Sarah Amandolare asks Is Personal Farming the Next Big Green Business? (Finding Dulcinea, June 15).
From buying organic at the store, a number of people are turning some if not all of their gardens and lawns from grass to productive.
Not everyone has the skills, the time or the envy to get their hands dirty which has brought a new crop of services.
As Sarah Amandolare notes "the newest way to achieve such lofty ecological goals is to hire a
personal farmer, a professional who builds a garden of healthy fruits
and vegetables, and returns weekly to tend to it."
Gary Vosejpka, owner of Thorn Crest Farms in Dundas (Minnesota) is one of them.
As Sarah also notes another way to support local farming and fresh and seasonal produce is taking part in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) offered across the US by many such as Thorn Crest Farms in Dundas (Minnesota).
Dedicated to the idea, Local Harvest outlines what CSA brings to the table:
Advantages for farmers:
- Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
- Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm's cash flow
- Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow
Advantages for consumers:
- Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
- Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
- Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
- Find that kids typically favor food from "their" farm – even veggies they've never been known to eat
- Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown
Let's not forget community gardens where urban dwellers might be able to get their hands dirty while benefiting of the knowledge of veterans.
In the garden for Green Day # 81