that schools can start growing their own food and eliminating the supply chain. I remember when I was in Elementary School, we had a natural habitat and garden for educational purposes, but none of the produce was actually used in school lunches. As the current system stands, school lunches/cafeterias would need a major overhaul and new infrastructure put into place because produce needs to be prepared and cooked into meals. Where most of the current food is typically warmed, or low-prep. Many students rely on school lunches as their main, and sometimes only source of daily nutrition. Schools having their own garden is the only way to create a stable source of food for students. It also will allow students to create a connection to their food, which is something that has gotten so lost in our current world. The break in the supply chain isn’t something that is just impacting schools, we are seeing it everywhere. It’s only going to get worse and we have to start thinking about how to change current systems to be more resilient in the future. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have any, maybe schools are doing more than I know about!
Kitchen Notes:
Here's a helpful guide on how to store your vegetables for ultimate freshness!
Local Spotlight:
This week I’d like to highlight Zenger Farm, an organization that holds a very special place in my heart. In 2017 I was part of the apprenticeship program that taught me all the things I needed to know to successfully manage, operate, facilitate a farm on my own. Since graduating from the apprentice program, Bryan (my manager) has remained a mentor to me. Without him or my time spent at Zenger Farm, I don’t think I would be where I am in my farming career. The support and knowledge I have gained from Zenger Farm by far exceeded my expectations. Since 2010, when Bryan started managing at Zenger Farm, they have seen 50% of all graduates continue on to manage or own their own farm! This is a huge success, seeing as most people leave farming after a few seasons.
A bit about the Organization itself…
“Zenger Farm is a 501(c)3 nonprofit working urban farm in Portland, OR that models, promotes, and educates about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development, and access to good food for all. We are guided by a vision of a healthy, resilient community, where the wellbeing and prosperity of children and adults, regardless of race, geography or socio-economic status, is enhanced through access to affordable, plentiful and nourishing foods. As a justice centered, food access and education non-profit, we believe nourishment is a basic human right and that the root causes of inequitable food access – racism, poverty and other systems of oppression – must be addressed to create a just food system”
Bryan is getting ready to transition out of his role as farm manager to pursue his own farm. That being said, the position is open. If you know of anyone who might be interested I encourage you to spread the word. If you don’t currently have any knowledge about farming, the apprenticeship program I did is a great option! More details on all the open positions can be found here.
Hope you all have a wonderful week,
Cheers!
Lyndsay and the rest of the Sprout and Blossom/ Flat Tack Crew
