Fridays 7-8 AM on WRFI
88.1 Ithaca, 91.9 Watkins Glen
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by Sharon Clarke
For the past two months Groundswell staff and program participants have been my guests on the Friday Morning Show, a one-hour program which I produce and host. The show is exclusively about local food and farming, which makes it a perfect venue to spread the word about the work and the people of Groundswell.
Most recently, I interviewed Silas Conroy, co-owner of Crooked Carrot Community Supported Kitchen www.crookedcarrotcsk.com and Devon Van Noble, farmer/owner of Van Noble Farm www.facebook.com/vannoblefarm. Devon is also Groundswell's Incubator Farm Coordinator. Silas was a participant in the first year of the Farm Business course and through it was able to gain valuable information which was immediately applied to the development of Crooked Carrot. This session one of his business partners is also taking the business course!
Both Devon and Silas are first season farmers as well. This is the first year the Crooked Carrot team are growing their own vegetable crops. And for Devon, this is his first season raising his own hogs. The two admitted that previous experience working on farms certainly helped them get to where they are, but they also benefited from luck and the generosity of more experienced farmers in our community. For Devon, it has been support and experienced gained working with The Piggery Farm owned by Brad and Heather Marshall; while Silas has gotten significant encouragement and support from his relationship with Chaw Chang and Lucy Garrison-Clauson, of Stick and Stone Farm.
Tune in any Friday to find out more about what's happening in local food and farming!
Tuesday, May 21
Crooked Carrot "CSK" Celebrates its First Season on the Farm
By Erika Lundahl
Since 2011, Crooked Carrot Community Supported Kitchen has sought to provide healthy, locally sourced meals to the larger Finger Lakes community - and this season brings a big change.
Early morning on Crooked Carrot Farm, out past rows of apple trees and a small creek, plots of onions are just beginning to sprout. “Garlic, hot peppers, cabbage, parsley, herbs – we’re really so excited for the farm’s first season,” says Jenny Caldwell, one of the farm’s founders. Alongside her is Silas Conroy, one of the founders of the Crooked Carrot Kitchen in 2011.
The farm, located on two acres of land between the Cayuga Lake Watershed and the Chesapeake Watershed, began as Hemlock Grove Farm by Jenny’s parents. Jenny, who has been farming on various Upstate New York farms since she was in high school, is giving the farm a second life.
Now it serves to support the Crooked Carrot Community Supported Kitchen in their CSK (similar to a CSA) “shares.” Each share contains a variety of pre-prepared dips, broths, beans, and vegetable dishes with ingredients sourced from the Crooked Carrot Farm as well as several other local farms.
Groundswell has played a crucial role supporting the development of the two businesses – the kitchen and the farm. Silas, an Ithaca transplant from Central Pennsylvania, took the Groundswell farm business planning class for the kitchen in 2012, and Jenny took the same class in 2013 for the farm. They have been working together to refine the interdependent relationship between the two businesses.
“The Groundswell class really helped us develop our budgetary goals and create a comparison enterprise budget to see the costs vs. income viability of each of our ventures individually,” says Silas. He has been working with the kitchen for three years and sees the farm as a way to further their personal values of sustainable agriculture and sustainable living.
“In farming you get to see so clearly how interconnected ecological systems are, and how your decisions effect your immediate environment. This lifestyle is sort of a bridge between personal and environmental health,” says Silas. Together he and Jenny presented their unique business plan and budget at the Northeast Organic Farming (NOFA) conference. Is was essential, Jenny explained, to put the goals and values of the organization first and foremost when considering every monetary decision the farm makes. “You have to ask yourself how you want your life to be, and then try to reflect that in what you do, and how you farm.”
In these early stages of the formation of the farm, Crooked Carrot is constantly making major decisions about the direction of the farm, a process that Groundswell has assisted with from the beginning. “Taking the business planning class definitely helped us see what kind of growth was realistic, and how we can best focus our energies,” said Jenny.
So, other than the Facebook advertised blackened garlic and pinto bean salad rumored to be in the fourth CSK share of the season, what else is on the menu for Crooked Carrot in the future? Growth, hopefully. The two acres of land won’t support the budding farm for long. “This is a tiny operation right now in comparison to most farms. It’s great because the kitchen provides an immediate venue for everything the farm produces- but we hope to expand within the next couple years,” says Silas.
It’s clear that Crooked Carrot has exciting times ahead of them in the years to come, as they continue to make a name for themselves in the Ithaca local food and farming community.
Find out what’s cooking at the Crooked Carrot on Facebook or at www.crookedcarrotcsk.com
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_Erika Lundahl is a volunteer writer for Groundswell. An Ithaca transplant, she graduated in 2012 from Ithaca College with a Writing degree. While in school she worked with our local bookstore cooperative, Buffalo Street Books and has been working at The Piggery for the last year. We're grateful for her help in bringing you stories about our amazing Groundswell trainees. Thank you Erika!_
Since 2011, Crooked Carrot Community Supported Kitchen has sought to provide healthy, locally sourced meals to the larger Finger Lakes community - and this season brings a big change.
Early morning on Crooked Carrot Farm, out past rows of apple trees and a small creek, plots of onions are just beginning to sprout. “Garlic, hot peppers, cabbage, parsley, herbs – we’re really so excited for the farm’s first season,” says Jenny Caldwell, one of the farm’s founders. Alongside her is Silas Conroy, one of the founders of the Crooked Carrot Kitchen in 2011.
The farm, located on two acres of land between the Cayuga Lake Watershed and the Chesapeake Watershed, began as Hemlock Grove Farm by Jenny’s parents. Jenny, who has been farming on various Upstate New York farms since she was in high school, is giving the farm a second life.
Now it serves to support the Crooked Carrot Community Supported Kitchen in their CSK (similar to a CSA) “shares.” Each share contains a variety of pre-prepared dips, broths, beans, and vegetable dishes with ingredients sourced from the Crooked Carrot Farm as well as several other local farms.
Groundswell has played a crucial role supporting the development of the two businesses – the kitchen and the farm. Silas, an Ithaca transplant from Central Pennsylvania, took the Groundswell farm business planning class for the kitchen in 2012, and Jenny took the same class in 2013 for the farm. They have been working together to refine the interdependent relationship between the two businesses.
“The Groundswell class really helped us develop our budgetary goals and create a comparison enterprise budget to see the costs vs. income viability of each of our ventures individually,” says Silas. He has been working with the kitchen for three years and sees the farm as a way to further their personal values of sustainable agriculture and sustainable living.
“In farming you get to see so clearly how interconnected ecological systems are, and how your decisions effect your immediate environment. This lifestyle is sort of a bridge between personal and environmental health,” says Silas. Together he and Jenny presented their unique business plan and budget at the Northeast Organic Farming (NOFA) conference. Is was essential, Jenny explained, to put the goals and values of the organization first and foremost when considering every monetary decision the farm makes. “You have to ask yourself how you want your life to be, and then try to reflect that in what you do, and how you farm.”
In these early stages of the formation of the farm, Crooked Carrot is constantly making major decisions about the direction of the farm, a process that Groundswell has assisted with from the beginning. “Taking the business planning class definitely helped us see what kind of growth was realistic, and how we can best focus our energies,” said Jenny.
So, other than the Facebook advertised blackened garlic and pinto bean salad rumored to be in the fourth CSK share of the season, what else is on the menu for Crooked Carrot in the future? Growth, hopefully. The two acres of land won’t support the budding farm for long. “This is a tiny operation right now in comparison to most farms. It’s great because the kitchen provides an immediate venue for everything the farm produces- but we hope to expand within the next couple years,” says Silas.
It’s clear that Crooked Carrot has exciting times ahead of them in the years to come, as they continue to make a name for themselves in the Ithaca local food and farming community.
Find out what’s cooking at the Crooked Carrot on Facebook or at www.crookedcarrotcsk.com
----------
_Erika Lundahl is a volunteer writer for Groundswell. An Ithaca transplant, she graduated in 2012 from Ithaca College with a Writing degree. While in school she worked with our local bookstore cooperative, Buffalo Street Books and has been working at The Piggery for the last year. We're grateful for her help in bringing you stories about our amazing Groundswell trainees. Thank you Erika!_
From the Director
Just a couple Saturdays ago, I had the huge pleasure of hanging out with some of the area's most amazing farmers, foodies, visionaries, activists and dreamers.... and LOTS of energetic kids... at the second annual Asparaganza Festival at the Good Life Farm in Interlaken. What an inspiring community! These folks are passionate about re-learning skills, re-building farms and food businesses, and re-weaving the fabric of personal relationships that make up a strong community and local economy. They're creating the social and economic infrastructure that we're going to need so very badly in the coming years of climate change and all its attendant ecological, social, and institutional disruptions.
What took me by surprise was just how many people I ran into at this gathering who were Groundswell alums and instructors! There were literally dozens of them - 20-somethings and 70-somethings and everything in between - who had participated in one or more of our training programs. I knew from our records that we have engaged 290 trainees so far in our programs. But here, at Asparaganza, was concrete evidence of the huge impact that Groundswell has had in four short years.
Will you join us?
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We invite you to be part of this exciting movement! This month we are launching a new Groundswell Membership Campaign to help raise funds to support our new farmer training programs. Your contribution of $25 or more will help us provide training and business incubation support to aspiring farmers, with programs like our Sustainable Farming Certificate Program, Farm Business Planning Course, Finger Lakes CRAFT, Farm Mentor Training, and the new Groundswell Incubator Farm. As a Groundswell member you'll get program discounts, a cool sticker, and invitations to member-only events like our new Homestead Farmers and Gardeners Gatherings for those of you want to be involved in rebuilding the food system in your own backyard.
Become a Groundswell Member Today!
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Click HERE to find out about member benefits and make a secure online donation. As always, thank you for your support of a strong local food system!
Joanna Green
What took me by surprise was just how many people I ran into at this gathering who were Groundswell alums and instructors! There were literally dozens of them - 20-somethings and 70-somethings and everything in between - who had participated in one or more of our training programs. I knew from our records that we have engaged 290 trainees so far in our programs. But here, at Asparaganza, was concrete evidence of the huge impact that Groundswell has had in four short years.
Will you join us?
----------
We invite you to be part of this exciting movement! This month we are launching a new Groundswell Membership Campaign to help raise funds to support our new farmer training programs. Your contribution of $25 or more will help us provide training and business incubation support to aspiring farmers, with programs like our Sustainable Farming Certificate Program, Farm Business Planning Course, Finger Lakes CRAFT, Farm Mentor Training, and the new Groundswell Incubator Farm. As a Groundswell member you'll get program discounts, a cool sticker, and invitations to member-only events like our new Homestead Farmers and Gardeners Gatherings for those of you want to be involved in rebuilding the food system in your own backyard.
Become a Groundswell Member Today!
=========
Click HERE to find out about member benefits and make a secure online donation. As always, thank you for your support of a strong local food system!
Joanna Green
Calling all Homesteaders!
Groundswell Members are invited to the June 16 Homestead Farmers and Gardeners Gathering.
Not sure if you’re a farmer or a gardener? Serious about growing things, but not for sale? Eager to learn from other serious homestead-scale producers? Then join Groundswell as a member and receive invitations to our monthly gatherings of homestead farmers and gardeners. Our first awesome gathering was May 19 at the Lansing homestead of Philip Snyder and Pat Dell. Philip is an amazing gardener with decades of experience, and every one of us learned something new about intensive, year round gardening, extending the season, and establishing an organic orchard.
The June Homestead Farmers and Gardeners Gathering will be on Fathers Day, Sunday, June 16, from 3:30 - 5:30 PM. We'll tour Steve Austin's homestead in suburban Ithaca. The event is free for Groundswell members, but you must register in advance and space is limited to the first 20 registrants. Sorry but we cannot accept walk-ins.
Monday, April 15
Red Byrd Orchard taps into growing market for artisanal ciders
By: Erika Lundahl
Eric Shatt’s kids get excited to help him run the cider press each year. “We need to remember to put aside some apples to press some non-alcoholic cider they can actually drink,” jokes Eric, owner of [Red Byrd Orchard Cider](http://redbyrdorchardcider.com/).
Based in Burdett, NY, Eric Shatt and his wife, Deva Maas began selling artisanal hard ciders in 2012, pressed from heirloom, wild seedling and European cider apples grown in their family orchards. Eric, who started planting trees in 2004 with the intention of pressing cider, credits Groundswell’s 2012 [Farm Business Planning Course](http://www.groundswellcenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=133&Itemid=156) as a key factor in helping them develop the business chops to get the cidery off the ground.
“The class helped us develop a business plan for the first time and really crunch the numbers to get a good idea of what it would take to move the cidery forward,” says Shatt. And Red Byrd is certainly moving forward. The cidery, now in its second official season of distribution, was recently approved for a business loan through Alternatives Federal Credit Union.
The Alternatives loan will allow for more operating capital to be used to purchase equipment, expand the facility, and increase their capacity for cider distribution. Its an exciting next step in the cidery’s evolution, made possible by the resources and financial mentors of the Groundswell program. “It was that class that showed us that a business loan was even an option for a business of our size.” Said Shatt. Shatt loves the process of taking care of the trees, and the pressing process - the equipment bought with the loan money will help optimize the process to make more and better apple and pear cider.
And Shatt knows his way around Cider. Fermenting from the age 15, he graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in agrobiology. When he’s not working in his own orchards, he works as Cornell University’s Orchard and Research Farms Manager. Maas too, holds a degree in sustainable agriculture from Evergreen State College, and has brought her expertise to a number of different agricultural endeavors in the past few years. Groundswell, Shatt says, gives farmers like them the opportunity turn their life long passions into a profitable business. Figuring out the break-even point per barrel of cider was key to developing the pricing for their Spring 2013 keg and bottle CSA program.
Last fall Red Byrd also joined forces with several other upstate NY cider makers to form the Finger Lakes Cider Alliance. Finger Lakes Cider Alliance, a group of cider makers that includes 6 New York ciderys and one New Hampshire cidery, launched “Cider Week” in Ithaca last fall, a cross-marketing campaign that celebrated cider at many different restaurants in the Finger Lakes region.
This season Red Byrd is pairing up with [The Good Life Farm](http://www.groundswellcenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=143%3Acraft-farm-profile-the-good-life-farm&catid=40%3Afarms&Itemid=127) in Interlaken, NY as an add-on for the farm’s fruit and vegetable CSA share. Shatt says he’s looking forward to getting their cider into a few local restaurants or bars. All signs point to Red Byrd further tapping into the upstate New York farming community, and they know that Groundswell is a friend and resource they can come to with any financial questions they might have.
“A lot of people don’t think about the numbers as much as they should, because it’s not their primary interest,” said Shatt. Shatt and Maas, between raising kids, sheep, and working jobs, have figured out how to divide the business responsibilities of the cidery so they can spend the most time doing what they love. Shatt runs the pressing production operations, Maas does more of the distribution and marketing, blogging about all things cider on their website, and they work the orchards together. It’s an exciting time for Red Byrd, and for the upstate cider community.
To see what Red Byrd’s up to now, check them out on their website at redbyrdorchardcider.com.
Breaking Ground at the Incubator Farm
By Devon Van Noble
Groundswell is excited to announce that the first 2 applicants have been accepted to the Farm Enterprise Incubator for the 2013 season! Damon Brangman, co-owner of the mobile vending stand Fruits & Roots Juice, and Surik Mehrabyan, a Physics Research Associate, will be among the first “Incubees” to put seeds in the ground at the Incubator Farm. As Staff, we are excited to work alongside both of them as they hone in their business- and production- plans over the next 3 years. Unlike farm training, incubation is a collaborative dialog between the Incubee, staff and mentors, and in the end these Incubees will make their own decisions about how to run their farm business. We encourage you to be a part of helping these beginning farmers to grow!
Both of Damon and Surik have a background with growing food from their countries of origin as well as here in the Finger Lakes region. Their past experience will be critical as they begin to implement their production plans.
Damon, originally from Bermuda, grew up working on organic mixed vegetable farms, and has worked on similar mixed vegetable farms here in the Ithaca area for several years. Surik grew up on his family’s small homestead farm in the highlands in Armenia, and has managed a large garden plot at Cornell University for the past 3 years. He says that in his youth, the two crops he grew up tending in his father’s garden every year were cabbage and potatoes, and in the past few years he has experimented with onions, chard, okra, cilantro, kohlrabi, and tomatoes.
Damon will be growing root crops to supply the Fruits & Roots Juice stand, including beets and carrots, which will substitute for the vegetables they would otherwise have to purchase for juicing. His goals are to trial a few varieties of beets and carrots that he thinks will be good “juicers”, as well as try to expand sales through the mobile stand to include some fresh crops like salad greens. For this season, Surik plans to focus on a few staple crops that he knows he can do well based on his experience. His biggest priorities are increasing his scale from a “large garden” (~ 2000 ft.2) to a “small farm” (~10,000 ft.2), and determining the optimal market for his product.
It is truly exciting to be breaking ground with these two Incubees and we are looking forward to a busy- but productive- inaugural year at the Incubator Farm!
Interested in helping out?
Please come out to encourage these two beginning farmers as they get started into their first farming season at the Groundswell Incubator Farm. There will be 3 Work Parties happening on April 27th and 28th, as well as May 4th from 11am to 3pm. The main goal of these Spring Work Parties is to complete the “Fence-Raising” for the Incubator Farm’s 8’ Deer Fence.
There are many ways you can help these new enterprises to get off the ground successfully.
- Come to a Farm Work Party
- Offer your professional services to the Groundswell Incubees!
- Tell a beginning farmer (or a mentor) about the Incubator!
- Have old tools or farm equipment? The Groundswell Incubator Farm is a wonderful way to put those rusting treasures to good use! We are accepting donations of reasonably-used tools or equipment—please contact Devon Van Noble (727)410-4073, if you have a donation or questions!
Donate to the Incubator
There is still room for 1 more “Incubee” in the Program, and we encourage you to contact Groundswell Staff directly if you or someone you know is considering applying to the Program. (607)319-5095 or devon@groundswellcenter.org
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Youth from Match High School in Boston, Help out Groundswell
“I learned that farming takes a lot of patience and perseverance…But living on a farm could be fun for anyone.”—Joselia Souza; MATCH High School Student, Boston, MA
Recently Groundswell was lucky enough to receive many helping hands from a group of awesome high school students to build the deer fence at the Groundswell Incubator Farm. Visiting all the way from the MATCH Charter School in Boston, Massachusetts, these students were in town to experience a bit of what Ithaca’s college-scene has to offer, but they also spent much of their trip volunteering with some of the local community organizations. For many of these students there are few opportunities to experience careers and lifestyles outside of the city, so we were thrilled to share a little bit of agriculture from the Town of Ithaca, and get some fence posts installed at the same time. When I first met the students as they were getting off the bus, I think many of them were a bit skeptical about the muddy farmer who was walking up to meet them. Although most of them had been on farms before, they were all dressed to the level of fashion that most everyone does in high school. Fortunately they were all extremely kind about my own messy-farmer fashion, but as they toured the farms at EcoVillage I could tell they were hesitantly-curious about what kind of work they had agreed to do.…
When we got to the Incubator Farm, the holes for the fence posts had already been dug, but our job was to level and set each post in its place by tamping the dirt around it. For the corner-posts, we had to attach wood “feet” to the bottoms of the posts, and then pour concrete around them for added stability. I can tell you that this Work Party immediately became a success when we started to use the tools, because as each student took a turn at screwing in the wood “feet” or at slamming the tamping bar down into the hole—everyone else was watching with collective support and excitement! As we got more into working, their characters really came out and we all had a GREAT time. As one student said, ““When we first got there, I was not at all happy. But by the end I was pounding dirt using a hammer with a smile on my face. I felt like I did something that day.”—Sidney McCauley*
The best part about the Work Party was that we saw their excitement around getting something physical done, which feels very different than working on a computer or in a classroom. For many farmers, working with your hands and the earth’s tools: soil, wood, metal—is the most rewarding part of a farming-lifestyle. It was clear that some of students picked up on this and I am so grateful that we were able to impart a sliver of this joy before they went back to their high school lives. Big Shout-Out to our friends in Boston! Thank you for all your hard work, and we hope you come back again next year!
Other quotes from MATCH students:
“It was really cool to see how much work goes into building part of a farm.”—Janel Williams*
“Learning how to build a fence together and the experience as a whole made us closer, and it was fun.”—Kerry Sonia*
Janel, Kerry, and Sidney are all Students at MATCH High School in Boston, Massachusetts. MATCH is a Charter School focused on preparing low-income students for success in four-year colleges and are innovative and strive to find unique solutions to whatever issue may arise. Please find out more about MATCH, here http://matcheducation.org/match-schools.
Recently Groundswell was lucky enough to receive many helping hands from a group of awesome high school students to build the deer fence at the Groundswell Incubator Farm. Visiting all the way from the MATCH Charter School in Boston, Massachusetts, these students were in town to experience a bit of what Ithaca’s college-scene has to offer, but they also spent much of their trip volunteering with some of the local community organizations. For many of these students there are few opportunities to experience careers and lifestyles outside of the city, so we were thrilled to share a little bit of agriculture from the Town of Ithaca, and get some fence posts installed at the same time. When I first met the students as they were getting off the bus, I think many of them were a bit skeptical about the muddy farmer who was walking up to meet them. Although most of them had been on farms before, they were all dressed to the level of fashion that most everyone does in high school. Fortunately they were all extremely kind about my own messy-farmer fashion, but as they toured the farms at EcoVillage I could tell they were hesitantly-curious about what kind of work they had agreed to do.…
When we got to the Incubator Farm, the holes for the fence posts had already been dug, but our job was to level and set each post in its place by tamping the dirt around it. For the corner-posts, we had to attach wood “feet” to the bottoms of the posts, and then pour concrete around them for added stability. I can tell you that this Work Party immediately became a success when we started to use the tools, because as each student took a turn at screwing in the wood “feet” or at slamming the tamping bar down into the hole—everyone else was watching with collective support and excitement! As we got more into working, their characters really came out and we all had a GREAT time. As one student said, ““When we first got there, I was not at all happy. But by the end I was pounding dirt using a hammer with a smile on my face. I felt like I did something that day.”—Sidney McCauley*
The best part about the Work Party was that we saw their excitement around getting something physical done, which feels very different than working on a computer or in a classroom. For many farmers, working with your hands and the earth’s tools: soil, wood, metal—is the most rewarding part of a farming-lifestyle. It was clear that some of students picked up on this and I am so grateful that we were able to impart a sliver of this joy before they went back to their high school lives. Big Shout-Out to our friends in Boston! Thank you for all your hard work, and we hope you come back again next year!
Other quotes from MATCH students:
“It was really cool to see how much work goes into building part of a farm.”—Janel Williams*
“Learning how to build a fence together and the experience as a whole made us closer, and it was fun.”—Kerry Sonia*
Janel, Kerry, and Sidney are all Students at MATCH High School in Boston, Massachusetts. MATCH is a Charter School focused on preparing low-income students for success in four-year colleges and are innovative and strive to find unique solutions to whatever issue may arise. Please find out more about MATCH, here http://matcheducation.org/match-schools.
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