HOME sweet FARM

DAIKON RADISH WITH BOK CHOY

2011-12-11T20:49:00.000-06:00

I found this recipe and thought it looked good..

Famous Foodies: chefs, bakers, foodies. They cook, you learn.

Orange glazed tempeh with sautéed bok choy, onion + daikon

1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves garlic
Tempeh, cut into triangles
1/4 cup tamari
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp mirin
Bok choy, chopped
1 daikon radish, sliced
½ cup of onion, diced
Directions:
Mix tamari, orange juice, maple syrup and mirin in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, stirring for 2 minutes. Add in tempeh and sauté until browned on each side, about 3 minutes. Add orange sauce and simmer for about 15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Remove tempeh and set side. Add in remaining veggies and sauté until veggies are cooked, about 5 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

Radishes

2011-12-06T13:52:00.000-06:00

Thank you to Adrienne, our local CSA member, for sending these recipes!

GLAZED RADISHES

1 lb.
1 tbsp.
1 tsp.
1/2 tsp.
2 tbsp.

radishes, trimmed
unsalted butter
sugar
salt
minced fresh parsley leaves

In a heavy saucepan wide enough to hold the radishes in one layer cook the radishes in the butter with the sugar and the salt over moderately low heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water, simmer the radishes, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are tender, and boil them, uncovered, shaking the pan occasionally, until the liquid has been reduced to a glaze. Cook the radishes over moderate heat, swirling them, until they are coated with the glaze and sprinkle them with the parsley.

Gourmet, April 1991

GRANDMOTHER'S RADISH LEAF SOUP
Beet greens and kale would also work with or instead of the radish greens for this soup.

3 bunches
1 tbsp.
1 very lg.
4
3 cups
2/3 cup

radishes
butter
onion, chopped
russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, chopped
water
milk (almond is great)

Cut leaves from radishes and wash well. (Reserve radishes for another use.) Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add radish leaves and saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add potatoes and 3 cups water. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in blender. Return to saucepan. Mix in milk. Stir over medium heat until hot. Season soup with salt and pepper.

Bon Appetit, May 1994

Roasted Radishes

1 bunch radishes

3 small potatoes (I used up the ones from last month’s distribution, we are getting more next week)

1 red onion

1 head of garlic

Red chile flake

Cut the tops and bottoms off the radishes and wash. Cut potatoes into cubes about the size of the radishes. Quarter the onion. Cut the whole garlic head in half (with the skin and everything on). Grease a baking dish and all all ingredients. Add olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and chile flake. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. You will have light pink, sweet radishes! Enjoy.

Butter poached radishes

· 1 bunch radishes

· 2 Tbsp butter

· Salt

· Crusty bread

Slice the radishes into medium slices. I got about 4 slices per radish.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the radishes and cook, seasoning with salt, for about 5-6 minutes.

Serve over crusty bread.

Chef’s Notes: This recipe is so simple, you can be eating yummy radishes within 10 minutes of walking into the kitchen. We tried the radishes plain (without the bread) and they were excellent, but pouring the buttery mess onto bread makes for a very decadent appetizer or side dish. Just make sure your bread slices are thick enough to stand up to the butter and radishes. Ours weren’t and so they were a little tricky to eat. We will definitely be making these again.

Turnips

2011-11-28T09:33:00.000-06:00

Turnip and Potato Patties: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/turnip_and_potato_patties/

Scalloped Turnips: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/scalloped_turnips/

All Things Turnip: http://www.turniprecipes.co.uk/

Southern Collard Greens and Kale

2011-11-21T11:25:00.000-06:00

Our local CSA member Craig sent this recipe to me earlier this year...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/southern-cooked-greens-recipe3/index.html

Also here is a recipe from our member, Kay, in Tomball...

Kale and Potato Soup

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

½ lb. smoked sausage (I left this out)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 lb potatoes, peeled, cut in 1 inch cubes

6 cups of broth

1 lb kale (stems and centers removed—I didn’t do this)

2 cloves garlic, smashed

I added:

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped

2 carrots, same size chop as the onion

1 parsnip, same size chop as the onion

2 oz of pancetta, chopped

Saute pancetta until crisp. Set aside. Add onion, peppers, carrots, parsnip, and garlic and cook until the onion is wilted and beginning to brown. Add potatoes and stir to coat; add broth. Simmer gently until the potatoes are almost cooked. Add chopped kale. Simmer 5 minutes. Return pancetta to pot. Simmer 2 minutes and serve.

I served it with a green salad and cornbread with the last of the corn in it and it was a perfect meal for this weather!

Mustard Greens

2011-11-15T15:54:00.000-06:00

Mustard Greens recipes...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/curried-mustard-greens-with-kidney-beans/detail.aspx

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wilted-Mustard-Greens-109100

http://www.seasonalchef.com/greens.htm

Green Tomatoes

2011-11-15T15:51:00.000-06:00

I'm sure many of you need help with the green tomatoes. Here are some recipes and ideas...

http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2009/07/tomatoes-tomatoes-everywhere-lets-make.html
http://www.farmgirlfare.com/2009/09/got-green-tomatoes-try-my-super-simple.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/fried-green-tomatoes-recipe/index.html

http://www.bostonplus.com/tomato.html#salsadress

ENJOY!!!

Okra and Cabbage

2011-11-07T16:02:00.001-06:00

Here are some more ideas for that okra...thanks to our helpful CSA member, Heather!

Saute of Tomatoes and Okra with Bacon

http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Blogs/Dear-Dara/June-2011/FreshTartSteph-Recipe-Saute-of-Tomatoes-and-Okra-with-Bacon/

Quick Vegetarian Napa Cabbage Kim Chi (Kimchee) Recipe

http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2011/06/quick-vegetarian-napa-cabbage-kim-chi-kimchee-recipe.html

Arugula

2011-11-07T15:52:00.013-06:00

Here are some arugula recipe and ideas...

Zucchini Arugula Potato Frittata
http://www.spirituallyfit.com/volume3/issue4/stories/eleanora_recipes.htm

Pasta with Arugula and White Beans

http://thisweekfordinner.com/2010/04/27/pasta-with-arugula-and-white-beans/

5 Uses for Arugula Besides Salads
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roundup/top-5-uses-for-arugula-besides-salad-053443

Arugula Pesto

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/arugula_pesto/

Onion and Arugula Frittata

http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/onion-and-arugula-frittata

Arugula and Fontina Frittata

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Arugula-and-Fontina-Frittata-231657

ENJOY!!

Napa Cabbage and Bok Choy

2011-11-04T10:18:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for help with your Chinese Cabbage and Bok Choy, here are some links and information.

Napa Cabbage

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/05/napa-cabbage-5-healthy-uses-and.html
http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/809695/8-things-to-do-with-napa-cabbage

and Bok Choy...
http://onceachef.com/2011/06/23/csa-delivery-and-chicken-with-bok-choy/
http://steamykitchen.com/2112-bok-choy-stir-fry-recipe.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/stir-fried-bok-choy-with-ginger-and-garlic-recipe/index.html

Enjoy!!

Arugula Tuna Wrap

2011-11-01T19:31:00.000-05:00

What you need:

Fresh cut arugula
Tuna
Tortilla
Cream cheese

Directions:

Get out your tortilla and spread cream cheese on it.
Spread the tuna on the center of the tortilla on the cream cheese.
Put a handful of arugula on the tuna, and wrap it up.
If you want to heat it up, do not put the arugula in, put it in the oven,
then after it is hot put the arugula in. If you put the arugula in the wrap
while you are heating it up then it will wilt and will not taste as good.

Enjoy!!!!

From Brooke Stufflebeam, Brad and Jenny's daughter.

Peppers, Eggplant, and Okra

2011-11-01T18:32:00.000-05:00

Here is an email I received from one of our members with a few links to recipes for Peppers, Eggplant, and Okra...

I have a recipe for your peppers, if you would like to share: http://gluten-free-foodie.net/2011/08/09/yucatan-inspired-ceviche/

and also a very yummy gumbo recipes for the okra: http://gluten-free-foodie.net/2011/08/01/authentic-gumbo-by-gram-holly-naturally-gluten-free/

plus here's a cool recipe for eggplant chips: http://www.stuffed-pepper.com/gluten-free-recipes/all-day-i-dream-about-food/garam-masala-eggplant-chips-cilantro-mint-raita

Enjoy!

Storage Tips

2011-10-31T09:05:00.000-05:00

I was asked by one of our new members about storage tips for their veggies, so I set off to find the best information in one place. I found this on a farm's website that looked great. ( One Drop Farm in Maine )
I hope this helps everyone keep their veggies fresh and nutritious!

Farmer’s Guidelines for Storing Fresh Produce

Please note that these are guidelines, not rules.
All fresh vegetables should be eaten as quickly as possible for best nutrition and flavor. We recommend only washing veggies when ready to use.
You’ll note the use of plastic bags. If your veggies didn’t come in one, it’s a good chance to re-use old, clean ones.

Beans	Store in a loose bag in the refrigerator, one week +.
Beets	Remove the tops to maintain moisture in beets. If the leaves stay on, the beets respire. Leaves should be used within 3 days, roots will last for three weeks.
Bok Choy	Store in a loose plastic bag in the fridge up to one week.
Broccoli	Store in a loose plastic bag in the fridge up to one week.
Cabbage	Store in a loose bag in the fridge, may last a few to several weeks. Peel off outer leaves to maintain longer storage.
Carrots	Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Put a few holes in the bag for long term storage to increase air circulation.
Corn	Eat as soon as possible, or freeze. Sugars in corn turn to starch quickly.
Cucumber	Store in a loose bag or in crisper in fridge up to one week.
Eggplant	Store in a loose bag or in crisper in fridge, use as soon as possible for maximum texture, but storable up to one week.
Fennel	Store in a loose bag in the fridge, may last up to a few weeks.
Fresh Herbs	Store in a loose bag in the fridge, remove rubber band to increase air flow. Soft-leaved herbs (basil, cilantro) should not be washed until ready to use. Use or dry within one week.
Kale	Wash, trim stems, and pat dry (leaves whole) for quick use. Store in a closed plastic bag in the fridge. One week +. You can also dehydrate kale and use it in soups later (like dried herbs).
Leeks	Store in a loose bag in the fridge, may last a few to several weeks. Peel off outer leaves to maintain longer storage. Leeks are great keepers.
Lettuce	Lettuce may be washed and gently spun dry, then kept in the fridge for quick access, but keep leaves whole until ready for use to minimize browning. Washed and spun dry, loose, 3-5 days. Whole head, unwashed, one week +. Softer lettuce will not last as long as Romaine types.
Melons	Leave out on counter until ready to use. Most melons ripen off the vine.
Onions	Fresh: Store loose in bag or in crisper in fridge, may last several weeks. Dry: Keep in a dry dark place to prevent molding and sprouting. May last up to several months with proper storage. Sort frequently and use those with blemishes first.
Green Onion	Remove rubber band and store in the fridge, loose in a bag until ready, up to one week.
Parsley	Store in a loose bag in the fridge. Gently pat dry if needed for longer storage. May also be hung out of direct light and left to dry.
Parsnip	Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Put a few holes in the bag for air flow. Store like you would carrots.
Peas	Do not wash until ready to use. Store in a loose bag in the fridge up to one week.
Peppers	Do not wash until ready to use. Store in loose bag in the fridge up to one week.
Radicchio	Do not wash until ready to use. Store in loose bag in the fridge, peel off leaves as needed. One week +.
Radishes	Remove tops to maintain moisture in radishes, loose bag in the fridge, use within a week.
Salad Greens	See Lettuces. 3-5 days.
Spinach	May be washed and gently spun dry, then in a closed bag in the fridge for quick use, but we recommend leaving leaves whole until ready for use. 3-5 days.
Summer Squash	Store in a loose bag in the fridge, one week.
Winter Squash	Store in a dark dry place to prevent molding and over ripening. May store through December or longer. Sort frequently and used blemished ones first.
Swiss Chard	Store in a closed bag in fridge. Remove twist tie to increase air flow. May be washed and gently spun dry for quick use. One week.
Tomatoes	Never put tomatoes in the fridge – it ruins flavor and texture. Just put them on the counter resting on their shoulders. If you put them near apples, it speeds up their ripening.

Sweet Peppers

2011-10-28T10:43:00.000-05:00

Italian Pepper and Egg Sandwitch
from Almost Italian

Ingredients:
1 or 2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
1 Medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 Red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 Green bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 eggs, beaten
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Loaf Italian bread (such as a bastone or a ciabatta)

Preparation:
Heat a sauté pan over medium heat then add enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and sauté for a minute or two. Add the onion and peppers, regulating the heat so the onions don’t burn. Sauté until the peppers have softened.
Raise the heat to medium-high and add the beaten eggs. Stir to combine with the onions and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggs are set.
Slice the bread lengthwise without cutting all the way through. When the eggs are done, gently slide them onto the bread to make a sandwich and cut the loaf into four portions.
Serves 2 – 4

Eggplant

2011-10-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

Austin Acres Creamy Eggplant Pie

1-2 potatoes, thinly sliced
4 Tbls. Butter
3 Tbls. Onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 C. sweet red peppers, diced
1 C. green peppers, diced
5 C. eggplant, peeled & diced
¼ C. water
8 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
5 Tbls. parmesan, grated
1 Tbls. lemon juice
2 Tbls. fresh basil
salt & pepper
2 large tomatoes, sliced
½ C. oatmeal, coarsely ground
¼ C. nuts, coarsely ground

Preheat oven to 350.

In large sauté pan, melt 2 tblsp. butter and sauté the onion, garlic and peppers until onion is limp, about 5 minutes. Add eggplant & water. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream cheese, cook until cheese melts. Stir in 2 tblsp. parmesan, lemon juice and basil. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Line bottom & sides of 10 inch pie plate with sliced potatoes to form a “crust”. Spoon half of the eggplant mixture into the pan. Cover with tomato slices. Spoon in remaining eggplant mixture.

Mix oatmeal, nuts and the remaining butter and parmesan together. Sprinkle topping over pie. Bake 40 minutes, serve hot.

Pipian Squash

2011-10-26T13:41:00.000-05:00

This week a few dropsites received pipian squash. This is a 500+ year old heirloom from Costa Rica grown by our farmer friends at Finca Pura Vida near Fayetteville. We enjoy peeling this squash and baking or sauteing it like any other summer squash recipe. Its great also for soups or as a sauce.

Farmer Brad talks Righteous Food with Dr. Scott

2011-06-29T20:37:00.000-05:00

Listen to internet radio with Dr Scott Perlman on Blog Talk Radio

Food Safety Reality

2011-05-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

Farmer Brad at the 2011 Texas Food Safety Conference. The lone voice of reason, this conference was hosted by the FDA, Texas Health Services and the Texas Dept. of Agriculture.

Raw Milk Bill in Texas

2011-02-15T16:46:00.001-06:00

Check out this informative info put out by the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance on the Raw Milk Bill that will increase availability of raw milk in Texas. Spread the word! http://www.digitalnewsrelease.com/index.php?q=Raw_Milk

Radio show this Saturday, February 5th, 7-9 pm Central

2011-02-04T20:24:00.000-06:00

Farmer Brad will be joining Judith McGeary on the Food Rights Hour to discuss local foods, GMO alfalfa, and agtivism. Tune in to the Republic Broadcasting Network online to hear the live show. The show will be open to callers, so call in at 1-800-313-9443. Brought to you by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund.

Cover Cropping Systems for the South

2011-01-31T16:17:00.000-06:00

Farmer brad discusses his intensive cover cropping system for vegetable growers in the South. This was a presentation given at the Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Assoc. 2011 Conference. You can follow along with his power point presentation by clicking this link: http://www.homesweetfarm.com/CoverCroppingSystems.ppt

Permalink to this podcast: http://homesweetfarm.podomatic.com/entry/2011-01-31T13_17_35-08_00

Chinese Eat Organic Out of Fear of Their Own Food Supply

2011-01-24T15:32:00.000-06:00

Interesting article in USA Today points out that even the Chinese are afraid of eating their own mass produced food. You know something is seriously wrong with this picture! Definitely shows the need for increased food inspections on imported food. Currently, the FDA inspects less than 1%! READ THE ARTICLE >>

Farmer Brad on NaturalNews.tv

2011-01-12T17:28:00.000-06:00

In case you missed it... a few weeks ago, we were visited by Mike Adams, The Health Ranger. Mike had a camera and I had a soap box... you can imagine the result. Given the opportunity, I sounded off about the potential impacts of the Food Safety Modernization Act on small local farmers. We have had a great response from around the world. To check it out... you can view the article and the video interview online at NaturalNews.tv... follow this link... http://bit.ly/hO4nAm

Yours in the local harvest,
Farmer Brad

Farm Scenes at HOMEsweetFARM

2011-01-09T13:16:00.000-06:00

2011 CSA - Now accepting new members

2011-01-09T12:16:00.000-06:00

Although we are Houston's first and largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, we are NOT into being BIG. In fact, we are currently downsizing, focusing on our committed member base by serving them the highest quality 100% local food available. We are NOT here to feed ALL of Houston... We are here to feed a small community who is committed with us in restoring our local food system, for the health of all involved.

Space is limited and many dropsites will fill-up quickly this season! More info is available here...

"that now I worked for my bread"

2010-12-02T12:02:00.002-06:00

"I foresaw that, in time, it would please God to supply me with bread. And yet here I was perplexed again, for I neither knew how to grind or make meal of my corn, or indeed how to clean it and part it; nor, if made into meal, how to make bread of it; and if how to make it, yet I knew not how to bake it. These things being added to my desire of having a good quantity for store, and to secure a constant supply, I resolved not to taste any of this crop but to preserve it all for seed against the next season; and in the meantime to employ all my study and hours of working to accomplish this great work of providing myself with corn and bread. It might be truly said, that now I worked for my bread. I believe few people have thought much upon the strange multitude of little things necessary in the providing, producing, curing, dressing, making, and finishing this one article of bread." - Daniel Defoe (1661–1731), Robinson Crusoe

Eight Reasons to Eat Our Food

2010-07-28T16:54:00.003-05:00

1. Eat More Healthily. Having fresh produce delivered conveniently to your neighborhood on a regular schedule is essential to obtaining the recommended 7-9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

2. Local Farmers. Unlike many produce delivery services who buy out of state produce from a warehouse and repack it, we grow our food and have been the first CSA farm serving Houston since 2005.

3. Nutrition. Grocery store produce is often over a week old, losing more nutritional value each day after harvest. Our produce is picked daily and delivered fresh from our fields to your family.

4. Community Supported. Your seasonal support makes our farming possible. Rather than going to a bank to finance the season, our customers are personally committed to seeing our local food supply restored.

5. Convenience. Our produce is delivered to local dropsites around Houston and outlaying communities. You can choose which location is most convenient for your family.

6. Variety and Selection. In addition to our fresh produce, members can purchase other items from local family farms to be delivered weekly, including grass-fed beef, pastured poultry, eggs, artisan cheese, eggs and much more.

7. Sustainable. We grow non-GMO vegetables, utilize organic growing methods and work with draft horses on our farm to minimize fossil fuels and outside inputs. We are committed to our land and the health of our community.

8. Transparency. We maintain our website, our Blog, Twitter, Facebook, a weekly email update for our members and we open our farm every third Sunday of the month to our members and the general public. We want to help connect you to where your food comes from... a REAL small family farm, NOT from a grocery store and wrapped in fancy packaging. This is the real deal, from real people growing righteous food.

If you live in Houston, join our CSA and enjoy righteous food... www.homesweetfarm.com

High Tunnels

2010-07-25T11:56:00.002-05:00

On our website we are documenting the construction of our new high tunnels that we are building this summer. Stop by to see the progress... http://www.homesweetfarm.com/hightunnels.htm

Barr Mansion A blaze! Community unite!

2010-06-09T21:16:00.005-05:00

Our hearts and prayers go out to the McAfee family and their staff at Barr Mansion who experienced a lightening related fire early this morning, June 9th, in Austin,TX. The unique timber frame artisan ball room was largely destroyed in the morning fire totaling over $500,000 worth of damage. Mark & Melanie McAfee, along with their staff, are true heroes for the local/organic movement who host numerous events and fundraisers to benefit the advancement of green living and local food also becoming the nation's first (and only) certified organic events facility. Their unique facility and the way they manage their business have been an inspiration for what we all believe in and achieve for. As Barr Mansion rebuilds in the days ahead, our community stands behind them and our future looks even brighter as we are all strengthened and inspired by their dedication and spirit.

Farmer Brad & Jenny Stufflebeam
www.homesweetfarm.com

Related News:
http://www.kvue.com/home/Fire-damages-historic-Barr-Mansion-95963769.html
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/barr-mansion-fire-fought-amidst-rain
http://www.barrmansion.com/

Born May 31, 2010

2010-05-31T18:22:00.001-05:00

Halflinger colt: "Wesley" of Home Sweet Farm, named after our town that no longer exists.

Born on May 31, 2010

2010-05-31T18:19:00.000-05:00

FDA Produce Food Safety Listening Session, McGeary

2010-04-29T20:34:00.003-05:00

FDA Produce Food Safety Listening Session, Stufflebeam

2010-04-29T20:32:00.000-05:00

Hug Farm Video

2010-04-13T15:28:00.001-05:00

When you are running a CSA farm, it's always good to have a sense of humor.

The Rude Food Police

2010-04-03T19:55:00.000-05:00

Jenny got an interesting phone call today. A gentleman calls up without introducing himself (of course we have caller I.D.) asking if we buy any seed from Monsanto (of course not, does this guy know anything about us?). He continues to challenge Jenny saying that anyone can easily lie. Jenny invites him to come out during the next Market Day to see the farm and to ask any questions that he has during our free farm tour. He continues to threaten Jenny saying that he intends to buy some produce and to have it tested for GMOs, which if it tests positive he would be happy to put us out of business. Well thanks a lot! Everyone who knows us appreciates the fact that we operate with great transparency, besides our website, blog, facebook, workshops, volunteers, monthly farm tours, radio, newspaper and book interviews not to mention the the time we spend building relationships with our members and volunteer time working to develop sustainable agriculture across the state, its good to know that someone is out their working so diligently to ruin small family farms.

Hey, we encourage folks to ask questions and to get to know their farmer and to visit the farm, but this is the wrong attitude to have. It's not enough to worry about the government regulations out to get small farmers, but now we have aggressive and rude public inspectors looking to snuff us out. So why is our family working so hard to provide righteous food to our community? Good question.

Rather than have an aggressive attitude that the farmer is the bad guy out to deceive people, maybe you should take the time to get to know your farmer before you make that threatening phone call and accusations. However, to make it easier for you, here is a link to a lab that tests for GMOs... http://www.genetic-id.com/
Of course you need to realize that GMO crops on the market include corn, soy, cotton, canola, papaya, zucchini, squash, alfalfa, rice, sugar beet and tobacco. Out of these, we only grow zucchini and squash, but of course the varieties we grow are NOT GMO. Just hope to save you some money testing our vegetables as the test runs about $500 each and our zucchini and squash will not be available for another month.

I'm glad that our members are generally exceptionally good people looking for REAL food and that we have the right to refuse to do business with such individuals as this over aggressive food policeman. Maybe he was bored and just trying to be funny, but it is not appreciated. One word of advise, as a local food inspector you should invest in a brixometer rather than waste money sending vegetables to a lab for GMO testing, but feel free to do both if you see local farmers as untrustworthy individuals and you got the money to waste, just please don't threaten our family farm in the future, we would prefer to do business with people who trust us and believe in the work we are doing. Life is too short to have to deal with such rude people.

Austin Farm to Table: Living Local: What Does Eating Local Mean?

2010-03-24T22:53:00.000-05:00

Austin Farm to Table: Living Local: What Does Eating Local Mean?

This is an excellent article and voices many of our small farmers concerns about holding restaurants and distributors accountable who advertise "local food". We need to all work together in assuring the integrity of our local food supply.

Market Growers Symposium - March 11 & 12, 2010

2010-02-12T15:34:00.000-06:00

Join us for this two-day event designed to help new and experienced growers get the job done. Network and meet with experts in the field for technical discussions and then experience a hands-on farm tour to deepen your understanding. Lunch includes seasonal surprises prepared by some of the leading Texas chefs promoting local food…

Network and get connected! Market Managers and Distributors can recruit new farmers, expand your local food market and buy direct from family farms in the community.

Classroom sessions with technical discussions on diversified vegetable farming, disease and pest controls, propagation techniques, marketing, variety selection and more from experienced experts in the field.

Technical Farm Tour at HOMEsweetFARM, a 22 acre diversified CSA vegetable farm serving the Austin and Houston area. Hands-on applications covering horse power on the farm, greenhouse production, bed preparation, soil amendments, cover crops, rotational grazing, irrigation, equipment, planting techniques, distribution, customer care and much more.

Steve Divers Leslie McKinnon Dr. Joe Novak Larry Butler Judith McGeary

Hans Hansen Brad Stufflebeam Ben Godfrey Chef Joe Apa Chef Jesse Griffiths

When: March 11 & 12, 2010

Where: Brenham, Texas

Info: visit www.homesweetfarm.com or call 979.251.9922

Will Harris

2010-02-03T21:48:00.004-06:00

CUD from Joe York on Vimeo.

2010 Seed Potatoes and Fingerlings

2010-01-18T22:16:00.001-06:00

Over 12 different flavors! We can ship 10 lbs. quantities. Details online here >>

All Blue, Caribe, Yukon Gold, Purple Viking, Red LaSoda, Purple Majesty, Russian Banana, French Banana, Kennebec, Mountain Rose, and many more...

Planting season in Texas: mid Jan - Feb.

Video Update: Dec 20, 2009

2009-12-22T20:36:00.001-06:00

Video Update: Nov. 15, 2009

2009-11-15T22:32:00.003-06:00

Nov 1 Video Update

2009-11-07T15:33:00.000-06:00

Video Farm Updates

2009-10-28T06:21:00.001-05:00

Grazing with Portable Fencing

2009-09-22T23:22:00.002-05:00

After seeing our portable grazing program during the Symposium a few have asked where to get the supplies:

Solar charger (doing the research I have found this one to be more powerful)… http://www.kencove.com/fence/Solar+Energizers_detail_EMS.php

Charger (this has been sufficient for our 12 acre intensive program)… http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=393&cat_id=54

Reels (you will need at least 6 reels, these are the ones we use and are most economical)… http://www.kencove.com/fence/Reels_detail_RNR.php

Twine (this has very high conductivity)… http://www.kencove.com/fence/Twine+(Electric)_detail_R5GW.php

Reel Brackets for wooden posts (also available for T-posts at a higher price)… http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=455&cat_id=49

Our favorite insulators for posts… http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=24422&cat_id=46

Poultry Netting (We have some 5 years old and they are still working great)… http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=20170&cat_id=53 Kencove will be the ones we will try in the future, a little cheaper, and free shipping!!! https://www.kencove.com/fence/Electric+Net+Fencing_detail_NSPCG.php

Everything else you can get locally

- Farmer Brad

PS: tell them HOMEsweetFARM sent you!

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

2009-09-19T14:28:00.001-05:00

This is encouraging... everyone needs to make comments!

Food Safety Act: The Latest News

2009-09-12T22:07:00.002-05:00

HR-2749: THE FOOD SAFETY ACT - THE PALE HORSE It comes as no surprise that efforts are underway by the federal government to curtail our access to food. It's not the first time those in power have used regulatory powers to limit rights to this basic necessity. The devastating effects of government control over food can be seen in Zimbabwe and all over Africa, in Southeast Asia and in Russia. READ MORE >>

Small Food Producers Question Greater FDA Powers New food safety legislation aimed at big producers will impose costly record-keeping and testing burdens on small farmers and food producers READ MORE >>

Food Safety Bills are Going to Bury our Farmers in Paperwork The issue becomes one of industrialized agribusiness in direct opposition to agriculturalists. READ MORE >>

LEARN MORE ABOUT The Food Safety Act... CLICK HERE >>
TAKE ACTION: Sign the Petition! click here >>

HR2749 - The Latest News

2009-08-11T13:14:00.001-05:00

House Passes Landmark Food Safety Bill: The US House of Representatives passed a food safety bill on Thursday that promises far-reaching reform of how food is processed and grown, intended to boost food safety and consumer confidence.
READ MORE >>

Food Safety Bill Needs Work The food safety bill that passed the House last Thursday faces an uphill struggle in the Senate. READ MORE >>

Politics of the Plate: Casting the Food Safety Net too Wide A bill recently passed by the House could have detrimental effects on small farmers. READ MORE >>

Food Insecurity NOT Food Safety The FDA has already demonstrated its inability to protect us from food borne illness outbreaks. In fact, Congress is giving them a reward for their failures, in an effort to look like they are doing the right thing for America. READ MORE >>

FDA releases commodity-specific safety rules for melons, tomatoes and leafy greens The Food and Drug Administration has released draft guidance for melons, tomatoes and leafy greens in a process that is expected to lead to more formal regulation of those commodities. READ MORE >>

House Approves New Food-Safety Laws "No legislation like this has moved forward this far in decades to overhaul the food safety laws, It's a pretty historic moment." READ MORE >>

House Approves Food-Safety Bill: Law Would Greatly Expand FDA's Power The House approved the first major changes to food-safety laws in 70 years Thursday, giving sweeping new authority to the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the way food is grown, harvested and processed. READ MORE >>

LEARN MORE ABOUT HR2749... CLICK HERE >>

HR2749 - Passes the House

2009-08-05T18:34:00.005-05:00

The Food Safety Enhancement Act passes the US House! It's incredible but true. Just after a few weeks being rushed through committee, and thanks to congressional leaders who opted to fast-track the new law, HR2749 passed the house with little debate and was last minute amended to exempt small farmers and local food artisans who sell 50% or more direct to the customer. More than likely this Bill will be fast tracked through the Senate this fall, so we have the rest of summer to contact our Senators to voice our disgust for their misguided concern over our "food safety". Local food advocates can print this flyer to inform others before its too late.

The FDA is apparently ready to take full use of their new unchecked authority. The day before HR2749 passes in the House, the FDA, with backing from BIG business, released draft guidance for melons, tomatoes and leafy greens. This is sure to only be the beginning for more formal regulations that will challenge how organic and local food is produced and handled.

As a small farmer we are concerned that we will be regulated and bullied out of business. In fear of warrantless searches of business records, increased record keeping, new federal fees, fines and penalties (up to 10yrs prison and $100,000 per offense), along with increased domestic scrutiny (while less than 1% of imported food is currently inspected). At the very least we will see a rise in food prices as American farmers will be heavily burdened and priced out of the global market. This "one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme" is not good for anyone except BIG business and industrial farming.

From the local food front, Farmer Brad

HR2749 - revote

2009-07-29T21:10:00.004-05:00

The Food Safety Enhancement Act was barely knocked down today by 8 votes in the House! A short time later, the Rules Committee decided to do a revote the following day, suspending the rules, limiting discussion to an hour, and not allowing any amendments that could clarify who exactly would be regulated and were the generated funds via new registration fees would be spent (not assuring any additional inspections of imported food). This Bill needs to be opposed! We want REAL food safety by better regulating factory farms and inspecting imported food. The small family farmer needs to be exempt and the Feds need to keep their hands off of our local food economy.

Read the latest articles:
US House defeats sweeping reform of food safety (until Thursday's revote)
Find out if your Representative opposed the Bill... click here >>
HR2749 Nearly Passes and Spells The End of Local Food

Sign the petition!

HR2749: A Letter To My Representatives

2009-07-27T09:04:00.002-05:00

HR2749, The Food Safety Enhancement Act, going before Congress this week does not address the underlying problems with our food supply. All previous food recalls have been traced back to industrial farming practices and/or uninspected imported food and yet HR2749 does not directly address these issues. Instead it indiscriminately challenges all food providers giving the FDA unchecked powers that will "bully" small family farms and local food artisans out of business.

I urge my representatives to include the Farr-Kaptur amendments that would exempt small-scale on-farm processors selling directly to consumers, require FDA to coordinate with USDA and to consult with the National Organic Program, exempt farms selling directly to businesses from the traceability requirements, and establish a sliding scale for the registration fees.

In Addition to these amendments we need to limit the bill to food being shipped interstate, and explicitly exempt all farms and food processors who are selling only intrastate from all provisions of the bill. We also need to provide an exemption for farms and food processors selling directly to consumers within a local "foodshed", since those who live near a state boundary often have local markets on the other side of that boundary.

Please do the right thing by exempting our few remaining small farms and by specifically regulating the real threat to food safety: the imported and industrial food industry.

Sign the petition!

"But if not"

2009-07-23T00:06:00.004-05:00

I just came across this powerful quote, and being 38 myself, it really hits home.
Onward, Farmer Brad

"I say to you, this morning, that if you have never found something so dear and precious to you that you will die for it, then you aren’t fit to live.

You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be, and one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls upon you to stand for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause. And you refuse to do it because you are afraid.

You refuse to do it because you want to live longer. You’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you are afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity, or you’re afraid that somebody will stab or shoot or bomb your house. So you refuse to take a stand.

Well, you may go on and live until you are ninety, but you are just as dead at 38 as you would be at ninety.

And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.

You died when you refused to stand up for right.

You died when you refused to stand up for truth.

You died when you refused to stand up for justice.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

The Food Safety Enhancement Act - HR2749

2009-07-21T18:08:00.001-05:00

Farmer Brad is a special guest on the "Natural Way" with Howard Garrett, the Dirt Dr. Learn about this fast moving bill that may jeopardize our local food supply and organic farming across America.

Food Safety Enhacement Act - HR 2749 - related articles

2009-07-18T18:25:00.004-05:00

Sign the Petition opposing HR2749: CLICK HERE >>
Read the alarming provisions: CLICK HERE >>

For further reading, check out these related articles:

Strange Martial Law via Food Control: HR 2749
HR 2749 is a strange bill in many ways. While the other "food safety" bills have been around since winter, allowing for much public discussion on the internet, HR 2749 has only suddenly appeared. It is a mutant conglomeration of the worst of the other bills, with the addition of one very original part - martial law. READ MORE >>

HR 2749: Totalitarian Control of the Food Supply
HR 2749 gives FDA tremendous power while significantly diminishing existing judicial restraints on actions taken by the agency. The bill would impose a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme on small farms and local artisanal producers; and it would disproportionately impact their operations for the worse. READ MORE >>

Crops, Ponds Destroyed in Quest for Food Safety
Washington - Dick Peixoto planted hedges of fennel and flowering cilantro around his organic vegetable fields in the Pajaro Valley near Watsonville to harbor beneficial insects, an alternative to pesticides... He has since ripped out such plants in the name of food safety, because his big customers demand sterile buffers around his crops. No vegetation. No water. No wildlife of any kind. READ MORE >>

“Clearly, our present ways of agriculture are not sustainable, and so our food supply is not sustainable. We must restore ecological health to our agricultural landscapes, as well as economic and cultural stability to our rural communities.” - Wendell Berry & Wes Jackson

Food Safety Enhancement Act - HR 2749

2009-07-18T18:10:00.003-05:00

Never before have I been so concerned about our local food economy then I am right now. As if the National Animal ID System (NAIS) wasn't enough, the new Bill HR 2749, Food Safety Enhancement Act, will directly impact ALL local food production and our few remaining artisan food makers and small family farms through onerous regulations. If this bill passes, local food may need to go completely underground to survive (which is the current trend). Who would have imagined that our country could regulate local food out of the marketplace (which is currently less than 1%), but it is happening, right now before our own eyes. Please take the time to read about the alarming provisions in this bill, and then take action by signing the petition to oppose HR2749. If you are anywhere in the South, plan on attending the up-coming Farm & Food Leadership Conference this Sept. 14 &15 in San Antonio, TX to find out more about this and other policy issues relating to our local food.

May God be with us all!

VIDEO: Angel Valley Farm

2009-06-15T15:06:00.003-05:00

Enjoy this video of our friends, John and Jo Dwyer of Angel Valley Organic Farm

How do we stop NAIS?

2009-05-30T19:51:00.004-05:00

There have been listening sessions hosted by the USDA all across the country this last month. This video is from the one held in Austin, TX. Judith McGeary, Kim Alexander, Pamela Hornby and Carol Ann Sayle are both my friends and champions in this fight. Please consider supporting www.farmandranchfreedom.org Please care about this issue... it will change the face of America.

Government Funding for Organic Farmers

2009-05-29T16:01:00.002-05:00

Funds for Organic Producers… http://www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov/news/releases/organics_initiative.html

I just talked to my local NRCS office, and they have extended the deadline to get into this program for funds, but I was wondering… Is it like selling your soul when they want a copy of your property deed, Social Security number and property tax receipt for you to be put into their FSA system to be registered with a “tracking number” (their words, not mine)? How much is our privacy worth? Are we willing to sell it for a little funding? I know we need help, but I’m not sure if I want this kind of help. Thoughts?

Farmer Brad

New Well!

2009-05-07T18:37:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we began drilling our new well to 450ft. Today the casing is going in and soon we will have a fresh new supply of water on the farm (just in time for the summer). I can't imagine a better investment from our life savings. We expect bountiful returns (Lord willing).

Dinner in the Field - June 12th

2009-05-04T16:49:00.002-05:00

Join us for this unique fundraising dinner benefiting the Outdoor Learning Center at HOMEsweetFARM, Brenham, TX

Begin the evening with refreshments and a tour of the farm. Witness the stories of a developing small family farm as presented by Farmers Brad and Jenny Stufflebeam followed by a five course farm-style meal served in a scenic field amongst the growing summer produce. Diners are joined at the table by the farmers, and other local artisans associated with the meal, graciously prepared by the talented Chef Jesse Griffiths and Tamara Mayfield of Dai Due.

JUNE 12th @ 7pm
For more information, and to RSVP online, CLICK HERE >>
(limited seats available)

Hard Week

2009-04-29T15:20:00.004-05:00

This has been one of our most difficult weeks on the farm to date (at least in my mind). It started on Saturday afternoon when I was bitten by a copperhead snake on the back of my ankle. We rushed to the emergency room just to find out that modern medicine can do nothing other than “pain management” sending me home with a dose of Benedryl and a prescription for antibiotics and Vicodin for the pain (which I took neither). Pain and swelling has left me in bed for 4 days now leaving the farm operations on Jenny’s shoulders – she is such a champ.

We have been treating the snake bite and my entire leg with doses of herbal remedies: black cohosh, echinacea, goldenseal, arnica and plantain as a compress every 2 hours along with an oral dose of all of the above MINUS the arnica. After day 3 the swelling and pain was beginning to improve.

To make the farm life more difficult, it has been raining regularly making our CSA harvest more challenging in the mud while worrying about flood damage to the new crops (11 inches so far with more in the forecast). The family car got a flat and needs to be changed (it is still jacked up after 4 days with no time to take care of it). The livestock needed to be moved to a different pasture. The septic system is backing up due to the saturated ground. We have new baby chicks (8 days old now) needing regular attention. The girls are busy with homeschooling. Customers are showing up at unusual hours for feed and supplies. Flash flooding in the area is demanding more customer care concerning CSA deliveries. Managing COOP orders for this month’s delivery. Not to mention Jenny’s time to nurse me back to health with the treatments to deal with the snakebite; preparing meals for the family, cleaning house and keeping up with all of the phone calls and emails. All the while I lay here helpless unable to stand or walk on my own (knowing we are in the peak of spring planting and the work is extra difficult this week without me). After four days, I’m trying to keep a good attitude. Jenny and the girls are remarkable, as always.

This too will pass, and after Thursday’s CSA harvest and delivery, we may be able to catch our breath with a quiet weekend ahead. Hopefully, by day seven of my injury I may be back on my feet, giving Jenny a much needed break. She deserves it! Hang in there baby.

Spring Chicks and Ducklings

2009-04-27T16:46:00.007-05:00

These babies arrived April 23rd...

Black Runner Ducks and Pekin Ducks

Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons and Black Australorps

Farm Flooding

2009-04-18T13:06:00.008-05:00

We just had our first break in the storm to take pictures of the damage. 8 inches of rain in 24hrs. and it just started raining again. Needless to say, this may cause some delay in our CSA shares. The good news: sustainable ag techniques are proving reliable. Raised beds, terraces and green buffer zones are saving the farm from soil erosion. We may not be able to determine the full amount of the damage until this passes in a few days. Stay posted.

Swiss Chard under water.

Summer beds under water after 8 inches of rain in 24hrs.

Green Beans underwater. These same beans were trying to recover from a late freeze. This may be their end.

Great Article about our Community Supported Farm

2009-04-13T17:24:00.005-05:00

We just had an article out on our farm in Country World News... We are real pleased on how it turned out. Carolyn Rost did a great job at writing it.

Thanks so much to our workshare volunteers. Their enthusiasm and dedication is contagious. Our family farm and lives are so much richer for having them involved. We couldn't do it without them.

- FB

Outdoor Learning Center

2009-04-11T17:11:00.004-05:00

After two days of work, we have built new wood-framed raised beds for our Outdoor Learning Center which will demonstrate urban farming techniques. More pics coming soon as we build!

We hope to have a few TX A&M interns and Wednesday volunteers help us with this project. Contact us if you are interested.

When the project is complete we will release a detailed journal of the development.

The End of Small Farms?

2009-04-06T19:56:00.000-05:00

Food Safety Act, NAIS and farm update...

2009-04-02T20:41:00.003-05:00

Recently, the online local food community has been alive with news concerning the "Food Safety Modernization Act". Although HR875 is unlikely to go anywhere, we do have much to be concerned about, as watch dogs viewing the horizon of what's to come. From this perspective there are multiple challenges before us at the national level (HR875, HR759, HR814, SB51 and SB425... all reviewed by FARFA - click here). It is apparant to most of the country that industrial food manufacturers DO need to be more regulated for our safety (as food recalls are becoming a regular circumstance), but we need to make sure that a "one size fits all" approach does not threaten our local food economy which provides our safest and freshest food.

Locally at the state level, SB 682 will limit NAIS to a voluntary program in Texas. This bill was left pending last week by the Senate Agriculture Committee and may be voted on this week. I'm urging everyone to take action by contacting the Senate Committee members urging them to vote "YES to SB 682". CONTACT INFO HERE >>

With all of that serious stuff behind us, our family farm is daily encouraged by the growing awareness for local food and our community. People are going out of their way to eat, grow and live more locally. Recently we had a group of young people stay with us while riding their bikes across North America from Vancouver to Boston spreading the news about living more sustainably. They termed their trek "The Urgency of Now". After harvesting for our CSA and planting 500 tomatoes they rode off toward Houston, and ultimately Boston by June. The "Good Food Revolution" is underway, and we ourselves are off to spread the good news in Waco, TX this weekend at the Spring Farm Day at World Hunger Relief Farm, April 4th. If you are in the area we hope you can make it out.

Yours in the local food revolution,
Farmer Brad

HR 875 - The Federal Take-Over of Food Regulation

2009-03-16T13:09:00.001-05:00

This just out from The Farm To Consumer Legal Defense Fund... please read...

On February 4, 2009 Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (HR 875),
a bill that would establish the Food Safety Administration (FSA) within
the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). HR 875 represents
a tremendous expansion of federal power, particularly the power to
regulate intrastate commerce. While the proposed legislation tries to
address the many problems of the industrial food system, the impact on
small farms if the bill becomes law would be substantial and not for
the better. HR 875 is a major threat to sustainable farming and the
local food movement. READ MORE >>

House AG Committee

2009-03-12T15:02:00.003-05:00
Dr. R.M. (Max) Thornsberry, D.V.M., President of the Board, R-CALF USA, Richland, Missouri gave excellent testimony before the US House AG Committee on March 11th in opposition to the National Animal ID System (NAIS). He eloquently describes how history proves that the USA has an effective program against disease and that the NAIS program is soley for the interset of foreign markets. This is a must read for those concerned about NAIS.

Tag, We're It

2009-03-11T11:14:00.001-05:00

AT first glance, the plan by the federal Department of Agriculture to battle disease among
farm animals is a technological marvel: we farmers tag every head of
livestock in the country with ID chips and the department
electronically tracks the animals’ whereabouts. If disease breaks out,
the department can identify within 48 hours which animals are ill,
where they are, and what other animals have been exposed.
At a
time when diseases like mad cow and bird flu have made consumers
worried about food safety, being able to quickly track down the cause
of an outbreak seems like a good idea. Unfortunately, the plan, which
is called the National Animal Identification System and is the subject
of a House subcommittee hearing today, would end up rewarding the
factory farms whose practices encourage disease while crippling small
farms and the local food movement.

READ MORE : Op-Ed Contributor - Tag, We’re It - Pitfalls of an Animal ID System - NYTimes.com

People Who Produce Real Things...

2009-03-09T09:50:00.002-05:00

“Agriculture’s been a horrible business for 30 years. For decades the money shufflers, the paper shufflers, have been the captains of the universe. That is now changing.

The people who produce real things [will be on top]. You’re going to see stockbrokers driving taxis.

The smart ones will learn to drive tractors, because they’ll be working for the farmers. It’s going to be the 29-year-old farmers who have the Lamborghinis. So you should find yourself a nice farmer and hook up with him or her, because that’s where the money’s going to be in the next couple of decades.”

~ Jim Rogers
By the way, Lamborghini used to make a great tractor, but I will stick with my International. - Farmer Brad

HSF Radio: Judith McGeary - National Animal ID System

2009-02-22T19:20:00.001-06:00

Learn More About NAIS

2009-02-18T18:15:00.002-06:00
Part 1

Part 2

Local Veggie Farming

2009-02-05T19:36:00.006-06:00
Our up-coming Symposium has been promoted by the TX Dept. of AG!!! LISTEN HERE >>

LOCAL/ORGANIC FOOD! It's better for our health, our ecology and our local economy. For more info, visit http://www.homesweetfarm.com/Workshop.htm

Farm on! Brad

So you want to farm?

2009-01-22T06:30:00.003-06:00

Andy Griffin recently wrote an excellent article that I have to recommend. His advise is wise, and as I have frequently suggested to new farmers... leasing land is worth considering.

Farm on!

The article: http://www.ladybugletter.com/?p=70

Market Growers Symposium, Feb 26 & 27

2009-01-08T20:02:00.002-06:00

Market Growers Symposium
February 26 & 27, 2009 Brenham, TX

Hosted by: HOMEsweetFARM

Join us for this two-day event designed to help new and experienced market growers get the job done. Network and meet with experts in the field for technical discussions and then experience hands-on farm tours and training to deepen your understanding. Lunch includes seasonal surprises prepared by some of the leading Texas chefs promoting local food…

Dr. Joe Novak Dr. Steven King Bill Adams

Carol Ann Sayle Marla Camp Tatum Evans Ben Godfrey

Suzanne Santos Brad & Jenny Stufflebeam Zach Griffin

Morning sessions are in a classroom setting with technical discussions on diversified vegetable farming, disease and pest controls, grafting, marketing, variety selection and more.

Afternoon sessions will be in the field at HOMEsweetFARM, a 22 acre diversified CSA vegetable farm serving the Houston area. Hands-on applications covering horse power on the farm, greenhouse production, bed preparation, soil amendments, cover crops, rotational grazing, irrigation, equipment, planting techniques, distribution, customer care and much more.

Includes a local/organic lunch filled with seasonal surprises prepared by

Chef Joe Apa of T’afia, Houston and Chef Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due, Austin

Do not miss this unique event!

For more information and to register online visit www.homesweetfarm.com

Call 979-251-9922 Email info@homesweetfarm.com

non-GMO Seed Potatoes

2008-12-07T09:30:00.003-06:00

We will have non-GMO seed potatoes available in January for pick-up at the farm along with colloidal rock phosphate and other organic amendments to make a successful crop.

More details online... www.homesweetfarm.com/seed_potatoes.htm

Contact me by the end of Dec. if you want to assure availability.

Farm On!

CBS News: Localvores

2008-11-19T13:11:00.000-06:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

DOCUMENTARY: The Disappearing Male

2008-11-17T20:37:00.000-06:00
The Disappearing Male is about one of the most important, and least publicized, issues facing the human species: the toxic threat to the male reproductive system.

The last few decades have seen steady and dramatic increases in the incidence of boys and young men suffering from genital deformities, low sperm count, sperm abnormalities and testicular cancer.

At the same time, boys are now far more at risk of suffering from ADHD, autism, Tourette's syndrome, cerebral palsy, and dyslexia.

The Disappearing Male takes a close and disturbing look at what many doctors and researchers now suspect are responsible for many of these problems: a class of common chemicals that are ubiquitous in our world.

Found in everything from shampoo, sunglasses, meat and dairy products, carpet, cosmetics and baby bottles, they are called "hormone mimicking" or "endocrine disrupting" chemicals and they may be starting to damage the most basic building blocks of human development.

WATCH this thought provoking documentary online, CLICK HERE >>

Nov 16th Market Day UPDATE

2008-11-14T11:34:00.002-06:00

Hope everyone can make it out to our farm this Sunday for the Monthly Market Day (2-4pm). Besides the great farmers that usually make it, we have teamed up with Matt Family Orchard to provide us with fresh local fruit and to help forage for other local treats. LOTS of artisan cheese this market day plus heritage pork sausage from Sand Creek Farm.

LOCAL Produce at the market: persimmons, lemons, satsuma oranges, kumquats, squash, zucchini, lettuce, cabbage, winter squash, radishes, arugula, sweet peppers, kale, baby greens, eggplant, cucumbers, and more. NOW IN THE FALL PEAK!

FARM TOUR AT 3pm! Come see the beautiful fall gardens. 12 acres of produce, ponies, chickens, ducks and other surprises. We want to share with everyone the building of our new farm store, opening next spring. Hope you can come share our vision.

Farmer Brad

The Stufflebeam Family

HOMEsweetFARM

Brenham,TX

www.homesweetfarm.com

979.251.9922

the sound of rain

2008-11-11T20:04:00.002-06:00

The sweet sound of rain

A farmer can relax

And then

After a few hours

“Lord, please not too much”

- Farmer Brad

Monthly Market Day and Farm Tour - Nov. 16th

2008-11-08T16:22:00.004-06:00

EVENT: Monthly Market Day
TIME: 2 to 4pm, November 16th.
INFO: Visit our website for directions and details >>

Come on out next Sunday the 16th for a farm tour at 3pm and enjoy our Monthly Market Day, a cooperative effort of local family farms dedicated to providing the highest quality food to our community.

Farmers will bring ALL LOCAL drug-free grass-fed beef, pork, sausage, chicken, artisan cheeses, fresh baked bread, persimmons and veggies (we have six varieties of baby greens, chinese cabbage, beautiful radishes and other seasonal treats).

Fall Veggie transplants include 5 varieties of head lettuce for your garden.

Local Cheese! 4 varieties from Veldhuizen Farm and wonderful feta and chevre from Blue Heron Farm.

Sausage! Sand Creek Farm is featuring heritage pork sausage.

Things to see at the farm:
12 acres of organic horse farming
Our new barn to house a farm store (opens spring 2009!!!)
ponies, chickens, ducks, great folks and local farmers

The Small Farm: Training and Education

2008-11-04T07:39:00.002-06:00
This was originally published by The Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Assoc (TOFGA). I have had a lot of questions and requests for this information, so I thought I would post it once again since it is no longer available on the TOFGA website. More coming soon, stay tuned.

- Farmer Brad

The Small Farm: Training and Education

The small farm is more than just a dream. It can be a reality, and your vision and decisions in life must have a focus towards that purpose. Our family has been on that path for over fourteen years. We are mainly self-taught, having the single focus and obsession that we could one day have the independent family farm. Now that we are achieving that goal, we would like to share with others our (not always simple) homesteading lifestyle, and how we have achieved that goal. It is rich and rewarding; to work as a family, but the steps can be a long and bumpy journey, definitely worth the perseverance.

Step 1: Acquiring training and education to prepare for your small farm.

Our education has been explored through many avenues. Early on we pursued the collegiate route, to find major disappointment in the institutional system. Our interests focused early upon organic techniques, nutrition, and more holistic approaches towards health and the environment. This led us towards the pursuit of self-education… reading every book and researching every website we could come across. I will try to list the best resources that we have found useful in our search.

Books…

Permaculture: A Designers Manual by Bill Mollison
Family Friendly Farming by Joel Salatin (and any other book by Salatin)
The New Organic Grower by Elliot Coleman
How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons
A Farmer’s Guide to the Bottom Line by Charles Walters
Buying and Setting Up Your Small Farm or Ranch by L.R. Miller
Paddock Shift, Changing Views on Grassland Farming by Allan Nation
The Biological Farmer by Gary F. Zimmer

Magazines…

Acres USA (512) 892-4400 www.acresusa.com
Growing for Market 1(800) 307-8949 www.growingformarket.com
Farming, People, Land, and Community 1(800) 915-0042 www.farmingmagazine.net
Small Farmer’s Journal 1(800) 876-2893 www.smallfarmersjournal.com
The Heirloom Gardener (417) 924-1222 www.rareseed.com

Websites for Research…

Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) www.attra.org
A&M has put together a great list of alternative agriculture resources at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/alternatives/alternativelinks.html.
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/
There are many other sites to list here for specific topics.

Internships…

Consider an internship/apprenticeship program with an organic farm. ATTRA has a listing on their website (www.attrainternships.ncat.org). You can also find farms advertising directly in many of the magazines I suggested above. International opportunities are available through MESA (Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture) www.mesaprogram.org and WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) www.wwoof.org. I served as the Farm Operations Director for World Hunger Relief, which offers a 12-month internship program in Elm Mott, TX, and the experience was rich and rewarding for the interns and myself. I recommend maybe a shorter program of 3 to 6 months during the peak of production, but you do get a better idea of the big picture when you can experience every changing season on the farm.

Organizations…

Holistic Resource Management of Texas www.hrm-texas.org

Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) www.ssawg.org

Schools/Conferences…

Ranching for Profit is a highly recommended program exploring a more holistic approach utilizing rotational grazing www.ranchmanagement.com

Texas Organic Farmers and Growers Assoc. (TOFGA) host their annual conference, which is always rich with information specific to our state.

Practical Experience…

Nothing beats practical experience. Grow a backyard garden, get a job at a nursery or commercial grower, volunteer at a farm, find a skill that is farm related i.e. carpentry, mechanics, welding, horticulture, marketing, etc. My greatest learning experience was owning and operating a retail nursery and having my own garden every year.

The new farmers need to be innovative and highly motivated to educate themselves in sustainable agriculture. It also helps to visit other farms and to see what other folks are doing. I hope these resources can be help in the pursuit of the small farm.

Ken Meter: Building A Local Food Economy (part 1 of 3)

2008-10-23T19:26:00.001-05:00

The vision...

Coming in 2009...

2008-10-22T21:54:00.002-05:00
Get ready for local food... NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION, our farm store which will be open two days a week with deliveries into Houston. A cooperative effort of local family farms. Stay tuned for more!

Haute barnyard

2008-10-04T10:20:00.006-05:00
This sent to me by a friend... from World Wide Words.

Haute barnyard

Foodies in New York were the first to encounter this term, through the writings of restaurant critic Adam Platt in New York magazine.

A play on "haute cuisine", the traditional high cookery of France, it describes a restaurant whose house style emphasizes the quality of the ingredients and where they come from rather to a greater extent than their preparation. Fresh, good-quality ingredients, often organic and sourced locally according to season, are cooked well and served simply. The idea behind it is farm cooking at its best, hence "barnyard". But it's often at a premium price at the New York eateries first identified with the tag and which have since been described as "pretentiously unpretentious". "Haute barnyard" has spread beyond New York, with sightings from both Australia and the UK; in the latter country it has been taken up by the restaurant critic Jay Rayner in particular.

* The Village Voice, 30 July 2008: The ongoing hunger for American countrified cuisine made with greenmarket ingredients and spun upscale (coined "haute barnyard" by New York magazine's Adam Platt) shows no signs of flagging. Get all the farmhouse chic you can swallow at Forge and Hundred Acres, twin additions to the genre.

* The Observer, 21 Sept. 2008: Market is the sort of place any of us would like to be able to call our local: a small, simple restaurant serving food with its own solid but definable character - that great term "haute barnyard" comes to mind once more - at a reasonable price.

Texas farmers blogging for business and pleasure

2008-09-24T13:11:00.003-05:00
Hey, this one about missed the radar. I remember being interviewed for this article a few months ago, and missed it when it was published.

The Dallas Morning News, Aug. 25, 2008
Texas Farmers Blogging for Business and Pleasure

Why Should Christians Support Sustainable Agriculture?

2008-09-17T15:24:00.002-05:00
Here is an excellent article written by Kimberly Hartke, Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader and publicist for Sally Fallon... Being "good stewards" means A LOT more than just watching our finances and being responsible with our spending (which leads to buying more stuff from China and exploiting cheap labor). In our western world, we are so out of place in our environment and completely out of touch with what is REAL and important when it comes to our purpose as His stewards. Hopefully, our eyes will open one day soon.

Article: Will Work For Food

2008-09-14T09:46:00.000-05:00
This year, I have been consulting Marie Tedei on starting her new CSA farm in Balch Springs, near Dallas/Ft. Worth. She just recently had an article in the local paper, and it is very encouraging to see the community getting excited to have a small farm in the area. Marie just started breaking ground to launch her winter garden, "if you build it, they will come." Farm on Marie!

Let this bring hope to those still dreaming about it...

Yikes, Ike! Sept. 13

2008-09-13T09:56:00.002-05:00

Strong winds and light rain so far at the farm as the storm stays to the east of us. Although the farm seems to be out of harms way, the storm has passed right over where most of our CSA families reside: Cypress, Tomball, Katy and Houston.

Our prayers go out to everyone in the path of Ike.

Yikes, Ike: Sept 12

2008-09-12T17:46:00.004-05:00

We are prepared for the storm, and hope that no damage affects our up-coming season. The greenhouse is loaded full of our transplants (1500+ sqft), weak trees are cut down, water is stored for the livestock (in case the power is out and we cannot run our well pump), the windows on the house are boarded up, and Farmer Brad has a local beef stew on the stove, to keep the family nourished.

We pray that everyone is safe and that our season will not be delayed from the storm.

Yikes Ike!

2008-09-10T21:07:00.003-05:00

Here comes another hurricane! This is becoming a frequent happening, although we could use the rain.

Cloned meat on the market!

2008-09-03T15:49:00.001-05:00

Ignorance is bliss. Do you really know what you are eating? Buy local righteous food that you can trust! And let's not forget all the GMO corn, soy and canola. Better labeling laws would quench this industrial food system like it has in Europe. How can we have a free choice when it is not required to be labeled? We have a right to know.

- Farmer Brad

Clones' offspring may be in food supply: FDA | Health | Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Food and milk from the offspring of cloned animals may have entered the U.S. food supply, the U.S. government said on Tuesday, but it would be impossible to know because there is no difference between cloned and conventional products.

Meet the Neighbors

2008-09-01T14:06:00.001-05:00
Lela and Pipi are enjoying our back fields which include a 100+ year old forest. They recently met the neighbors, two real jackasses. Sorry, but that's what they are!

Hurricane Gustav

2008-08-29T17:44:00.005-05:00
Hurricane Gustav is racing towards our back door. Looks like this Labor Day weekend will be spent securing the farm for the up-coming storm. Hopefully, we at least get some more much needed rain out of this.

Cows eat chips and M&Ms

2008-08-22T13:22:00.004-05:00
Due to the high price of corn, conventional cows are now eating chips and reject M&Ms...

HOMEsweetFARM Radio: John Ikerd - Small Farms Are Real Farms - Part 1

2008-08-14T23:13:00.005-05:00
Farmer Brad interviews John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri, has written extensively on how sustainable farming practices affect and are affected by industrialization, the environment, economics, and communities. He now spends his time writing and speaking out on issues related to sustainable agriculture with an emphasis on the economics of sustainability.

Part 1 of our interview with John Ikerd... http://homesweetfarm.podomatic.com/entry/2008-08-14T19_25_04-07_00

Volunteer Farm Crew

2008-08-13T15:31:00.002-05:00
Our farm has had one of its best seasons (despite the drought), largely in part by the commitment and enthusiasm of our volunteers. These ladies came out to our farm once a day every week during the spring/summer season, and we could not have done the work without them. These folks working behind the scenes are a real tribute to Community Supported Agriculture, harvesting, washing and sorting produce for our members. Work like this brings the best of people together, and we are truly grateful to have them, sharing the labor, and sharing the harvest.

HOME sweet FARM Scene: Driving Lessons

2008-08-06T15:11:00.001-05:00
Ben Godfrey instructs Zack Griffin on driving horses.

Tropical Depression Edouard

2008-08-05T22:17:00.003-05:00

Not a drop! Rain all around us, and it just circled around the farm again. Unbelievable.

Tropical Storm Edouard

2008-08-04T19:07:00.004-05:00

At the farm we are preparing to batten down the hatches in anticipation of Tropical Storm Edouard. Tuesday morning we expect a violent thunderstorm or just a very windy day which will dry things out further. It always makes us a bit nervous, especially for our fall crops. After much care was taken to getting them established during this drought, the crops are looking great at the moment. The animals are well protected as we ride out the storm, and everything should be fine.

Food industry fails at safety

2008-08-04T17:04:00.004-05:00
A recent article by Ellen Silbergeld, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins University, says the rickety outbreak-reaction system used after food outbreaks needs to be replaced with a much more rigorous effort to actually create healthy food from healthy animals in ecologically sound production systems.

"The answer is twofold: to change the way our foods are produced and the way we think about food production."

As food safety becomes more of an issue, the obvious work needs to be done by ensuring that food is raised and handled properly, not just putting a band-aid over the problem giving the public a false sense of security thinking that the FDA can guarantee safe food as long as you over cook it. The problem lays in our production methods. The standard industrial production of pork, beef and poultry carry pathogenic bacteria, often resistant to the antibiotics added to feeds. This challenges the safety of our food and our health more every year.

Ultimately, it is up to us, the responsible food buyer, to seek out trustworthy local food sources by getting to know the producers who grow our food. Encouraging proper stewardship with our dollar, and making a conscience choice to not support industrial food factories that merely hide behind an idyllic farm marketing scheme. In the future, as the cost of fuel rises, we may depend more upon a healthy local food economy then we do today. It's time to start supporting the farms and families that will supply our communities with righteous food in the future.