May 2012
16 posts
“The distinction between the practical and the theoretical is used to warehouse...”
– The Practical and the Theoretical
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SARE
Hi friends of Mano Farm…just wanted to let you know about this amazing organization and their mostly-open-source information library that has been invaluable to us. The SARE – Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education website is an absolute wealth of information for gardeners and organic farmers. Pass it on…
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Fava Beans: A Little Spring On Your Plate : NPR →
Shrimp and Fava Beans with Thyme
David S. Deutsch
Pink shrimp look beautiful next to pale green fava beans in this recipe adapted from Elizabeth Schneider’s Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables (Harper & Row 1986).
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"Field Notes": Mano Farm's Community Supported...
Hey CSA members,
Apologies for the belated mid-week newsletter. We harvested fava beans for your shares this past week and I meant to say something about them. I was pretty excited about them personally because we were only intending to grow favas for our seed company and as a winter cover crop (it’s an excellent nitrogen fixer), but on a lark I decided to save a bed and see how the beans did....
Organic Food Nutrition: The Way We Eat - Is... →
organicfoodnutrition:
Whenever we speak about “organic farming”, the exact sense of “organic” is surprisingly contrasting from the word’s original interpretation. Until the middle of the 20th century it actually meant anything living or resulting from living matter. In that sense, all our food - with few…
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“If we don’t increase local self-sufficiency proactively, the reversal of...”
– Peak Oil—The Top 11 FAQs
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All About Fennel: “Field Notes,” Mano Farm’s...
Dear CSA members, The fennel bulb on the table this last week and present one is a variety called “Perfection,” which we have grown from our own seed on the farm (and if anyone is interested in growing this at home, we also offer this in our seed catalog). I meant to write about this last week, but things have been so busy here that the task just slipped away. I like fennel because when the...
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Day on the Farm in Ojai, California: Saturday, May... →
We are participating in this event, which is an open-house of six organic farms in Ojai. Please come visit us on Saturday, May 19th, from 4-6pm.
New Scientific Research Strengthens Link Between... →
Three new studies released in the past two weeks, including one today by Harvard University, add to the growing body of evidence that implicate pesticides, specifically neonicotinoids—a class of pesticides used as a seed treatment in crops—as one of the most critical factors contributing to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
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Amazon.com: Farms, Farmers, Farming in the Movies →
For anyone who’s interested in taking a historical cinematic foray into farming, check out this list compiled by RichardCG.
April 2012
31 posts
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Morels; Wild Fennel; The Future of Food Writing -... →
In continuing celebration of our Perfection Fennel crop, check out this episode of “Good Food,” which discusses foraging for fennel, among other things… (By the way, we guarantee you Mano Farm’s fennel bulbs taste better than anything you might find in the wild… and foragers, don’t confuse poison hemlock(!) for fennel!)
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Get to Know Fennel, Plus a Recipe for Salmon With... →
Once in a blue moon we grow fennel bulbs to put on our CSA table. In celebration of its return (and it’s from our own seed, a variety called “perfection”) here’s a little bit of lowdown on its health benefits.
Fennel is underutilized by many home cooks. I’m not sure why because it’s fresh (ever seen canned fennel?), uniquely flavored and super nutritious.
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Senate Committee Approves 2013 Agriculture... →
We are thrilled to report the bill approved by the Appropriations Committee endorsed the Administration’s proposal to fund for the first time the Sustainable Agriculture Federal-State Matching Grant Program as a new component of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Combined, the Committee bill provides for $22.7 million for SARE, including $3.5 million for the...
USDA Receives Over 365,000 Public Comments... →
Over 150 groups and more than 365,000 citizens from across the country are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reject a Dow Chemical application seeking approval of a controversial genetically engineered (GE) corn that is resistant to the hazardous herbicide 2,4-D. In addition to the public comments, 154 farm, environmental, health, fisheries groups and companies will submit a...
“The common assumption these days is that we muster our weapons to secure oil,...”
– The oil we eat: Following the food chain back to Iraq—By Richard Manning (Harper’s Magazine)
“When we say the soil is rich, it is not a metaphor. It is as rich in energy as...”
– The oil we eat: Following the food chain back to Iraq—By Richard Manning (Harper’s Magazine)
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Thoughts on Breeding for Organic Farms →
There is a growing realization that if organic farming is to succeed long-term it will be necessary to breed healthy, productive, nutritious crops and breeds of animals that are suited to the environments found on organic farms. Such crops and animals also need to be capable of being productive under the stresses imposed by global climatic change.
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Free Jam: It’s Time to End California’s Law... →
Although California is considered the birthplace of the local food movement in the United States and despite the tremendous enthusiasm for handmade, small-batch products nationwide, laws regulating food production are quite strict. Home-based food operations, from bread-baking to fruit-drying, are expressly prohibited.
Now, the California Homemade Food Act—which was introduced to the California...
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15 Agricultural Innovations Protecting the... →
Washington, D.C.—For the last 40 years, Earth Day has been celebrated around the world to call attention to some of our most pressing environmental and social problems, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and dwindling natural resources. This year, the Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet (www.NourishingthePlanet.org) highlights 15 agricultural innovations that are already...
Anonymous asked: Hi, moved up to Oak View about a year ago and I am starting a very small garden. I just finished build a couple of 4x10 raised planter boxes and three 3x 5 boxes on platforms for herbs and whatnots. My question is do you sell starter plants for home gardens? I just don't want to go to greenthumb and buy some of their GMO plants that are made from seeds from Monsanto. And I'm just retired...
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All Good Things Organic Seeds @ Ojai EarthPlay... →
We’ll have a table at this year’s Ojai Earth Day event, this coming Saturday, April 21st at Oak Grove School (220 West Lomita, Ojai, California) from 11am to 4pm. If you are looking for organic, local and climatically-adapted seeds for your summer garden, or just want to ask us any questions, please come visit us! We’ll also bring a decent selection of literature about seed...
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Field Notes: Mano Farm's Community Supported...
Dear CSA members,
This most recent rain was a welcome surprise, even though it was a bit intense – even breaking out into hail – at times. The earth is all the more vibrant because of it. This is also beneficial for us because we are going to be doing some perennial planting in the near future, and the soil moisture will be perfect. We’re going to be adding another 200 asparagus crowns, 100...
If you have to make priorities in terms of what... →
thegreenliferi:
This list ranks the amount of pesticides used to grow various fruits and veggies in non-organic agriculture. Helpful for those of us on a tight budget.
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“It is estimated that close to half the people in the world are deficient in...”
– Building Soils for Better Crops: Sustainable Soil Management, by Fred Magdoff and Harold Van Es, pp. 7-8
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“Imagine an economic community in which nobody could list the stakeholders or...”
– The biosphere: nature is all we have | Editorial (via jadecricket)
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"Field Notes": Mano Farm's Community Supported...
Hey CSA members.
Just a quick little update this week.
We’re going to try and post a listing of the entire CSA share on the bulletin board (this, in addition to anything that needs to be weighed by the pound) from now on. That way, folks know exactly what the share is composed of, and there will be no confusion regarding what to take. Anything that ya’ll want to trade for others items can be...
Counter Intelligence: A marijuana-infused meal?... →
The star of this meal is marijuana, but it’s the aftermath of this secret dinner that might surprise you.
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WatchIn this video, farmer and seedsman Justin Huhn explains how to fix a Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Pipe. This is an important skill that can be applied in a number of contexts, but is crucial knowledge to have on our farm, as we rely upon PVC as the material to deliver water to our crops. This will be the first in an open-ended series of videos that will convey practical skills applicable to...
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Surging Seas / Cities / Los Angeles, California →
These “map pages show threats from sea level rise and storm surge to all 3000+ coastal towns, cities, counties and states in the Lower 48.” Here’s what they list for Los Angeles: “Over 1 in 6 chance sea level rise + storm surge + tide will overtop +1ft by 2020 at nearest flood risk indicator site: Los Angeles - Outer Harbor, 27.9 miles away.”
“Q. Do you think farmers have to be better marketers?
A. If they want to...”
– “A growing movement: Advice to new farmers from the founder and president of High Mowing Organic Seeds” (Boston Globe, December 1, 2010)
March 2012
27 posts
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