Backyard Community Supported Agriculture biz in Salida

We want to start a Community Supported Agriculture business in Salida, using people's backyards or other unused spaces to grow food, create jobs and local self-reliance in the face of serious challenges to the national economy. This idea is not new, it's being done in cities across the country. We can do it here in Salida as well.

MyFarm from East Bay Pictures on Vimeo.
(MyFarm is a decentralized urban farm which grows vegetables in backyard gardens throughout the city of San Francisco. For more info go to http://www.myfarmsf.com)

For the folks who are already on board, it seems like a good way to go is to spend this upcoming season getting two gardens going as demonstration sites that we can take our angel investors to that look great. We have serious offers of space from three people, and a lot of interest from potential farmers, and we have barely begun our networking and marketing. My experience of talking about this idea so far has been like selling umbrellas in a thunderstorm. Many people have an intuitive sense that we are needing to move ahead as fast as we can on local food, and that we have that capability right here in Salida. Next season (2010) we will hopefully have our first 8 partner farmers and our first eight sites ready to go early in spring.

Tia Pleiman has generously offered her space at the Creative Playhouse for the meeting (thanks Tia, thanks Lawton!). It is at 230 E. 1st St. (between D & E). The meeting will start at 7:00 on Thursday April 30th. I can stay until 8:30 when I rehearse with the Groove Farmers, but if other folks are interested in continuing, don't let me stop you. Gina or anyone else: you know there's nothing quite like fresh baked goods to spruce up a meeting... ;-)

Call me 207-0069 or email with questions.

Thanks,
your backyard farmer,
Eric Belsey

Fruit, fermentation, beekeeping and backyard CSAs

If anyone has a fruit tree that could be cloned or grafted, please pass info along to one of us, Aaron Mendelkorn or me. We would love to get an inventory of such trees. We can plant potentially hundreds of new fruit trees simply using the trees already here.

If anyone is interested in learning about fermented foods, aka Nourishing Traditions style, with lactofermentation, we are forming a group to meet to try new recipes. Lactofermentation is an ancient process using lactobacilli bacteria that produce lactic acid, which is a natural preservative. This method of preservation also enhances the quality of nutrition with food, creating healthy enzymes (something seriously missing in the western diet), vitamins and minerals, benefical bacteria, and and for example can make a tasty fizzy refreshing drink all combined into one. This can also be used to preserve many foods for months without going bad in the fridge, requires no canning and thereby reduces energy usage by letting the bacteria do all the work.

Remember there is the Crestone beekeeping course this Monday, April 27th. Several of us will be going. Let me or Denise Ackert know if you are interested to carpool. We have at least 7 going at this point. I can forward the info via email.

Also, if anyone is interested in Eric Belsey's backyard CSA idea, you may contact Eric at 719-207-0069, or egbelsey@yahoo.com

See everyone at the next meeting, May 7th, 6:30pm at the Library.

Dave Bowers
namaste@organicfool.com
720-732-9125

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