Cooking Up A Story

A simple idea led two women into a thriving new farming enterprise. Building backyard mini-farms for homeowners who want to start growing their own fresh herbs and vegetables, but lack the time or resources to do it themselves. As mentioned in the Director's Journal, a considerable amount of food can be grown in a small area of land, and depending on one's geographic location, food can be produced throughout much of the year. As food prices rise, these types of mini-farms take on new economic meaning!

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Recipes from this Story:  Kale Philo Bake; Crookneck Squash and Tomato Slices

Director's Journal

It’s no easy task being a farmer. What makes it even more challenging these days is to find affordable land in the first place. I hear frequent stories along these lines from those just starting out, and, from those who have been farming for awhile. The veteran farmers shake their heads and say something has to change if we’re going to rely on getting our food locally.

That’s why when I heard about Donna Smith and Robyn Streeter of Your Backyard Farmer, I got really excited! For the right farmer, and the right landowner, this is such a no-brainer. It’s one of those why-didn’t-I-think-of-that moments! I mean, there are all these home lots all through the country, most covered in grass (which you can’t eat), and many which would be perfect for a mini-farm.

Donna says you’d be surprised by the amount of food that can be harvested from a relatively small space. She figures 100 square feet of space will feed one adult. Picture it, a 10 by 10 bed or plot. Now that’s not too big. Multiply that by the number of people you’d like to feed in your family, or, if you have the space, another family or 2.

So many communities and organizations around the world are looking at creative ways to bring good, clean, fresh food closer to home. There’s City Farmer in Vancouver, BC; Pittsburgh, PA; Middlesbrough, UK; and San Francisco recently planted a Victory Garden.

There are lots of different ways ( Resources For City Farms ) to accomplish this effort of growing and providing food locally and lots of folks working hard to make it happen. Do you have other ideas to share? Or, know of other groups that are working toward bringing food home…right to your doorstep? Building a local food economy is just one more step toward a more sustainable way of living. Good for you, good for me, and good for the planet.

—Rebecca

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 2:51 pm and is filed under Show, season 3. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.