On-line Farmer's Market

Unlike other co-ops, buying clubs, or CSAs where everyone gets the same box of stuff (and you don't know what you're getting until you get it), with Locally Grown you get to order what you want, in the quantities that you want, from the farms that you want. The weekly email lists the produce, milled products, fresh flowers, and artisan goods available that week, and you can browse the items on this website before you place your order.

Why Support Locally Grown?

Enhance local economy: By purchasing produce and other goods from local growers you are providing stability to your local economy through the support of local businesses.

Save natural resources: Buying locally makes you an invaluable link in the process of saving resources such as fossil fuels and packaging materials. Also, we are right here in your community so the expense of transportation and delivery is kept to a minimum.

Provide learning opportunities: Locally Grown supporters provide member growers the means to help educate our community about the importance of sustainable agriculture, health, and community events. 

Supporting a way of life: The number of small farms in the United States has decreased dramatically in the last decade. Please help us preserve an honest and worthy means of making a living. To learn more, click here!

by Ian Fine

With this being the first full season for our solar greenhouse  (frequently referred to as a high tunnel), we're adapting to a commonly encountered pest: the flea beetle. Flea beetle is the general name applied to the small, jumping beetles of the leaf beetle family, Chrysomelidae. Though unrelated to parasitic fleas, these beetles evolved similar jumping ability, hence giving them their common name. In addition to jumping, they also have wings, thus providing another mode of transport from plant to plant.

Flea beetles may be beneficial or may be pests, depending on the species. Some species, like the corn flea beetle, will attack many different crops, but most species prefer a small group of related plants. On vegetable farms in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, one can find the horseradish flea beetle, potato flea beetle, and spinach flea beetle, to name a few. Some of the most problematic flea beetles are two that attack brassicas, or crucifers: the crucifer flea beetle, which is all black, and the striped flea beetle, which is black with two light tan stripes on its back.

On common brassica vegetable crops of European origin, such as broccoli and collards, the first leaves to emerge on these crops are very attractive to flea beetles, but as the plants grow and the leaves become waxier it is difficult for beetles to grasp and feed on them. So, once seedlings have grown beyond the two- or three-leaf stage, flea beetles tend to be less of a threat. There are, however, some brassica crops that have non-waxy leaves (particularly those of Asian origin) which are easier for beetles to get a hold of and feed on. Some favored crops we're growing include tatsoi, mizuna, and mustards. Other highly attractive brassicas include radish, daikon and arugula. We've learned that these crops remain vulnerable to flea beetle damage at all stages of their growth. 

So being organically certified, how do we deal with these pests? An approved insecticide spray containing pyrethrins (derived from chrysanthemums) has been our go-to solution for brassicas, with some success, though the sunlight quickly degrades the chemicals, reducing their efficacy. With the advent of warm weather, damage to our solanum (tomato, eggplant, etc.) seedlings from some flea beetles has been a concern. Two methods we've tried have been using kaolin clay sprayed onto leaf surfaces or mulching with peppermint. The former reduces the edibility of the crop for the flea beetle, while the latter is a deterrent due to its menthol content. Similarly, we've had some success with each of these methods, though there are no magic bullets.

For more info on flea beetle life-cycles & control, go here!

hps://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/f 

Fennel Coleslaw with an Herbed Vinaigrette

 

Here at Wild Meadows Farm we have the advantage of meeting many different people who come to work and learn. Naturally they bring their favorite recipes to share with us and we quickly adapt them to use whatever we have growing on the farm. Feel free to replace the herbs with what you have available to you, and get creative with some of the other ingredients too!

 

Ingredients

Biointensive Farming: Human Powered and Ecologically-Friendly 

Cover Crops and Compost Crops IN Your Garden

The way to a healthy garden is to feed the soil & build the ecosystem. Since starting our certified organic production in 2009, we decided to go with the biointensive and human powered way of growing food for ourselves and our community. Growing cover & compost crops in your garden will help you do that and set you on the path to sustainability!

WILD MEADOWS FARM is offering an exciting line-up of educational and community activities and events in 2011. Receive up-to-the-minute information by following WILDMEADOWSFARM on Twitter- an information sharing network.

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And never again miss any of our educational and community events.