27 results for tag: gardens and farms

RTE coordinator Daniel Giraldo promotes the use of rock dust in Colombia

The Western Andes Range has one of the richest mineral deposits of volcanic origin in the Andes Mountains. This is where Daniel Giraldo, coordinator for Remineralize the Earth (RTE) in Colombia and owner of Agrempacados E.U., obtains the raw material for the rock dust that he offers to local farmers for soil remineralization. (more…)

Dr. Tso-Cheng Chang: The Amazing Tale of a Farmer, From Farm to Table

Tso-Cheng Chang is a small-scale farmer in Amherst, Massachusetts. His popular restaurant, Amherst Chinese Food, attracts people from all over the Pioneer Valley to its fresh, organic, delicious Chinese food. Dr. Chang is a strong believer in soil remineralization; he has been using rock dust on his organic farm since 1995 in his determined quest to eliminate the need for pesticides and to grow nutrient-dense food. At this point, his soil has become so rich that he has not felt the need to add rock dust in the last five years. Born in a small town in Shandong Province, China, in the late 1920s, Dr. Chang traveled to Taiwan and earned an undergraduate ...

Remineralization In Rural Brazil

A research project in Bahia proves remineralization to be an effective adjunct strategy for remote impoverished communities to produce higher yields of quality crops while remaining independent from chemical fertilizers and government subsidies. (more…)

RTE’s Coordinator Jorge Villaseñor Garibi Researches and Promotes The Use of Rock Dust Throughout Mexico

“The biggest challenge in teaching about the use of rock dust is breaking the paradigm of a sixty year-long tradition of using chemical fertilizers,” said Jorge Villaseñor Garibi in a recent interview for Remineralize the Earth (RTE) that explored his experiences with training Mexican farmers in the use of rock dust. (more…)

Perfect nutrient dense blueberries integrating compost teas, minerals and biological soil management

Organic Connections magazine has published a story on blueberry grower Bob Wilt who found that the more efficiently he was able to get minerals into his berries, the higher the brix measurement went. Hence, he concentrated on doing that and still does to this day. And as the brix has gone up, so has the flavor. (more…)

Delving into nutrient density

In the middle of the fertile Willamette Valley in western Oregon, farmer Bob Wilt walks the rows of his 75-acre organic blueberry farm critically plucking ripe fruit for analysis. What he’s looking for is not sweetness or pest resistance (though these factors are certainly involved), but the fruit’s nutrient density. Thus far, his berries measure up. Test.   (more…)

Farmer Campaigns for Nutrient Dense Food Production

Beginning in the 1950s, America’s farmers were told to get big, or get out. It wasn’t just a slogan, it was USDA policy, a mantra recited by several secretaries of agriculture. That mindset, combined with a post-WWII explosion in chemical fertilizer use, made our farms larger and more productive than ever — but at a high price, with many small farmers vanishing and the introduction of new kinds of environmental challenges. (more…)

Maximizing Nutrition in Backyard Gardens

by Ben Grosscup (forthcoming) Massachusetts Organic Food Guide, 2009-10 Is it possible to grow food with exquisite flavor, beautiful shine, extraordinary nutrition, and extended shelf-life? According to growers who have done it, not only can farm-sized growing operations do it, but with the right tools and knowledge, people can do it in their own backyards. Practitioners of this kind of growing say their goal is to maximize crop nutrient density - the amount of nutrition per volume of crop - and that this can be done in a manner entirely consistent with certified organic growing practices. (more…)

Peggy Day

Mystic, Connecticut My husband John and I couldn't be happier with our brand-new garden this year! It's not very big, but it supplies all the produce that we can possibly use. The vegetables are amazing and we give away basketfuls each week. (more…)

Sammy De

Barre, Massachusetts August 9 I met Joanna Campe at the NOFA Conference 2008. I use Azomite in my garden along with my compost and have no need for fertilizers.       (more…)