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Starting a Farmers' Market

If you’re lucky, you might still find farmers who are able to commit to your new spring farmers’ market.  Follow the guidelines below and you’ll be well on your way to providing your community with fresh local produce and herbs  – even flowers!  If you’re not all that successful with the farmers, try again in January.  Some farmers are able to change their seed orders to accommodate another market’s worth of best sellers.  If worse comes to worse make arrangements with your farmers to begin in the fall of 2009 for a short-lived market season or even spring of 2010.  After all, those dates will be here before we know it . . .

ð Farmers’ Market Start Up Plan

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, today, there are more than 4,300 farmers markets in operating throughout the country.  And, more than a million customers visit markets weekly, providing essential income to small and mid-sized farms.  Farmers’ Markets also afford increased business potential to the host community.

What you need:

A manager:  25 hours per week, @ $22 per hour.  The manager’s responsibilities include: general organization, marketing, special event planning, recruiting/communication with the farmers/vendors, enforcing rules (including quality control), taking surveys, data analysis, and merchandising.

You'll need a parking lot in a fairly central location with plenty of parking nearby and easy access for the farmer’s trucks to unload goods. 

Farmers!! (veggies, fruits, herbs, flowers) A local florist/greenhouse could sell mums in autumn. Artisan cheese makers and poultry farmers with fresh eggs are great additions.

The following websites provide lists of local farmers:

http://www.nofanj.org/cof.htm

http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/2006/0206/frmmrkt/king.shtml

Porta-Johns  

http://www.toilets.com/products/greenjohn.htm

(I don’t think these are completely necessary.)

Guidelines:

     Decide on what you will sell (only fresh produce or cheeses, processed foods, baked goods).

     Start date:  May 2010? Sooner?  Hours of operation:

     Management – consider who will manage and terms of employment

     Establish rules and rule infringement policy.

     The farmers/vendors should pay space fees monthly in advance once a fee has been established. No fee charged for space to start?

     Membership fees

     Space – what does the market need to operate?  Water and electricity needs. (10’x10’ spaces?)

     Local and state regulations – how is the market affected by health and safety standards for food handling?

     Insurance – Physical liability insurance in case of injuries or accidents.

     Will we accept WIC checks?

Fair Trade Month

Basic Principles of Fair Trade

• Fair price: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.

• Fair labor conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.

• Direct trade: Importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.

• Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to invest Fair Trade revenues.

• Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement training, and organic certification.

• Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers' health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.

Ways You Can Support Fair Trade

Low Impact Halloween

It’s no secret that cosmetics are filled with dangerous chemicals but why put your child at risk? Here’s a link to a great article from the Green Guide. It’s filled with tips and websites for more wholesome products to make up your little ghouls and boys. Good for mummys and daddys, too!

And to help get you into the spirit . . .

Green Fun for Kids

The Scrap Kins are a group of creatures that live in a recycling center and build their world out of the things people throw away. The Scrap Kins mission is to foster eco-awareness, promote recycling and encourage kids to use their imagination. The Scrap Kin's Do-It-Yourself resourcefulness empowers children to create and make a difference in their environment.
Scrap Kins has a fun interactive page on their blog. Visit it here and find out what your kids can do to be creatively resourceful caretakers of the earth.

Halloween -- Only Happier

Little has been done to tackle the documented problem of forced child labor on many of the farms that supply cocoa to the major chocolate manufacturers. Consider helping to spread the word by passing out the enlightening cards you can find in the Reverse Halloween Kit (Oct 13th is the deadline for ordering) from reversetrickortreating.org. You don’t have to forgo the candy, however. Companies like Equal Exchange, Theo, Alter Eco, and La Siembra offer delicious fair trade alternatives. Check out the chocolate skulls in the photo. They’re from Sweet Earth Chocolates. Serve up these treats and help make Halloween sweeter and happier for everyone. Happy Halloween and pass Divine Chocolate's Halloween Milk Chocolate Foils, please!!

Local Organic Yum!

Talk about taking school gardens to the next level! The Bent Spoon, in Princeton NJ, is making School Garden Ice Cream. They were making a divine peach flavor and should be making apple ice cream soon. All but $.50 (for the reusable packaging) is donated to the Princeton Edible School Garden Program. Ed Levine from Serious Eats says Bent Spoon ice cream is “worth shouting about (and eating in the cold).” Combine that with the local ingredients – from school gardens to Terhune Orchards – and we’ve got a winner. Some of us will be taking a ride (one of our mini-staycations) for the apple ice cream and the hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows. Did I mention they make cupcakes? Oh happy day!

Bayer's Clothianidin Suspect in Colony Collapse Disorder

German beekeepers and consumer protection advocates allege Bayer knowingly polluted the environment for more than ten years with multiple pesticides including clothianidin and demands Bayer withdraw all of it’s pesticides from the market. Clothianidin, sold under the brand name Poncho, is used to coat corn, sugar beet and sorghum seeds and protect them from pests. A nerve toxin that has the potential to be toxic for bees, it gets into all parts of the plant that grows from the coated seeds. (Clearly, it’s not just the bees who may suffer.)

A German prosecutor is investigating the company. The consumer protection group suspects that Bayer submitted flawed studies to play down the risks of pesticide residues in treated plants, according to Harro Schultze, the coalition's attorney. Tests run by The Julius Institute, a state-run crop research group in Germany, show clothianidin residues in the bodies of dead honeybees and the group has determined that clothianidin caused the deaths.

An older relative of clothianidin was banned in France in 1999 and three months ago, German regulators suspended sales of chlothianidine and related chemicals after the family of pesticides was blamed for the destruction of more than 11,000 bee colonies.

Read the full story here.

Paper Gardens

I love paper! I’ve been a collage artist for many years and making paper has been one of my favorite hobbies. I don’t have so much time to do either lately but I’m still fascinated by the incredible array of handmade artisan papers available these days. Recently, I was asked to review some paper products – cards and a calendar specifically -- from a company called Botanical PaperWorks (co-founded by Heidi Reimer-Epp and her mother Mary Reimer). I agreed to review the products and I’m very glad I did. Botanical PaperWorks, located in Manitoba, Canada, makes beautiful cards, journals, and calendars from plantable seed paper. Plantable paper is “tree-free” as it’s made from either cotton fiber or 100% post-consumer waste. The seeds – wildflower and often organic – are implanted in the paper as it is made. Most importantly, the papermakers are paid a living wage.

My favorite item is the calendar. It comes packaged in a reusable tin and each month’s page is printed with soy ink on plantable paper. So, when the month is spent, you plant it and there’s nothing left behind but flowers and memories. Sweet.

The cards are lovely. I favor the recipe cards that come with a strip of plantable seeded paper and a recipe. The company sent me the “Iced Mint and Green Tea” recipe card. Plant the mint seeds and once they’ve grown into plants, you gather some mint to use for the recipe. I’m not sure if it’s the gardener, the cook, or the mojito-lover in me that favors these cards (the mint card in particular) but they are lovely and I think you'll agree. In any case, check out the Heidi’s blog Stationery Scoop to learn more about her products. They’ve made the Gathering Home Green Gift List!!

Quick Autumn Green Home Tips

With Autumn almost here, it will soon be getting cold (It will, won't it??) and you’ll be reaching for the thermostat to keep your home warm.  But, before you blast the house with heat, try the following…

• Wear more clothing, and heavier - a sweater inside is ok.
• Use an extra blanket at night.
• Exercise indoors, but I don't suggest jump rope or jumping jacks if you live above someone (Or have weak floors like ours!)
• Open up your window treatments during the day to let more sunshine in.
• Check for door and window drafts and seal securely.
• Safely remove window air conditioners.

Once you do decide that it’s cold enough to turn on your furnace, try setting you thermostat 3 to 5 degrees cooler than you think it needs to be set at.  If you normally set your thermostat at 68, give it a try at 64 and see if you still stay warm enough. Experiment with how low is still acceptable.

This tip can save you money as you save resources. The Department of Energy notes that you can save $40+ a year just by turning your thermostat down by 1 degree. Wow!