1 bunch small to medium beets (about 1 1/2 lbs)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Sprouts or greens such as spinach

Balsamic vinegar

3 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 T fresh lemon juice

3 ounces goat cheese 

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim beets and wash them. Place in a casserole dish and drizzle with 1 T of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour.

 When beets are cool enough to handle, slip off skins. Quarter beets and place in a bowl. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and toss. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 T of oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Toss sprouts with the dressing.

Serve sprouts topped with beets and goat cheese. Serve warm or at room temperature.

   Not long ago we were asked to envision a sustainable food system for Maine.  Starting with underlying community values of  sustainability, food security, justice and democracy here is our concept of local food sovereignty.  While neither exclusive nor complete we believe these are practical goals for our close knit State of Maine.  We think they can also be extrapolated to regions with greater populations.

Our Common Values for Maine Food.

·          Lots of thriving and diverse local Farmers Markets across the State that go year around to satisfy shopper's needs and extend cash flow for family farmers and food producers like bakers and fishers.

·          Grocery stores and restaurants that are enthusiastic local outlets for Maine grown and Maine produced food. from fish to beef to to milk to vegetables to bread and grains.

·          High quality locally grown nonGMO (genetically modified organisms) organic seed of vegetable and grain varieties that are delicious and regionally adapted to Maine's sometimes challenging growing conditions.

·           Extensive Community Supported Agriculture subscription garden programs organized at work and at church that keep Maine people fed and create stable new markets for Maine family farmers.

·          Intelligent utilization of local sources of fertility such as manures; cover crops; fishery, timber and crop waste; and rock powders.

·          School breakfasts, lunches and snacks that are nutritious, local and organic.

·          Community safety nets that support elders and limited resource neighbors who should not have to choose between winter heat, medicine and healthy food.

·          Strawberry Festivals, Lobster Festivals,  Ployes Festivals, Muskie Tournaments,  Maple Breakfasts, Harvest Suppers and all sorts of food centered community celebrations so numerous and iconic that Maine's reputation for the good life becomes synonymous with a delicious reputation for good food.

·          A culture of responsible stewardship of food production by organic and sustainable methods that keeps Maine's water pure, our crops free from GMO and pesticide contamination, our soils thriving and improving for future generations, and our woodlands healthy for fish and wildlife.

·          Family scale livestock raised humanely on Maine grown nonGMO feed and treated with respect on the farm and at well run local family scale slaughter facilities.

·          Affordable access to farmland for young and new farmers that allows purchase or long term tenure which encourages long term capital infrastructure improvements such as farm buildings, wells and access roads.

·          Schools that teach the lifelong lessons learned from gardening and nature, and the priceless benefits of  food literacy to societal and individual health and well-being.

·          A future of hope, expectation and permanence so that next generation farmers and fishers are encouraged and confident in carrying forward their family's heritage of food production.

·          Societal recognition of the importance of local food production so that family farmers, fishers and their coworkers earn respect and incomes commensurate with their contributions to helping build secure and healthy communities.   ~~

Question & Answer.  Economics of Growing Potatoes.

Q. I own a small farm in Arlington Vermont. The State of Vermont has deemed the soil on the farm to be some of the best in Vermont.  My interest would be potato farming.  Would 4-6 acres of open field with great soil be enough to be profitable?  Your thoughts? 

FH
Arlington VT 
A.  Well, that's a big topic to cover.  For starters I'd study Eliot Coleman's “The New Organic Grower” and your fellow Vermonter Richard Wiswall's “The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook.”  My advice on farming is to start small, build on success and learn from your mistakes while on the low end of the “J-curve” before education comes at a high cost.

  The economics of potatoes as a component of a market operation are very good.  Take, for example, the scale of a quarter acre of potatoes. Here are some numbers.  At three foot row spacing there are 14520 row feet per acre or 3630' per quarter acre. At 9” in-row spacing that quarter acre would be 4840 hills.  At 1.5 ounce seed piece size you'd need 453 pounds of seed potatoes per quarter acre. On the harvest end, assume a reasonable yield of 1 pound per row foot or 3630 pound per acre.  Assuming a 90% packout of salable tubers you'll have 3267 pounds of potatoes to sell.  In selling if you do a good job with sought after varieties and can average $2/pound in a farmers market setting you'd pull in a gross income of $6534.  If you can do the work of growing the crop with your family's labor and keep your out of pocket expenses to under $1500 (20% of gross), you ought to be able to clear $5000 (net) from that little quarter acre. And that's no small potatoes! 

  One of our growers in Washington state once reported that he planted 750 pounds of our Rose Gold seed potatoes and harvested an amazing 24,000 pounds, a remarkable 32X increase. Most of us won't achieve that kind of success but it's a goal to work towards. Good luck!

Jim

FREE Wood Prairie Organic Pancake Mix!

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