Titus Farms

Saturday is ‘Meat-Out’ Day

Rebecca — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:38:59 +0000

If you haven’t heard already, Gov. Granholm has declared Saturday, March 20 as Michigan Meat-Out day, encouraging people to abstain from meat thus promoting a healthier lifestyle. I should say, as I write this on Wednesday night, that this date is still set and she hasn’t completely rescinded her proclamation (even the Senate voted in favor of taking back the resolution).

I feel a little torn over this proclamation (and I mean a little).

Agriculture is a big business in Michigan, in fact it’s agribusiness. Now, perhaps it was wrong for the Governor to single out a group as she did. Many of the politicians are cited as saying that Granholm has never taken the agricultural industry seriously, as the reason for their disgust. True, true… But, the main concern is the fear that this will somehow hurt the livestock industry, which is possible, but highly improbable in my opinion.

I still say she has the right spirit. The point was to get people to eat healthier, and for one day to have one or two meals that don’t center around a slab of meat.

I love meat and I love farmers, but not all meat is created equal either. Since we have such a meat-dependent food system, farmers have had to figure out ways to meet this demand in the cheapest way possible- thus factory farms and CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) which produce huge amounts of pollution and animals that often never see the sun. Also, the last time I even glanced at beef in the supermarket it was from Argentina… So unless you read those labels very carefully you may not even be eating a domestically grown animal, or helping an even semi-local farmer.

Gone are the iconic green pastures spotted with cows, or pigs that live out their lives rooting in the soil. Of course you can still seek out those old fashioned types of production and meat, but that’s not what’s largely available. And, as many of you who have emailed me about where to get local beef know, supply of grass fed animals/meat is often short. The animals take longer to raise, and fewer can be raised per acre… which means in the long run, if we REALLY want our animals to be treated humanely… say it with me… we have to eat less meat!

So why not give up meat for a few meals? It’s healthier for you and the environment and there are some pretty darn good alternatives. My only pet peeve is that Granholm could’ve done this in the summer- then she could’ve made it a “Meat-Out, Veg-In” Day!

Lansing Home and Garden Show

Rebecca — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:40:23 +0000

It’s time for the Lansing Home and Garden Show, at MSU pavilion from Thursday to Sunday! You can find all sorts of ideas and resources related to the home and garden… Everything from energy saving tactics and landscaping designs to how to preserve vegetables and home remodeling tips. I always loved walking through the sample landscapes built by local design companies. Also, Saturday has lots of kid-friendly activities and price breaks.

Here’s the info:
Times
Thursday, 3pm – 9pm
Friday, 12pm – 9pm
Saturday, 10am – 9pm
Sunday, 10am – 5pm

Price

Adults $8
Children (6-14) $4
5 & Under Free
All kids 14 & under get in FREE before noon on Saturday!

Also, go to their website (and click on times Dates, Times and Admission) to get $2 off.

Click here for their website and directions

How to Choose a CSA

Rebecca — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:02:08 +0000

All CSAs are not created equal and the more you know the happier you’ll be with your decision.

That’s why when we received the February copy of the LocalHarvest newsletter I was happy to find an article entitled “How to Choose a CSA“. There’s always interesting topics coming from the LocalHarvest idea mill!

So even if you’re just playing around with the idea of joining a CSA, take a look at this article. Ask the questions mentioned and really explore the playing field. Whether or not you choose our CSA, we hope you consider joining with a local farm soon!

Culinary Tragedy

Rebecca — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:00:33 +0000

Each year I try to save at least 15 heads of garlic for the winter. I know that will supply us for a reasonable time before the garlic goes bad. For some reason, at the market and at CSA, we didn’t have enough of the aromatic staple to go around. At the farmers market the endless requests for garlic resonated with us, so we decided to plant more last fall.

Planting more, however, means taking the biggest and best garlic and sacrificing it to the cause. Since our need was so great, we also sacrificed some of the smaller bulbs which no one wanted. Those smaller bulbs are usually sequestered for our own use throughout the winter. I didn’t have a good count of how many bulbs I stole away, but I knew the number was far below what I was going to need. I actually ended up with a lot of what Amy and myself have deemed “runions” or “ronions?”. I don’t exactly remember the etymology, but I’m pretty sure it’s because the garlic takes on the look of a very runty onion. They basically don’t form cloves, or when they do the cloves are fused in such a way that the bulb resembles an onion.

Oh Runty Onion Garlic

So this past week I made my last pasta sauce (out of our heirloom tomatoes) loaded with the last of our runion garlic. It was delicious and sad. Now I’m searching for organic garlic- or at least local garlic.

The next month is always a dark time at the farm. We’re not quite ready to plant, we’ve almost run out of vegetables saved from the year and it’s usually cold and drab. Ah well, it makes us appreciate spring and during the height of summer when we look back at how quiet it is around here, we usually wish we could have that quiet again.

Modern Serving Sizes

Rebecca — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:54:11 +0000

Beware of serving sizes on your favorite processed foods… Here’s a video from the New York Times.

Serving Size Snafu

MSU Organic Farm Announces their Spring Tours

Rebecca — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:53:46 +0000

If you’d like to see a small working farm in the Lansing area, the organic farm invites you to come and take a stroll. Of course these events will be most helpful for those who have green thumbs or are wanting to grow a garden. So mark those calendars and register early!

2010 MSU Student Organic Farm Workshops and Tours

Tour Dates and Times
*Tours are informal farm walks designed for both farmers and the general public
Monday, March 15   3-4:30pm
Tuesday, April 20   2:30-4pm
Monday, May 10   3-4:30pm
Friday, June 18   10-11:30am
Monday, July 19   6-7:30pm
Monday, August 9   6-7:30pm
Tuesday, September 14   3-4:30pm

Workshop Dates and Times
*Workshops spaces are limited and reserved for commercial farmers
Thursday, June 24 9:30am-4pm
Monday, September 27 9:30am-4pm

Location
The MSU Student Organic Farm is located at the Horticulture Teaching and Research Center:
3291 College Rd, Holt, MI 48842

**There is no cost for these events, but registration is required.
Please contact Adam Montri at admontri@msu.edu or 517-355-5191 X1407 to register. These events are sponsored by the USDA Risk Management Agency.

New CSA Form

Rebecca — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:28:25 +0000

We didn’t like the way the old form was printing- so here’s the new form for the CSA:

CSA_MembershipForm_2010

Please try to fill out the form electronically if possible (although many people have wonderful handwriting, occassionally there are scribbles that cause confusion).
We’ll also have more informatino posted on the “chicken shares” and tree fruit shares in the next 2 weeks. But please let me know if you have suggestions.

CSA is Open!

Rebecca — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:52:41 +0000

We have opened up the 2010 CSA for membership.

If you were a 2009 member, we’ll save your spot until March 15, 2010.

If you’re new, then you have until April 1, 2010.

Here’s the form if you’re interested:CSA_Membership_Form 2010 Thanks!

Thanksgiving

Rebecca — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:22:39 +0000

Here is a lovely op-ed piece in the NYT sent to me by Marilyn, a long-time CSA member.

Return to the Land by Maira Kalman

Thanksgiving Market!

Rebecca — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:11:03 +0000

Meridian Township Farmers Market is having a special Thanksgiving market on Wednesday, November 25, from 10-2pm

We’ll be there with lots of goodies including:

leeks
carrots
spinach
swiss chard
arugula
kale
squash
much much more!

There will also be lots of other fabulous vendors there, including:
The Butterfly Bush: dried flower and centerpieces
Hanniwald Lamb: lamb and dogtreats
45th Parallel Pickling Co.: lots of wonderful pickled items
Stone Cloud Gardens: Marjorie with soaps (which I give as Christmas gifts)
Williamston Florist and Greenhouse: ZeTune Olive Oil
Czech Bakery: baked goods
Green Eagle Farm: vegetables and more
Craig’s Hilltop Honey: honey from our farm!
Michigan Mushrooms: they travel from quite a way to bring great mushrooms
Never Dull: knife sharpening, bring those knives, pruning shears or whatever!
Jennifer Rotier: crocheted items
Fairview Gardens (weather permitting): vegetables, dried flowers and centerpieces
Mac’s Market (weather permitting): vegetables