Posts

sustainable farming compost

4 reasons to support sustainable farming

/in , /by

And all 4 reasons make your life better!

– By the Veggie Fairy Team

That’s Farmer Charlie of Victory Farms in Henrico County, Va., in the photo. He clearly loves his compost, but why should you care about sustainable farming if you’re not a farmer? There are four good reasons why, and they all make our lives better. But first…

What is sustainable farming?

The USDA defines sustainable agriculture as “the production of plant or animal products using techniques that protect the environment and the welfare of humans and animals.”

Sustainable agriculture is focused on finding the right balance between our need to produce food and our need to preserve the environmental ecosystems that sustain our one-and-only planet.

One thing sustainable farming is NOT, is industrial. Industrial agriculture uses industrial techniques, including a heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. That’s how they churn out huge volumes of crops and livestock. Industrial farming operations often treat the plants, animals, and humans involved like inanimate parts on a factory assembly line instead of like living things.

And what are sustainable farming methods?

To grow our food, farmers need clean water and good soil, and they have to be able to keep certain pests from eating up their crops before we can even take a bite. Sustainable methods make all that happen with a minimum of toxic chemicals.

CROP ROTATION avoids the problems that build up when you plant the same crops in the same soil year after year. Many pests prefer specific crops and are happy to settle in, gorge on the steady food supply, and boost their numbers. Rotation breaks the pests’ reproduction cycle. Changing up the crops also changes what the plants take out of the soil and put back into it, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. Farmers with pasture-raised cattle and chickens rotate them, too, fertilizing each field they pass through.

COVER CROPS are also used in the rotation process. In between the main crops, farmers plant cover crops like clover or oats. The cover crops prevent soil erosion, suppress weeds, and improve the soil quality without chemical fertilizers or herbicides.

SOIL ENRICHMENT produces good, healthy soil that’s full of life, which increases crop yield. In addition to cover crops, other sustainable methods of enrichment include leaving stalks and leaves to compost in the field after harvest, and using other composted plant material or animal manure. Some farmers rotate their cattle through harvested fields to graze on the leavings. They can be followed by chickens that eat the bugs in the cow manure, while adding their own rich manure to the mix — making them an all-natural source of fertilizer and pest management!

NATURAL PEST PREDATORS like pasture-raised chickens are an integral part of a farm that’s treated as an ecosystem instead of a factory. In addition to predator birds, there are predator insects like ladybugs and certain wasps that eat crop-eating insects. But when pesticides are used indiscriminately, the good insects get killed along with the pests. So integrated pest management relies on pest predators, crop rotation, and special techniques like introducing sterile male pests. Chemical solutions are only used as a last resort.

WATER & FUEL CONSERVATION includes drip irrigation instead of overhead spraying, so water isn’t wasted through evaporation. Many sustainable farmers also use solar or wind energy to power water pumps and electrical fencing.

And now… here are four reasons why all these methods make our lives better!

REASON #1: MORE NUTRITIOUS FOOD

Sustainable food is grown with fewer toxic chemicals in naturally enriched soil. Sustainably grown crops and animals absorb or eat those nutrients, producing food that’s more nutritious and less toxic.

REASON #2: SAFER ENVIRONMENT

Reducing pollution, chemical use, and soil erosion improves air and water quality for all of us. Fewer asthma triggers and carcinogens are good our health. And by working with nature instead of fighting it, sustainable farmers maintain bio-diversity and functioning eco-systems that the environment needs to stay healthy, too. Sustainable farmers continuously replenish the land so it will be there for future generations.

REASON #3: HAPPIER ANIMALS

Pasture-raised animals can engage in their natural behaviors and eat their natural diet. Not only are the animals happier and healthier, they produce food for us that’s richer in nutrients and healthy fats. And knowing that the animals are being treated humanely just feels good, too.

REASON #4: HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES

Sustainable farmers are exposed to fewer toxins, reduce their costs, and boost their crop yields. So they’re better able to make a living while simultaneously feeding the rest of us and reducing pollution. That contributes to a community with a stronger economy and a healthier environment, the kind of place we all want to live.

So how can you tell if your food was grown sustainably?

It can be hard for the average person to figure out whether each item they eat was produced using sustainable methods. There’s no “sustainable” label at the grocery store. The best solution is to go local and get to know all the farmers who grow your food. Yet that would be seriously time-consuming.

Fortunately, here at Seasonal Roots we check out the local farmers for you. So all you have to do is enjoy the food!

Read about the sustainable practices of these typical Seasonal Roots farmers:
Appalachian Harvest
Keenbell Farm
Saddle Ridge Farm
Victory Farms

For a deeper dive into the health benefits of eating sustainably, read the research collected by the GRACE Communications Foundation, a private foundation that advocates for sustainable alternatives.

ABOUT SEASONAL ROOTS

Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our veggie fairies – mostly moms who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, eggs, grass-fed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.

probiotics prebiotics local food

Boost gut health with probiotics & prebiotics

/in , /by

The local foods that have them may surprise you!


– By the Veggie Fairy Team

You’ve probably heard of probiotics. But do you know exactly what they are, why they’re important, and that there are a lot of foods you can get them from? Turns out local food is a great source for this vital part of a healthy gut!

What are probiotics?

Most probiotics are “good” bacteria, though some species of yeast have also been ID’d as having probiotic qualities. Once these beneficial micro-organisms are ingested, they set up housekeeping in your digestive tract. The friendly microbes are believed to help you digest your food properly and may protect you from harmful bacteria that cause disease.

What are prebiotics? Are they related?

They are! Prebiotics are nondigestible carbohydrates that act as food for probiotics. So you can boost the probiotics in your gut by feeding them prebiotics. The term “synbiotics” refers to foods or products that have both probiotics and prebiotics.

Check out the health benefits!

According to the Mayo Clinic, there’s evidence that probiotics may help:

  • Treat diarrhea, especially after taking certain antibiotics (which can kill the beneficial bacteria in your gut)
  • Treat irritable bowel syndrome
  • Speed treatment of certain intestinal infections
  • Prevent or reduce the severity of colds and flu
  • Ease allergic disorders such as eczema and hay fever

    • Scientists are also studying probiotics and prebiotics to see if they’re effective (and safe) in treating other diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. More research is definitely needed!

    Eat your way to a healthy gut

    You don’t have to take supplements to boost the good work that probiotics are doing inside you. In fact, the best way to get most of the micro-organisms, compounds, minerals, and vitamins that you need is from real live food, not pills. When you get it from food, it’s easier for your body to absorb it and put it to work.

    Here are the local foods to look for

    Both probiotics and the prebiotics that fuel them can be found in lots of local foods. In prepared foods, the key to probiotics is often fermentation. A fermented dairy product like YOGURT contains both live bacteria and the fuel they need to thrive. The local supplier in our online farmers market is Trickling Springs Creamery. Using grassfed milk from local farmers, they make minimally processed yogurt, and BUTTERMILK that’s rich in probiotics, too.

    Fermented dairy’s not your thing? Then how about SOURDOUGH BREAD, like the sourdough boule baked in Ashland, Va., by La Bella Vita Bakery. The fermentation is in the sourdough starter that makes it rise, and sourdough is a source of probiotics.

    For additional tasty ways to get your priobiotics, try naturally fermented SOUR PICKLES, KRAUT, or KIMCHI. Any naturally pickled vegetable will get the job done. Matt’s Dirty Pickles are fermented in brine in Midlothian, Va.

    The prebiotics that feed probiotics can be found in local foods, too. Fresh produce like GREENS (including kale and spinach), ONIONS, LEEKS, GARLIC, and ASPARAGUS, and foods like WHOLE GRAINS, LEGUMES, and HONEY can all be had from local farmers and food artisans in our online farmers market. Yummvees vegan meals are made in Midlothian, and are full of legumes and whole grains. The bees of Alfredo’s Beehive gather their nectar in the toxin-free fields of Manokin-Sabot, Va., and produce the most amazing local honey.

    Are probiotics safe?

    If you’re getting extra probiotics and prebiotics from the food you eat, side effects are rare. Most healthy adults can safely add probiotic and prebiotic-rich foods to their diets. If you’re considering taking supplements, though, check with your doctor to be sure they’re right for you.

    Want to learn more about prebiotics and probiotics? The National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic are both good places to start.

    ABOUT SEASONAL ROOTS

    Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our veggie fairies – mostly moms who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, eggs, grass-fed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.

    local family farms

    Love local family farms!

    /in , /by

    Get to know one of the families who feed your family


    – By the Veggie Fairy Team

    Well, it’s February, and thanks to Valentine’s Day, this is a month that’s all about love and relationships. That perfectly describes how we feel about our farmers and food artisans — we’re falling in love with fresher, more nutritious and tasty local food, and building relationships with the people who grow and make it.

    Last week we all got to know Tracy, one of our newest food artisans and maker of vegan meals, desserts, and snacks. (Read her story: Out of tragedy, a vegan dream is born.) This week, we’d like to introduce you to one of our longtime, old school family farmers: Chris of Deer Run Farm.

    We fairies asked our farmer connector, Sam, what kind of crops Chris harvests for us. Sam started to run through a long list: “Cabbages, all kinds of tomatoes and radishes, broccoli, eggplant, several varieties of peppers, red potatoes, curly kale, collards,” before he ran out of breath and added, “Just to name a few!” There are beautiful photos of Chris’s harvests on the Deer Run Farm Facebook page.

    This weekend, in the middle of winter, we have Chris’s sweet potatoes in our online farmers market. So you can tell it’s quiet on the farm this time of year. Quiet enough for Chris to sit down and talk with us for a little bit. He says he likes meeting the families who buy his produce.

    Veggie Fairy:

    When you meet them, what do they ask you?

    Chris:

    How do you do it all?!

    They look at everything we’re growing and that’s what they want to know. You get up when the sun comes up and work ’til 10-11 o’clock at night. You just work ’til the work is done. You rest up in the winter. But next week already we’ll be getting started in the greenhouse. We’ll start our seedlings of tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower and later we’ll transplant them to the fields. That way the produce is ready earlier in the season.

    Veggie Fairy:

    When you say ‘we’, who’s working with you?

    Chris:

    Mostly my family.

    My mom Mildred, my wife Britney, and my two daughters, Emily and Sidney, plus a few hired hands in the summer. And my in-laws help out at the farmers markets. We’re all right here on the farm. My mom’s in the house I grew up in, and I bought the old 100-year-old farmhouse across the road.
    (Watch a video of the girls transplanting seedlings from the back of one of Chris’s antique tractors!)

    Veggie Fairy:

    So tell us about your tractors!

    Chris:

    I have a lot of old tractors.

    With the old ones, I can work on them. Most of mine are from the ’70s. The newer tractors are all computerized, and someone else has to hook them up to a computer to figure out what’s wrong. With mine, I can do the work myself.
    (Watch a video that shows how the wheels of one of his old tractors are designed to avoid crushing the seedlings his girls are planting.)

    Veggie Fairy:

    Have you always been a farmer?

    Chris:

    I was born into it.

    My father and grandfather farmed in the Short Pump area near Richmond, back when it was fields and forests instead of malls and big box stores. Then in 1979, when I was 5, we moved out here to King William County and we’ve been farming this 100 acres ever since. I like working outside. When I got older I worked as a machinist during the day and farmed at night. I did that for 15 years ’til I got let go, and I thought, well, I’ll try farming fulltime. I’ve been doing that since 2005, so it’s turning out all right. The members of Seasonal Roots and Dominion Harvest (FAIRY NOTE: Seasonal Roots and Dominion Harvest joined forces last year) — the support of their members has been helpful because you can plant more knowing you have an outlet.

    Veggie Fairy:

    What kind of sustainable farming methods do you use?

    Chris:

    We use drip irrigation to conserve water, and we’re low- or no-spray.

    We don’t spray for pests unless we see something, and we aim for a one-day interval. That means it’s the kind of thing that disappears quickly so you can get back in the field within one day. We keep our own bees and we don’t want to kill the bees. We also use drip application, so we don’t spray it on the fruit.
    (Watch a video of pollinators hard at work on Deer Run Farm.)

    *

    Family farms like Chris’s are the heart of Seasonal Roots and the local food movement. If you want peace of mind about the food you’re eating, you have to know and trust the farmers!

    ABOUT SEASONAL ROOTS


    Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our veggie fairies – mostly moms who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, eggs, grass-fed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.