Where to start? In a food system that has been stolen, dismantled, and rearranged for profits over people and the planet, restoration is as daunting as it sounds.
Yet, here you are. Feeding yourself and your family from a very tiny farm committed to that very lofty pursuit. It's not often that Zach wants to sit down to write any of the several posts, or notes, or newsletters we send out, but this week was different. Here's some farmer sentiments from the field:
Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in it, but when it comes to a global food system, that's easier said than done. While most farmers don't have the bandwidth to change the food culture of an entire city, or even neighborhood, they can touch the lives of the dear ones closest to them.
Whether we like it or not, we are each playing a role in the global food system with every dietary decision we make. It takes time to support small farmers, ranchers, and artisans. Time that most of us barely have. If you wonder why we light up when we see you at the market after working 15-hour days, it’s because you decided to solve the problem, and that’s how we change the global food system, together.
It's true that our only hope to restore what's been mangled is to repair it together, but you're not alone in questioning whether we have enough collective resolve, or enough time, to pull it off. It would be delusional to think our farming efforts or even growing consumer trends towards organics is at all mainstream. The most recent surveys identified 5.5 million acres of organic farmland in the US—a tiny sliver of the 915 million acres of total national farmland. That's 0.6% operating organic and is itself largely composed of megalithic organic farms greenwashing the certification. We always knew we were weird, of course, but not that weird. Farms dedicated to soil regeneration, inherent plant health, and the nutrient-density born from it are exceedingly rare, but they are still our best way forward. I'll save the deep dive into the vast potential living soils have to offer our health and climate for a later post, but among the informed, experienced, and credentialed, the answer for our survival is written beneath our feet. It's an intense time to be alive and few can deny it. Our futures, even just a year or two out, are as uncertain as the high desert weather forecasts. We rightly question the reliability of our water tables, smokeless summers, resource accessibility, personal sovereignty and political sanity. Sometimes we have to look an ugly situation straight in the face if we're determined to find the beauty it came from. Like opening that noxious 'junk drawer' or pile in the corner to at last pick it apart piece by piece, and enjoying the relief that tiny steps of progress can offer. Overwhelm is guaranteed when we zoom out on this mess too far. There are seemingly endless junk drawers, but there are also billions of pairs of hands to help. Hands that were born to help. Like ours that demanded to reach into vibrant earth with seeds and yours that demanded to retrieve the fruits of intentional cultivation. At the farm, we zoom out once in a while to discuss dreams and plans and concerns, but we are careful to get back to the minute perfection of nature's work beyond our hands and feet. The intricate balance of microbial life within living soils is like the cosmos reflected beneath us, reminding us of how little we know and that sometimes, the smallest actions hold the greatest promise.
Inside Your Box This Week
Dandelion Greens
Hakurei Turnips Salad Mix
Dino Kale Scallions Kohlrabi
Cilantro Arugula
Carrots
Recipes Worth Trying...
{click images to go to recipe}
For supporting our small organic farm.
For helping pave a way forward for regenerative agriculture.
For investing in young farmers.
For buying local.
We're honored to nourish you!