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Friday, August 14, 2009
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Who IS in Control?
Here's another post I wrote for the Bozeman Co-op farm blog. I believe this is important enough to share. These are the battles we face when trying to provide good food (and a little beauty) to the public. It's just too bad we are not trusted to be smart enough to make our own decisions. But the Big Brother knows best, right? 
My little hometown Manhattan Farmer's Market has been a great source of pride for me personally. I was on the committee to get it going and threw out a few ideas in the first meetings. I am happy to report that 3 years later, it's a successful little market. The road to success is not always a smooth one and as a vendor I've hit a few bumps.
My son has been growing some mushrooms this summer as a hobby. I was so excited to be able to take some to the market to sell for him. My excitement quickly turned to disappointment when I was told I couldn't sell them. I did anyway. I just couldn't believe that was true.
The next morning I called the Gallatin Co. Health Dept. and was told that their concern was with wild mushrooms, not commercial strains. There are, however, no laws against selling wild mushrooms, it's just frowned upon because of the ability to misidentify wild mushrooms.
Ok, that case was solved.
The following week I thought I might try to sell some Iris rhizomes. I was told again that I couldn't sell them with out a nurseryman's license which cost $25 and if caught selling without the license I could receive a hefty fine.
Now this week at the market the "organic" issue came up. It seems as though there were one or two vendors the previous week using the "O" word without certification. Darn if someone didn't call the Organic Police on them! The market director did explained that anyone selling $5000 or under can use the word "organic" without going through the certification process. Huh? I hadn't heard that one before!
By now my head is spinning. How can something so simple as growing your own fruits, vegetables and flowers be so complicated? In a word; Government.
I had some questions and I wanted some answers. After waiting for days for a return call from the UDSA in Helena, I finally resorted to my Women Of The Dirt friends. We are a group of about 60 women who all grow sustainably. (My guess is that within a year or two, I won't be able to use that word without threat of a severe penalty too!) I knew in a group that large, someone should have some answers and I was correct.
Allison Rooney of Turning Earth Enterprises, Inc (and Cloud Nine Farm) was gracious enough to provide me with the answer to the nurseryman's license. Here's what she told me.
The 2009 legislature passed two bills, HB478 and Senate 38, that became effective on April 28 of this year. The definition of a "small plant vendor" was developed for Montana nurseries that sell or distribute nursery stock grown in Montana, and has gross annual sales of less than $1000. This means if you are a small plant vendor, you are required to have a nursery license but are exempt from fees. Not exempt from auditing, though. There is a $25 application fee with a late fee of an additional $25 for all applicants. License fee, which are additional, run between $50 and $160 on up depending on your sales. The state now requires a signed and notarized gross annual sales affidavit from the Dept of Revenue, One stop licensing or the Dept of Ag. to be submitted with all applications and annual renewals. There are other tiers of licensing based upon greater amount of sales, state of wholesale nursery/plant origin. If you sell more than $10,000 in plant material, you need a license for every sale/distribution location (one for every different farmer's market you attend for example). You can contact 406.444.9430 for more info on nursery laws, administrative rules, what nursery stock exactly is (rhizomes?) and whether you need a license, or email the state dept. of agriculture at: agr@mt.gov. There is a web site too...www.agr.mt.gov/crops/nursery.asp
I also heard from someone who had used the word organic and is not certified. Someone reported it to the state. In the organic certification information she received from the state it says:
There is an exception for "anyone who: sells less that $5,000 per year in organic products". The information goes on to say that "Despite being exempt from certification, such small-scale producers must abide by the national standards for organic products. It is their responsibility to know and understand the organic standards and document that they are in compliance. Exempt operations may be inspected or investigated by state or federal officials and are subject to a $10,000 fine if found to be marketing in violation of the national standards."
I have my answers, but I can't say that I'm happy about what I've learned.
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
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My Farmer's Market Table
This is my little table at Farmer's Market. I am only selling my excess garden produce, but I have been pleased. I had 3 little artichokes for sale and that tickled me. I sold all 3. It's amazing to me that we can grow them here!
From the left (you can't see my basket of yarn from my sheep) on the table, my friend Sarah's soap. Farm eggs, russian sage & chives in back of the eggs, zucchini, patty pan squash and artichokes in the basket behind the eggs, Walla Walla Sweet onions in front, fennel, beets and in the back kale, collards and lettuce. I also had sweet basil. There's more in the coolers, but I only put out enough to show in the 90 degree temps.
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Thursday, July 31, 2008
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Who Is Your Farmer?
I came across this quote and wanted to share it. It's timeless!
If people let the government decide what foods they eat and
what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in
as sorry a state as are the souls who live under tyranny.
-- Thomas Jefferson
I've been doing fairly well at the little local market. My goal is to just sell my surplus garden stuff and keep it to no more than 3 coolers, the KISS method! (Keep it simple stupid!) One cooler is a big, giant Costco cooler and it is about all I can do to lift it. I think twice I had 3 coolers full, but 2 is even better, on the back anyway! I am always amazed at how the one and two dollar items add up to just under $100 a week! I get to do a little trading afterwards too!
As I was walking though the garden today, I was pleasantly surprised to find 2 little yellow patty pan squash smiling up at me today! I was not good about writing down what I planted where, so I am forever looking in the squash or other vine plants to see if there's any "fruit" on the vine. I was beginning to think the patty pan just didn't come up, but there it was! I was so excited I called Jacy (the woman who had the garden here before) and left her a message! It doesn't take much to excite me! I love those squash sauteed in a little butter and sprinkled with parmesan! The whole reason I went out to the garden was to map it out. I had a clipboard and paper in hand and just penciled in what I planted where. It will help me to remember in the future so I don't plant members of the same family in the same spot 2 years running. This is all new to me since I've not had a vegetable garden of my own to tend in over 20 years. Lots of stuff is coming back to me though. I suppose it's like riding a bike!
Oh........I ate my first Sungold tomato too! I call them garden candy! |
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Saturday, July 26, 2008
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Busy Summer Days!
Things are really popping around here. My garden is producing well and I even have a enough to set up a small table at the local farmer's market. I have been selling there each Wednesday evening for a month now. Some of the things I have sold are 3 different kinds of beautiful lettuce heads, fennel, chard, kale, garlic scapes, Russian sage, leaf lettuce, hmmmmm......I am sure there's more, but that's all that comes to my mind at the moment.
This garden has been interesting. I had read a little bit about lasagne gardening before I planted, so I used a "sloppy" method of lasagne gardening on part of it to see what would happen and what the difference is. I am amazed. I chose the area of the former garden where Matt and Jacy had their green house to be the location of my garden. I was dreading the clean up part of the tomato vines, etc. do I just put old leaves, which had been in black plastic bags all winter, straw, and compost right over the top. I just went to work planting right in that stuff. The next area is where I planted my corn. I got some recycled black plastic from a dairy and put it down for my corn. I had a long, flat stick and I measured off every 12" and then used it as a guide to cut holes in the plastic to plant my corn. I am really pleased with that technique. My corn is growing well and if I can keep the raccoons out of it, I just may have some for the freezer.
The next area of the garden I had tilled, which I hope to never do again. You can't imagine how many more weeds are in that area. I planted carrots, beets and beans in that part and it has been the most labor intensive so far as far as weeding goes. I have been so enamored with the lasagne gardening technique that I finally ordered the book. It's basically the same premise, but you put down cardboard or heavy layers of newspaper before you put down the layers of compost, etc.
One fun thing about my garden is the many surprises. I saw a yellow blossom over in the zucchini, so I went to check it out. I thing squash blossoms are about the most beautiful blossom! When I looked down, not only was there a blossom, but a zucchini! It doesn't take much to excite me!
The other surprises are the ones that have come up from seed from the previous gardeners. I found a tomato plant growing in the beans, tomatillos growing near the pumpkins, swiss chard scattered about, a cute little Johnny jump up violet, dill, broccoli that's getting florets, and there's lettuce everywhere that came back from last year! Discovering these little treasures has been a lot of fun.
One thing about it, it keeps me busy! |
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Sunday, July 13, 2008
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Free Food?
Yes, free for the pickin'! I am talking about eating weeds! Did you know that 80% of what we call weeds today were actually brought over in the form of seeds on the ships with our ancestors for medicinal purposes!?
I have long known that purslane is edible, but until just the other day I was afraid to try it. My cousin and his wife came out and we walked through the garden. She picked a piece and popped it in her mouth, giving me the courage to do the same. It has a slightly tart flavor and she said it's loaded with omega 3s. Her husband, my cousin Bill, loves it on BLTs instead of the lettuce!
She also showed me lamb's quarters. She called it pig weed, but the pig weed I know is different and I have LOTS of it, so I showed her what I call pig weed. She didn't know if it was edible, but the lamb's quarters tastes a lot like spinach. It's also called goose foot, because of the shape of the leaf. It's one of the best sources of beta-carotene, calcium, potassium, and iron in the world; also a great source of trace minerals, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, and fiber. It's a European relative of spinach and beets.
The last one I am going to write about is pig weed. This one is red root pig weed. I discovered that pigweed is a common name given to any plant that was used as pig fodder. We have LOTS of pig weed here. You can eat the tender, young leaves or wait and harvest the seeds to use in like poppy seeds.
The thing that is amazing is the nutrition in these weeds. I would caution you not to pick from road-sides. Often times that is sprayed and/or very dusty if it's a dirt road. I am told the exhaust fumes collect there too, but I would think it would have to be a very busy road.
Here's a link to an interesting site I discovered while searching for edible weeds. He has great pics and descriptions as well as nutritional values and recipes. http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Plants.html
Enjoy! |
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Thursday, July 10, 2008
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Goings On
I've been super busy around here and I'm loving it. The only problem is that at night I'm over-tired and so sore I can't sleep! But, hard work is not a bad thing!
My garden is progressing right along and I am quite pleased. I am calling it my recycled garden or my friendship garden, for without each it would not be doing as well as it is. I've been fortunate to have my friends, Matt & Jacy, give me some seedlings and that sure gives the garden an instant perk up! Nothing like planting seedlings and seeing instant progress.
I've been selling at the local Farmer's Market the last 2 Wednesdays and I've been pleased. I've had eggs, kale, leaf and head lettuce, bok choy and fennel. Yesterday I picked 25 lbs of garlic scapes that a neighbor is growing and I sold some of them. Garlic scape pesto is AWESOME. Try it! I also sold some of my friend's goat milk soap as well as some of my yarn. I've had a lot of fun doing it.
In addition to all of that, I got a call from the local Post Office. Their question was, "Would you like some more chicks?" Who me?  Of course! So I asked what happened. It seems as though someone ordered 25 chicks and never picked them up. I had to wait until closing to pick them up, but I added them to my batch here at home. One had died at the PO and 4 more died here within a short time, but the rest are all doing fine. They had just gone too long without food. The man at the PO gave them water. I told him if it ever happens again, call me and I will bring them some food!
So, there you have a little update of my crazy life! |
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