Sunday, September 26, 2010

September Wildflowers

Goldenrod (Solidago, various species) and Ironweed (Veronia)






















An unidentified tall flower, white blooms.


JoePye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum)



and Ragweed (ironically its genus is Ambrosia).




Most of these were seen at Radnor Lake State Natural Area in Nashville.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Community Supported Agriculture and a Farm Dinner

Community Supported Agriculture

CSAs are local farmers providing food to local communities, typically on a subscription basis. The benefits to the supporters are fresh food delivered weekly; the farmers benefit by being able to practice smaller scale and sustainable growing practices, the environment benefits because your food is shipped a very short distance. Local products are generally shipped under one hundred miles from farm to market. 'Conventional' food products (typically found in grocery stores) travel over 1000 miles from source to market, and that is only including domestic products.*
Fresh food likely keeps more of its nutritional value than products transported for a week or more. Less gasoline and other resources are used and local people benefit from the jobs generated.
http://nashfof.wordpress.com/csa/ has a list of Nashville area food providers.

Fresh Harvest LLC a cooperative of organic family farms in the Nashville area is hosting their first Farm Dinner. A fully prepared dinner, made from locally produced products, follows a tour of Turnbull Creek (organic) farm.

Saturday September 25, at5:30
Visit http://freshharvest.locallygrown.net/weblog for details

*http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/files/local_foods_HEN0604.pdf