Growing Your Own

Let me start with a reminder that I am not a growing guru! So far, I have mostly accomplished pots of dirt where food plants should be. That said, with my last post about CSAs, I got a considerable response from people who grow their own saying that should be part of the conversation, too. So, I asked them about getting started, especially for smaller spaces (suburban and urban homes, not big farmsteads), and compiled their advice. I've started trying it out, and so far the baby food plants haven't croaked.

Where to grow?

Pretty much any place the has dirt and sun and can get water is a good place to start. Front, side or back yards all work. Large pots, half-barrels or boxes on roofs or porches, or in windows are all lovely places. Also, there are many (and a growing number of) community gardens where you can get a plot. Make sure wherever you plant, the plants are visible to remind you to water them and care for them regularly. (It doesn't take a lot of time, but forgetting is a problem. One I have made several times.)

In your yard, if your soil is questionable, you can work in a raised bed instead of digging into the ground. There are several ways of making a raised bed. One friend described making her raised bed thus: Measured the space; got wood (about $50), got organic dirt ($90). She says the bed is still producing 10 years later (with periodic additions of dirt and compost or manure.) To start, you can even go as low-tech and easy as using the potting soil bag to grow in.

An additional option for those of us who are horizontally/spatially challenged: Going vertical! While I haven't tried any yet, there are several ideas on line for growing plants, including foods, along walls, in an up-ended pallet, a shoe organizer, even repurposed gutters.

Also, in planning where to plant, remember the wild animals. Lots of foods that are edible to us are tasty and edible to the other animals in our environment. "Some are a problem. Some are not. I've given up trying to grow broccoli because the groundhog eats it every time. On the other hand he also eats my Swiss Chard but there is enough for me to share."

Seeds or Seedlings?

In planning your growing, the next question is what to start with. Seeds are cheaper, but baby plants are frequently easier. Due to my horrible track record, I started with baby plants, which were $6 per 6-plant tray. If I can grow well, that would be $1/bunch of spinach and chard. A pretty good price. The odds, of course, are that I'll lose a few, so the price may work out to being even with buying them in the end. (That doesn't include the costs of water or time. The soil I already had, and the compost we've been composting forever.) My friend buys about 20-some tomato plants each year for $12, and even with those that she loses, has fresh tomatoes for 3-4 months, and enough to share with neighbors, a more than reasonable deal.

To start from seeds, at least for the New England growing season (where I am), it seems the best bet is to start them (before now) indoors in trays under a UV lamp. One friend finds this a fun and inexpensive activity with the kids in her building. She recommends going to a plant nursery for your seeds, not a discount place. She also recommends reading the packets about when the plants you are buying grow and what they need. Taking the plants outdoors, requires "hardening off" (where you acclimate the plants to outside temperatures by bringing them out for periods of time before the final move.) I've watched my landlords do this at springtime each year, as the baby plants grow in the basement, and then have visiting time in the yard for a few days before getting replanted in the beds.

If starting from baby plants, it is good to ask if they have been "hardened off" already. If so, you should be able to plant them directly outside. This is another reason I went with the baby plants: timing. I always think of planting after it is too late to start with seeds.

You may have heard about growing potatoes from potatoes. One thing to know is that most grocery store (conventionally grown) potatoes are engineered to make sure they do not grow new potatoes. (This has been the cause of a pot of dirt in our house at least once.) We are trying this one again this year, too.

What to grow?

There are several considerations: what your seasons are like and when you are planting, what your soil is like, how much sun you get, what you like to eat, how much space you have... Some suggested first vegetables:

• Herbs: These can be easy to grow, can grow in small spaces (even indoors), and add a huge benefit in the taste department. Best herbs are those that you like, and that you cook with/eat fresh.
• Leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc.): These are easy to grow (or so I've been told), add a lot of beauty to your garden, and most of the plant (all the leafy parts) are edible, making it a better food investment.
• Small tomatoes: If you have the sunny corner to grow a small tomato bush, the taste of fresh-from-the-vine tomatoes is amazing. Also, the smaller varieties frequently grow faster (although check to be sure about the variety you are about to buy.)
• Perennials: Some plants will produce year after year after your initial investment. A few of these include asparagus, berries, fruit and nut trees, fig bushes, and mint. Of course, you may want to take a little more care in planning these for exactly that reason.
• Start small: It is easy to overwhelm yourself by taking on too much and not enjoying it. Start with a smaller space, easier plants, things you will enjoy eating. If you like it, you can always scale up.

Where to get more information?

Obviously, this is not enough information to get your home farm going. However, there are many resources!

• A great article just came out in Edible Boston for those with small (or smallish) yards.
• Your local Cooperative Extension Service can be really helpful with classes, advice, and inexpensive soil testing.
• Region-specific resources, such as the Boston Natural Areas Network, offer classes and advice.
• Your community-garden probably has a plethora of seasoned gardeners. "Seek out one of the old-timers/elders. Gardeners are notoriously generous with their wisdom, and often plants too."
• Online you will find innumerable resources; I've tried to link to some of them throughout this post. One other that I haven't linked to yet is Square Foot Gardening, which was developed by a non-farmer with a modest-sized yard. His ideas have also been adapted to container gardening as well.
• Non-profit organizations (such as City Growers) are also interested in getting more local food growing going on.
• Home garden planners of many stripes and varieties abound. While they will all cost, you can usually plan with them how much assistance you want, and therefore have some control over how much of an investment you make.

As you try stuff out and learn, remember to share your experiences with the next round of newbies (which may still include me.)

Is it worth it?

This is an interesting question to ask, as it depends on what you value. The growers I spoke with all agreed that growing food is not inherently cheaper than buying it from farmers. It can be. It can be about even. Or, if you go crazy trying to do it all just so, it can get expensive. However, as one friend pointed out, it is a mistake to measure the value of growing your own food only by a dollar sign. She had her own list of benefits:

• FUN! Despite grumbling about forced gardening labor as a kid, she finds as an adult that she really enjoys time in her garden.
• Peaceful: As a city-resident, her garden is a peaceful oasis away from the rush, sensory input and noise of the street, just on the other side of her apartment building.
• Taste: The difference between a tomato or pepper, for example, from the garden and from the store is night and day! As someone who loves to cook good food, she finds this is worth the effort in and of itself.
• Variety: Many seed and seedling sources offer a much greater variety of fruits and vegetables than can be had at the store. Gardening allows you to experiment with different varieties.
• Community: Getting to know your neighbors as you garden, or your garden-neighbors in a community garden are a great way to build up a sense of community. She also tells stories of sharing the bounty of her garden as something that builds relationships.
• Reducing Resources: She likes knowing that she is decreasing her demands on the planet through the shipping and processing of foods.
• Decreasing Stress: Gardening time can have a meditative quality that decreases stress. It is also a way to relearn how to slow down, to take time and literally smell the growing things. These, in addition to the fun, peace and community-building above are all wonderful ways to decrease stress.

Enjoy your time and the fruits of your efforts! (And, please, keep your fingers crossed for my little baby plants.)

Seed Season!

Did you know, once upon a time, many European cultures celebrated FEBRUARY as the beginning of spring? Crazy though that may sound to those of us that might still be expecting up to two months more of snow in a normal year, it is true. The beginning of February was considered the very beginning of planting season. And as the last produce of the last harvest is running out, that would have sounded like a good idea to me, too, I think.

For farmers here in New England, and in many other places around the globe with similar growing times, this seasonal start is still observed. Small farmers all over the region are either starting their indoor sprouting and/or getting ready for their growing season as I type.

Just last week, Genevieve Stillman of Stillman's Farm told me that they had already started receiving CSA memberships for this year's growing season. In fact most CSA memberships need to be initiated around now.

What is a CSA?

Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an arrangement where non-farmers buy a share of the farm's produce for that year. It is a win-win situation. Farmers typically need to invest in their farm first (seeds, fertilizer, equipment, salaries) and reap the rewards later (selling their produce.) By selling it before it is grown they have the money the need when they need it. Also they know that they have people dedicated to buying their produce.

For the buyer, it is a great deal! (By far the best deal pound-for-pound.) If you buy a full share at Stillman's (and all of them that I've seen are about the same), it is $500 for the whole season (minimum of 16 weeks). That is $31.25 per week for fruit and vegetables, if they only go for 16 weeks. (An employee at Stillman's said last year they went for 19 weeks, with the last week a larger share of everything still available. And there is not extra cost for the extra weeks.) You can also get a half-share for $350, which is a great deal, or split a full share, making it $250 each.

And it is likely more produce than you need, allowing you to freeze (and if you have the know how, preserve) lots of produce for the off season. As a point of comparison, my vegetarian family of four who eat almost every meal from home, we found the half shares too much for us to consume in a week. In fact, in the same conversation last week, Genevieve said that her members from last year were just finishing up last year's produce... Mid-February! (Did I mention last year's growing season was considered by many a really bad season?) What does that mean? If you are wise and preserve the extra, you can end up with 9-months' produce (39 weeks, making it $12.82/week). While that is not guaranteed, the math always points to CSAs as being the best buy for produce.

The down-side, you need to get the money up front. That can be a HUGE set back for some families. Saving up for it (should have posted this a few months ago...), or if your income is seasonal, or... is there a way you could come up with $500, or $250, if you knew your fruits and vegetables would be free for a few months this summer? In addition, I know of at least one farm that offers low-income discounted shares. It may be worth asking around the CSAs that are in your area.

Another challenge for some, and up-side for others, is that there may be less choice than shopping. Some CSAs just have what they have, others offer some range of choice. You can ask the farm what their policies and procedures are. Of course, even if there isn't much choice and they grow stuff you like or are willing to try, it can all work out wonderfully. Our first CSA was not necessarily the best match for us, but, we did learn how to cook with foods we did not normally buy, and we learned we liked some of them, too. CSA farms usually offer suggested recipes for the foods they provide, and just having a new vegetable can inspire you to look into how to make it tasty. (Remembering the importance of variety for a healthy diet, this inspiration can be a huge benefit!)

OK, so you're sold, or at least curious, how do you locate a CSA that you could pick up? There is a website or two for that, too!

Getting Started

It seems only fair to give you a sense of where I'm coming from, so first, let me share a little family food history. (The tips are below if you want to skip this bit.) For years (maybe decades) my partner and I lived pretty much on take-out. We could cook; he likes to cook. But, who had the energy or motivation when there was easy access to deep-fried things near by? This lasted, to slowly decreasing levels, through the birth of our second baby. By then, we had started cooking more often, eating take-out closer to weekly than daily. During that early period, I have no idea how much we spent on food, but at a guess, I'd say $20/dinner was typical.

As we cooked at home more often, we became more aware of what we were buying and cooking. After a conversation with a pediatrician about precocious puberty (which she was checking my baby for at the time) and the possible connections to the hormones in the animal products, we started shopping more mindfully. Before we realized it, we were not getting take-out. We were buying nearly all organic, but were spending $200-$300 per week at the grocery store. Yikes! That's up to $1200 a month on food! Partly this cost was due to the fact that while we had changed where we shopped, we had not really changed how we shopped.

As life has moved and changed, so has our budget. While we still want to eat organically, still want food that is grown/produced and sold locally, we now need to think about how much we are spending. The budget I am aiming for is $400/month. This is a process for us, and I invite you to join us on this journey, and to offer your suggestions.

SO... to get started, here are some big-picture ideas that we have found helpful. Feel free to add your own!

Now the General Tips:

1. Don't waste. It sounds obvious. It is obvious. But, before you skip to the next item, you might want to check your fridge. Maybe it is just my family (although the statistics suggest there are a lot of us doing it), but we found we were letting a whole lot of food rot. Both food before we cooked it, and left-overs. As it turns out, much of the food we thought was spoilt still has potential if cooked properly. In addition, many of the trimmings that you might throw in the trash could be consumed on their own, or be made into vegetable stock. The less we throw away, the less we need to buy.

2. Buy smart. The idea is to buy what you need and to use what you buy. I'm not the most organized of people, despite liking to make lists. Some weeks I make a list of what we'll cook that week before we go shopping and buy from the list, other weeks I make a list of what we can cook from the ingredients we have available, and some weeks I just wing it. As long as you manage to use what you've bought, however, it all works out in the end.

3. Reuse, repurpose. There is the obvious Left-Overs Night. There are also several recipes for reusing left-overs. From potato cakes (lightly fried mashed potatoes) to velvet butter chicken (reusing tandoori chicken), there are plenty of recipes that put to use other recipes. Better yet (or at least more likely in our house, as we rarely have left-overs of things in other recipes) write your own new left-over recipe. Recently we made butternut squash risotto; a few nights later it filled tortillas and became burritos.

4. Decrease the meat. Ok, I'll say it: Americans eat far more meat than we need, or is even good for us. Because meat takes vast quantities of food to raise it to slaughter and produce one pound of meat (remembering all the pounds of waste), meat is and should be expensive. If you choose to eat meat, it should be weekly, not multiple times a day. This better for your body, the environment, and your budget. If this is a challenge for you, let me know! I went from meat-and-potatoes, and I-can't-possibly-ever-feel-full, and I-don't-even-like-vegetables to a full-time vegetarian. We can talk about recipes that will be filling and tasty to omnivores so that you can reduce your meat without feeling like you're missing out.

5. Get creative. It takes some thinking to use the less-common/less-popular vegetables or cuts of meat that may be in season and/or cost less. Figuring out how to make these work for your family can be a huge benefit. They will increase your options without increasing your budget. You can cook and eat the greens of a lot of root vegetables (carrots, beets and radishes for example); you can trim and eat the stalks of broccoli and the cores of cauliflower, cabbage and lettuces. We regularly throw away lots of good food (see #1 above) because we don't see it as food.

6. DIY. Baking bread is less expensive than buying it baked; growing vegetables or even just fresh herbs cost nearly nothing after start up. The more you do for yourself, the less you have to pay for someone else to do it for you. If you only have a sunny window inside, you can grow herbs in pots. If you have a little patch of roof or corner of a yard you can grow at least some smaller vegetables, depending on sunshine and space. I will not cover growing food here, as I am horrible at it. (So far all I have learned from trying is that if I were a farmer, I'd have starved to death.) And, many others cover it. However, I make our bread, pesto, hummus, pizza, soup stock, etc. And, just for the record, I am not the crafty, Martha-Stewart sort at all. I wish I was more capable in these areas, and like learning, but cooking has come late in life to me, so if I can learn to bake tasty bread, et al, I'm sure you can, too.

7. Shop around. My friend's mom is the epitome of this. She'll have her daughter drive her all over town, buying this thing here and that thing there to get the best price on everything she needs. She does it because she has fed her own kids and however many of their friends and relations as drop by, and has been doing that for ages, on a very small income. I am starting to understand some of her wisdom. At least having an idea of what the difference is in price and for what categories of things (I find name brand, store brand, bulk, produce, and dairy as useful categories) allows me to make informed choices.

8. Go au natural. Perhaps this should have been first. The fewer pre-made, processed items you buy, the higher your nutrition/dollar ratio. The more food looks like real things – eggplants looking like eggplants, meat looking like muscles – the better. As Michael Pollan says, the food you want is "the sort of food our great grandmothers would recognize as food" (before the popularity of the 1950's TV-dinner and processed food-like semi-edibles.) Go for traditional foods and recipes that work with them.

9. Buy upstream. By that, I mean buy from the farmer who grew or raised, collected or cultured the food items you buy. If not that farmer than as close to that farmer (with a few middle-men) as possible. Each dollar you spend goes to the person doing the work. That means that person makes something that comes closer to a living wage.

10. Be here now. Eating in season both makes shopping more cost effective, and comes as a result of buying directly from local farmers. By eating what is available now, we can decrease the costs of shipping or artificially growing foods. And the foods are worth the money when you get them. A tomato out of season, for example, is pale, tasteless and grainy. A tomato in season from the vine is divine. It can be a challenge, though; at the grocery store, it is almost impossible to tell what is in season. CSAs, farm stands and farmers' markets can help. Eat The Seasons also tells you what it in season right now anywhere in North America.

What else? What do you do to make your dollars stretch? How do you shop and eat in line with your values? I look forward to your suggestions!