Our hearts are heavy for the people of Haiti suffering from the disastrous earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they endure unimaginable hardship.
The cold weather has taken a break with the temperatures rising above 50. The moderation is forecast to last several days so we are planning to be at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market this Saturday from 10:00 until 3:00. The cold has damaged the greens so we will not have anything from the garden until they grow out again. We have a good supply of grass fed Jersey beef, pasture raised chicken, and pastured free-range eggs. Remember we recycle egg cartons and can use all you bring.
We have had plenty of chores to keep us busy this winter. One of these is working on our new greenhouse. We plan to use it for vegetable and herb plants grown without added chemicals as well as a few vegetables.
One of the things we have been thinking about is with new techniques we are able to grow vegetables almost year-round. This involves the use of ’season extenders’ such as row covers, hoop houses, cold frames, high tunnels, and climate controlled greenhouses. All these structures require a considerable investment. It has always been traditional for farmers markets to operate only during the natural growing season so many people stop going when cold weather arrives. We can grow local food in the off season but there must be a market to justify the investment. Of course, this would require an adjustment in the thinking and shopping habits of our customers. We are planning to gradually move in this direction and hope you will support us.
The use of closed in structures to protect customers and vendors from inclement weather would sure be a plus. Most farm markets were designed to be used only in the summer. Well, maybe in the future…. Hey, I understand there are about 13 indoor farm markets in NYC that are open all year.
According to reports there is now research to support the health dangers of GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) In an article published by the Huffington Post three of Monsanto’s GMO corn varieties were linked to organ failure in rats. This constitutes scientific proof that genetically modified seeds are dangerous to your health. Products derived from these seeds, such as corn, are in virtually every prepared food/drink product sold in the USA. It will probably be impossible to avoid GMO’s altogether but you can sure limit your exposure to them.
The organic standards forbids the use of GMO seeds of any kind. So if you purchase organic products you can be assured you are free from the danger as much as possible. However, prepared products that do not say 100% organic may still have GMO’s in some ingredients.
Although we are not certified organic, at Peterson Farm we follow the organic standards. We do not use any GMO seeds. We use organically grown seeds whenever possible. Most are heirlooms or open pollinated (non-hybrid). A few are F1 hybrids(first generation) which have been around long before GMO’s were developed. We save some of our own seed, in fact, we have a few varieties of family heirlooms available nowhere else. We wish the USDA would follow the lead of some European countries and ban GMO seeds altogether.
With the temperatures forecast to be in the 50’s Saturday we hope you will come out of hibernation and visit with us at the market. We will be delighted to see you!