At MCA we have been a organization focused on assisting farmers equitably but protests against structural racism have put a fine point on the ways that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) have lost out on opportunities across our society, including opportunities to own land and farm. The discrimination from the USDA against Black farmers was so well documented that in 1998 they had to settle two class action lawsuits with black farmers to the tune of  $2 Billion.  To learn more, staff is reading "Farming While Black" - an acclaimed book by Leah Penniman, Co-Owner of Soul Fire Farm outside Albany, NY. We want to not just recommend this book but share things we've learned. This is the first in a series of posts on "Farming While Black".

Each February, during Black History Month, the life of George Washington Carver is highlighted. Dr. Carter was a scientist who showed the world the many uses for the humble peanut. What does not get taught in these history lessons is why Dr. Carter was so focused on this one legume. Peanuts, like other members of the pea family fix nitrogen in the soil to make it available to other plants. In the early 1900s, cotton had stripped southern soil completely of nutrients. and rotating crops with peanuts could put fertility back into the soil for sharecroppers in the South. So, patenting 101 uses for the peanut was not a sign of a man obsessed with one crop, but the father of regenerative agriculture being savvy about the economics of crop rotation.

CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), another modern pillar of the local food movement was popularized  in America by another Tuskegee University Alum, Dr. Booker T Whatley. During his stint in the Korean War he operated a 55 acre hydroponic farm to feed the troops. Once back home, he set up “clientele membership clubs” akin to the modern subscription style CSA. He saw these clubs not as just ways to feed people but also let them see farms up close - the beginnings of the Agrotourism movement. He said, "We're bringing up whole generations in this country today that don't even know how collards or chickens are raised. So some parents see a farm visit as a wholesome and pleasant educational experience for their youngsters . . . one that the entire family can share. The average middle-class city person likes a chance to get out on a farm. It's a form of entertainment, and those folks can save money while they're having a good time.”  
Dr. Whatley suggested that these farms offering clubs should be no more than 40 miles away from population centers to keep connections with club members. This of course reminds us of the Ag Reserve where residents can really know their farmer and participate in modern CSA programs (find your farmer here). 
​
​Read more on Dr. Whatley in this great article here.

Modern farming owes a lot to BIPOC. We will continue to share what we are learning in hopes we can move toward a more equitable food system. Thanks for reading along. 

It is that magical time of year, the resolutions are still sticking. Look at you- meeting your goals, full of hope in the dawning of the year and new decade. While it may seem that your couch, TV and remaining holiday chocolate are all conspiring against your new habits - there is one person who wants to help you succeed - your local farmer!

Whether you resolved to eat better, cook more, or be more community minded - a CSA (Community Supported Ag) share checks all the boxes.
A CSA is  like a farm subscription, each week of the growing season you get a box of whatever is in season that week. The "Community" part means that you are buying into the farm with other subscribers - investing in a farm at this time of year when they need it most to plan and plant the coming harvest. 

The benefits of a CSA are many - local food is great for the community and the environment and also great for your health. You are locked into eating your veggies each week/getting produce at the peak of freshness from people you build a relationship with over the season. Worried that you simply won't know what to do with kale or heaven forbid a parsnip? Many of the farms offer a treasure trove of recipes built up over the seasons. (or check out MCA's own "How do I use all that ____" series where we take on how to cook the less popular seasonal vegetables.) 

Find your CSA Right Here

A few farms are making it even easier to join a CSA for those not ready to commit.
Any CSA can be split among friends of family - alternating weeks or splitting up a larger share is an easy way to share the harvest and be sure there is always someone there to pick it up. 
Common Root Farm of Derwood is offering "Farm Cards" in addition to their typical CSA - you can buy a share of the harvest redeemable at any time. Say you are out of town a lot but want to get a share of produce when you are home. Buy a card now and redeem it when you would like at the farmers market, their online store or on-farm market. 
One Acre Farm of Dickeson is offering the option to pay for your CSA in installments. 

If you are buying your flowers at the supermarket, you are missing out on an opportunity to show you care about not just your Valentine but also the community you share. Of course local blooms are not in season in the frozen tundra our county has become of late. Your love may not have a season but flowers sure do. But here is an idea- secure your spring and summer blooms today from one of the Reserve's flower CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) - like a subscription for a weekly bouquet. It works just like a produce CSA with a weekly pickup options. (Is your Valentine more moved by food than flowers? Find our CSA list here.)

CSA options include Gypsy Flower Farm, Grateful Gardeners and Hidden Ridge Flower Farm. Until February 15 Gypsy Flower Farm (Farmer Sid pictured above) is offering 5% the total CSA price and a free Mother's Day Bouquet More info here.

If things happen to be getting serious with your Valentine, you may also want to consider using these local farms or Sungold Flower Co. who focuses solely on foraging and harvesting uniquely seasonal flowers for your event. 

Where to Next? 
-Is a CSA For Me? 
-Where is my Farmers Market?
-We rely on local support - please consider a tax deductible donation

The next in a mid-winter series on how to turn the less popular veggies available at your local market or CSA box into real food, cooked simply that you would like to eat and  your children or other picky family members may try as well (no guarantees). MCA staffer Kristina Bostick subscribes to a year-round CSA and shares how to cope when there is just too much ___. ​Find the other posts: Broccoli and Acorn Squash

First - let me say that the world seems to be coming around to cauliflower right now. Its having a bit of a moment, the way kale did a couple years back. One school of thought would be to say, "Back off Pinterest, you can't tell me what to eat!" But think of it this way, when a vegetable is popular, it just means that the top chefs, food bloggers and cookbook writers are all working on the best ways to work with it. That is to be celebrated, and you - mere mortal home cook who needs to get something on the table - benefit from that trendiness with the plethora of recipes and shortcuts that result.  Cauliflower is not as strong a flavor as broccoli, it is more of a blank slate - but similarly, it will benefit from being roasted and never ever will taste good boiled till mush. Some things you can do:

2. Roast the Whole Dang Thing I have not done this but find it very appealing as a family style meal that you slice into like a roast. 

3. Cauliflower Rice Yet another on-trend use of Cauliflower. You can even find "pre-riced" cauliflower in grocery stores now. The earthines of the cauliflower is delightful in fried rice. If you are watching your carbs this is a great recipe for you. 

The next in a mid-winter series on how to turn the less popular veggies available at your local market or CSA box into real food, cooked simply that you would like to eat and  your children or other picky family members may try as well (no guarantees). MCA staffer Kristina Bostick subscribes to a year-round CSA and shares how to cope when there is just too much ___. ​We've already taken on Broccoli.  Now that the counter is free of squash, the crisper drawer says we will take on Cauliflower and Beets next. Stay tuned.

Squash is a great thing to get from either the Farmers Market or the CSA. It can sit on the counter for a few weeks while you use up the other more perishable things and it looks good sitting there too. They can fill in for play food for children's play kitchens - but do not tend to keep well when they invariably roll under the couch - that's a pro tip there. While the Acorn Squash is not as popular as it's friend the butternut, one could say the Jan Brady of winter squash, it can be the star of some satisfying winter meals. 

1. Stuff It - From as a friend reverently called it "The Joy" - the Joy of Cooking of course. Here squashes get halved, dug out and stuffed with quinoa and nuts. I always use almonds as hazelnuts are not something I tend to have around. This actually got eaten by the 2 year old one time. We add apples and sausage as well - its ok to stuff these till overflowing. If you are not familiar with quinoa, it's high time you got acquainted - it is a grain from the Andes with a pleasant nutty flavor that packs protein. It also cooks much faster than rice, available on the shelf or in bulk in the rice aisle. 

2. The Go-To: Brown Sugar This is from Martha Stewart. Roasting any kind of winter squash with brown sugar or maple syrup is the most classic way to do squash as a side dish. I like it stuffed better as it can be a main meal all done in one pot. 

We are taking broccoli on first in our winter veggie series as its one of those veggies that can positively sing when cooked right. It's a familiar crop that is available most of the year round. It also can go bad very quickly, unlike your potatoes or squash that can hang out on the counter for weeks. We split a large share from our farmer with another family - thereby dividing pick-up duties. It works really well, except you get to choose what you'd like in our CSA and we sometimes have a communication breakdown and get lots more of something when we hadn't touched the share of it from last week. That is why I found myself staring down 4 small heads of broccoli in the fridge - in varrying stages of "use it now." This is part of the beauty of a CSA - forced vegetable creativity. Lets dive in:

1. Roast it: We first turn to Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten - who personifies simple but flavorful cooking. This recipe appeared on a blog with the title "The Best Broccoli of Your Life" and it is- roasted with lemon and parm. This is the go-to around here and one of two children try it. Roasting is generally the best way to handle broccoli. If you have only had overcooked steamed or boiled broccoli, no wonder you don't like it. 

2.  Asian Peanut Sauce​ Leanne Brown wrote a digital book for her grad program called "Good and Cheap" with detailed recipes and cooking tips for folks living on $4/day - that is what a food stamps budget works out to. This free resource has been downloaded millions of times. The title is apt, it is good food - like noodles and veggies in homemade peanut sauce - with an eye on cost per portion. Only the grown-ups liked this one but it was great. 

3. Broccoli Apple Salad I have not made this, but it looks like a kid crowd pleaser. Call it apples and tiny trees, that works sometimes here. 

4. Broccoli Pesto Noodles Also from Leann Brown of Good and Cheap. Leann says broccoli that no longer looks its best works in this one. 

5. Empanadas  You could make these with almost anything, these happen to be egg, cheddar and broccoli - but it is surely time consuming. I made them on a rainy, cold Sunday afternoon. There are enough eggs in it that if you have your children help they may actually get enough practice by the end to crack them without getting shells in there - maybe. It all paid off as the 2 year old liked them a lot.  Also from Good and Cheap and her advice about adding the cornmeal gave it a really nice crunch.

5. Buddha Bowl This one is an aspirational recipe for me, I have not tried buddha bowls out on the family yet, but the idea is an endlessly customizable bowl featuring grains, veggies roasted and raw, a protein (usually chickpeas, sometimes chicken) and a sauce. Roasted broccoli is a popular choice and here is one with cauliflower too - which according to the crisper drawer, will be our next installment.  Stay tuned.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) sign up time is upon us now, hoop houses across Maryland are full of tender little plants just waiting to be sown in the field. Joining a CSA is buying a stake in a farm's harvest in advance of the growing season. Each week throughout the season, you pick up (or are delivered) a box of whatever is ready for harvest.  We will run quickly through the well-familiar pros of this sort of set-up that anyone considering a CSA already knows:

So is a CSA for everyone? No - in the interest of really enjoying the experience you have to know that a CSA is a commitment for a number of months. A committment to pick up (or have delivered) the box and eat or cook and eat its contents. So- if you are not planning to cook (or learn to cook) at least 3 nights a week a CSA is not for you. You might solve this by splitting the CSA with a friend. Said friend can also split the pick-up duties.

Greg and Anna Glenn
Rocklands Farm Winery & Market
14525 Montevideo Road
Poolesville, Maryland  20842
  
 
No time to travel to Napa Valley?…No worries!!
 
The next time your palate craves the taste of a new fine wine, just jump in your car and head to the Ag Reserve!  In fact, when you visit Rocklands Farm on Montevideo Road – just outside of Poolesville – you can treat your taste buds to some excellent wines and, at the same time, enjoy a drive through one of the more scenic parts of Montgomery County.  You can also shop at their on-farm market for grass-fed beef and lamb, pasture-raised pork, chicken and eggs, along with a variety of other farm products. 
 
When you arrive at the farm, there’s a good chance you will meet the business owners – Greg and Anna Glenn.  Greg and Anna are two of the most innovative farmers you will ever meet.  Greg, who started farming in the Ag Reserve in 2010, has transformed the business into a diversified agricultural operation with a strong focus on environmentally sound approaches to working the land.  They currently manage almost 100 acres, including 34 acres on their home farm along with other rented property.  They produce their own wines on the farm from grapes grown in their 6.5-acre vineyard. 
 
Greg, who studied Agriculture and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech University, is certainly putting his education to good use.  Anna holds a degree in Education from California Polytechnic University, so it’s easy to understand why she and Greg share a passion for reaching out to our younger generation through several educational programs focused on agriculture.  Greg said that he chose a career in farming because he “was inspired to know, and then provide to others, a connection with who, how and where food comes from.”  Greg and Anna have three young sons – Fritz, Simeon and Charlie – who will, no doubt, receive plenty of on-the-job training in agriculture in the coming years.

by Kristina Bostick

by Caroline Taylor

The Ag Reserve is a big place, about 100,000 acres, and there is much to explore.  We will populate this post with as much as we can, when we can.  Shoot us an email with suggested additions: [email protected]. If you just aren't sure what the Reserve is all about and what it has to offer, may we suggest checking out our film Growing Legacy? Our goal to to inspire exploration and consumerism of the wonderful places and goods the Reserve has going on.
2015 Montgomery County Farm Directory

by Kristina Bostick

by Kristina Bostick

We are really enjoying the articles from a new online and hard copy publication called Modern Farmer.There have been a number of recent articles profiling the different ways that farmers structure their businesses. With spring on the way (we promise!) here are some thoughts from the other side of the table or CSA box.

Farmers Market Confidential - the owner of a horse-driven farm describes all the pros and cons of his time spent behind the table at farmers markets.

The State of the CSA- an early adopter of the CSA model describes how things have changed over 20+ years.

However your farmer decides to sell- you can find MoCo's best local food from CSA's here and at one of MoCo's vibrant Farmers Markets here.

​Farmers and farm supporters are welcome to join the discussion on our Producers listserve- where local farmers swap know how- email [email protected] with "join listserve" in the subject line to sign up.

by Caroline Taylor

Community Supported Agriculture

CSAs can take many forms, but essentially they are community supported farms in which members contribute to farming projects, usually by way of membership fees, in exchange for fresh, local produce.  The concept came to the United States from Europe in the 1980s and has taken strongest hold in New England, the Mid-Atlantic region, and various pockets along the West Coast.  They are a great way to take advantage of fresh, locally grown fruit, vegetables, herbs, and more while supporting nearby farms. Each one is different, some offer pickup locations in urban areas, some offer only farm-based pick ups.  See the list below for local CSAs and find one that is right for you.
Learn more! Sign up!