Consumers’ heightened concerns about farm practices and food safety have resulted in much media coverage, and in some cases, confusion. Here are the answers to some of the key questions regarding agricultural practices, especially use of manure, and how those practices do or do not correlate to food safety issues.

Organic gardening starts with soil building, so serious growers will not skimp on manure when they expand to new growing spaces. You may have a great source for good manure or need a new source; you may know how to safely compost it and plant in it or need to learn; you may have an easy way to transport it by the ton or you may wish you had.

Let us know if you have a need or can help others with their manure needs. We'll try to connect those who have organic gold with those who don't.

Your CSA Pushes the Limits

The CSA model was developed to help eaters support their local growers by paying up front and getting a portion of the harvest all season long. As a result, consumers also learn to eat in season, a flavor adventure influenced by fresh lemon balm and sage or blue-oyster mushrooms, for example. WIB, Inc. sees the demand for local vegetables increasing faster than growers can keep up with it in the coming years. We've helped growers expand to meet the demand with new drip irrigation systems and access to small scale soil working equipment. Your subscription doesn't only get you the best local veggies, but it will be invested directly in local growers.

Download the slide show/handouts here: Spring Workshop 5-5-2012

At our April Open Meeting last week, we heard from a farmer preparing to expand production on his and his wife's ten acres downstream from Wheatfield Lake, just west of the Chuska Mountains. The reservoir's irrigation system there recently has been updated, providing reliable water to Navajo farmers on hundreds of acres for the first time in decades. The Wheatfields farmers have been working hard for many years to achieve this renovation milestone and now are thinking about what to plant besides the standard hay. They might consider planting vegetables, which might then be available to us in Gallup.

It's interesting to consider that when farmers choose to plant people food rather than animal food, it more efficiently turns irrigation water into human life. It takes about 100 times more water to produce a pound of meat than to produce a pound of grain*.

Of all of the ideas jotted down on the white board that evening, the most significant and most welcome to the Wheatfields farmer was the idea of organizing a volunteer harvest event in the late summer, to bring in all the vegetables he might grow. This sounds like a plan that would benefit both the farmer trying new crops and those wanting to stay connected to the land and people who grow the food they eat. It just might be a perfect match for our mission as a charitable organization.

Would you be interested in a day trip to lovely Wheatfields, AZ in September to help this farmer harvest? How about to other farms nearby? Your reply may boost a farmer's confidence in trying new crops this year, so be sure to drop us a line and we'll pass it along.

Earth Day feasting on in-season veggies

Whether you have an item or two from your spring CSA share to finish up before the next week or are buying more in-season produce from your nearest co-op or supermarket, a few ideas about what to do with roots, herbs, and spring greens may be helpful:

• Beets and turnips are a delicacy when sliced, spritzed with oil, and roasted in the oven. You will want to eat a whole plate full.
• Sauteed bitter greens balance the sweetness of carmelized onions. Try them together on a pizza. Add goat cheese and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
• Fresh herbs such as rosemary and mint have unrivaled potency compared to dried herbs in the spice cabinet.
• Those little baby garlic cloves with the greens still attached have a amazing flavor in stir fries or salsa.
• Have you tried adding some chopped, lightly steamed, marinated asparagus spears to your tossed salad? Yummy!

What's available on gallup.locallygrown.net?

Currently you can buy delicious kefir by the quart made by Home Place Farm and Bakery in Vanderwagen. Gallup's own Crumby Bread Company sells their incredible Challah loaves, among others, and Honey Bee Creations provides luxurious lotion, lip balm, and candles, as well. Please spread the word about this opportunity to buy and sell things made or grown locally. Orders must be in by Sunday evening to be ready for Tuesday pick-up.

Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the environment, David Pimentel and Marcia Pimentel, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 78, No. 3, 660S-663S, September 2003

You’re invited to an open meeting on Tuesday, March 20 at 7 PM at the Work in Beauty House at 113 E. Logan Ave. Meet the WIB board members and our coordinator, Amy Halliday. We hope some of our growers will be there, too. At the meeting, we’ll talk about the agenda for the next Work in Beauty board meeting, and we’d like your input. We’ll discuss workshop topics and preparations for the online farmers’ market. If you have ideas or suggestions or just would like to keep up to date about what is happening with your CSA and local food in our area, please come and participate.

Distribution Site Improvements

We’re proud of the progess that we’ve already made in improving the CSA share distribution site at the Work in Beauty House at 113 E. Logan Ave. We’ve installed some beautiful 6-foot-wide stairs leading down to the site from Logan Ave. and gravel under the shed roof. Next up is pouring a concrete pad and installing a large, walk-in cooler to keep those veggies fresh. We’re excited to make this space more convenient and more pleasant for your weekly pick-up!

Have you seen the article in this month’s Gallup Journey? “Growing Growers in Gallup” discusses one way we hope to expand and diversify our sources for local vegetables. We want to get more people involved as growers! If this idea appeals to you or if you have questions, please feel free to contact Amy Halliday at (505) 862-9517.

Thanks for supporting our efforts to make great local food available in Gallup. Here’s a picture of young pea plants in one of the greenhouses. Just one more month until the Spring CSA season begins! Shares are selling quickly, so don’t wait to long to purchase yours!