Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

Rain, rain, and more rain. Not the mountain rain we are used to, coastal rain that is lighter, softer. We were inundated yesterday, with people and water. Like some sort of trench warfare where we stood in puddles slinging organics instead of hand grenades. From 12:00-2:00 yesterday the vendor tent was packed wall-to-wall with people tasting the locally produced cheeses and beer of the California hardworking producers. Some very tasty creations, including one very memorable soft fresh cheese by Cow Girl Creamery on a light cracker, very tasty.

Three meals a day we consume the most tasty organic creations you can imagine and chat with important movers-and-shakers in the organics field, and of course drink coffee from Cafe Mam. A few names of people that come to mind are Greg Massa from Massa Organics an organic rice producer for 12 farmers markets around the Hamilton area. We also spoke with a few locals from Nevada County, like Daniel Nicholson who works a farm and vegetable stand in North San Juan, and on also conducts “Mushroom Walks” collecting delectable fungi from the woods and rural areas.

Between attending the booth we have also attended a few talks and workshops. There is nothing more inspiring than bearing witness to the zeal of highly educated individuals discussing their passion. Yesterday we listened to the discussion of organic farming for the new era. It is interesting to think that when this movement first began, about thirty odd years ago, 1/10th of 1% of food production was organic. Now we hold 3% of the market. This seems both small, but also hopeful. Small because it seems like all people should demand high quality organic food, but hopeful because each year this number grows, and it is only a matter of time before the old ways of conventional food production will fall by the waist side like DDT or fluoride in the water (oh wait, I think they still put fluoride in the water). Anyways, we are on the cusp of something great, and with each passing year wholesome, healthy and sustainable food production become more of a reality.

For any of you who have had the pleasure of attending the Eco-Farm conference, or at the very least visited the Asilomar Center in Pacific Grove, you can understand how excited we are to be here for the 30th anniversary of this amazing and very important event. Besides being held in the most breathtaking oceanside venue, this place is full of very motivated, highly interesting individuals who, although they come from all different walks of life and professions, all have one thing in common, the commitment to organic agriculture and sustainable living. There is nothing like being involved in something like this, it is truly inspiring to see this group of people who are vibrant full of life and compassionate about something greater than themselves.

Today is the first full day, and after two organic meals prepared with ingredients generously donated by growers from all over California, a fantastic cup of organic coffee from Cafe Mam (pronounced mom), a truly thoughtful speech from one of the originators of the organic movement, Frances Moore Lappé who wrote Diet for a Small Planet, we are hyped to start the day and see face to face many people that we speak to on the phone daily. I will try to keep you all updated on what is going on, and the experiences that mold this great event. The above picture is an image of our booth in the Vendor Tent – and Dan Lake our Account Manager (he looks so chipper doesn’t he?). Today is a good day to Grow Organic… for life!

Chef Roderick Williams of the “New Horseshoe Bar and Grill” in Loomis, CA demonstrated seasonal cooking using local, organic sources at the 2009 PlacerGrown Conference. He explained how, in his experience, using seasonal ingredients results in the freshest and most nutritious meals. Getting to know local farmers provides the added bonus of feeling “connected” and involved in the community. While chopping up the ingredients, he encouraged local growers to just show up at the back door of the restaurant to show him their stuff. He said he often will buy whatever they have and create a Special dish for that same night!

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Here’s the meal he created for those in attendance:

Grass fed Goat (raised by local farmer Dan Macon, Flying Mule Farm http://flyingmulefarm.com/) with Balsamic Reduction

Fennel and Cauliflower Risotto with Sage browned butter

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So delicious and so fresh!

I had the opportunity to represent Peaceful Valley at the 2009 PlacerGrown Conference (Feb. 7 in Lincoln, CA). It was a great event attended by the “who’s who” of small scale agriculture in Placer and Nevada Counties. There were many workshops focused on the following “Strands”, or topics: Community, Getting Started in Farming, Miscellaneous (included workshops on honeybees, producing firewood, and carbon sequestration in agriculture), Farming & Ranching as a Business, Marketing, Interns, and Livestock. Workshop facilitators included Dan Macon, Roger Ingram, Keith Crabtree, Cindy Fake, and Carol Arnold, all very reputable and knowledgeable people involved in agriculture.

Jim Gates (“Meat Jim”), High Sierra Grass Fed Beef

I was especially excited by the Keynote speaker, Micheal Dimock of “Roots of Change” (ROC), a collaborative of people intent on establishing a sustainable food system in California by the year 2030. ROC has a strategy to get critical people and groups working together to establish political momentum, informational links, cohesive vision, and needed grant money. His talk was both intellectual and inspiring; I walked out with a larger view of the complexities involved but hope of the real possibility of a sustainable food system. Check out the website http://www.rocfund.org/, and be sure to endorse the “Declaration For Healthy Food and Agriculture”.

I’d encourage anyone in the Placer/Nevada County area interested in local agriculture to attend next years’ conference!