SF and the FJL
Sprouting Farms’ production update…
At the beginning of the month, things slowed down as the holidays combined with limited daylight put a brief hold on transplant production. We have continued to see good harvests from our fall planted salad greens, but are beginning our transition to early spring crops. These will include several new lettuce varieties and plantings for Sprouting Farms new signature salad blends. Our brassica crops like Kale, Cabbage & Collards are looking healthy and we expect strong harvests starting in early February. We also have begun sowing some large plantings of green onions, which will be a major part of our early spring production. All while we continue the reclamation process of this former nursery site.
SF Community Outreach
Sprouting Farms and the Turnrow Appalachian Farm Collective hosted a Farm to Table Dinner in Alderson, WV. At the Old Victorian Inn we served a three course dinner with appetizers. The First Course was a fresh winter salad, with baby lettuce and mustard greens, toasted walnuts, red onions, goat cheese, and dressed with a lemon vinaigrette. The Second Course was a roasted pork belly, stuffed with herbs, apples, kohlrabi, and walnuts over grits with a mushroom, beet gravy and a micro greens salad. The Third Course was a honey cake with strawberry syrup and vanilla ice cream. The meal was amazing and everyone left happy and full. All the food we used was sourced from local farmers and made fresh by our team. Stay tuned to our Facebook page to see when our next farm to table meal will be.
Our cooking class last month made Acorn Squash and Lentil Stew, and Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta. The meal and company was great as always. If you have a place or group/club that would like to have us host a cooking class, just email beth@sproutingfarms.org . At the moment all of our cooking class take place at the Graham House in Talcott, WV, but we are open to expansion if there are more places that would be open to us. As usual all of the food we cook with is sourced through the Turnrow Appalachian Farm Collective, so it all comes from local farmers. The classes support the farmers, help our economy, teach healthy eating, and cooking skills. So many things can be covered in just one class!
SF Education
Sprouting Farms is one partner that is helping the Food Justice Lab at West Virginia University set up a summer program to teach students about food systems and food justice. “The WVU Food Justice Lab is an experimental space for research and action focused on challenging food system inequalities.” Here is how their website explains some of their work…“People’s access to food is shaped by political, economic, social and environmental factors. Household food access differs based on a variety of factors including income, identity, knowledge, location and crises. Our research highlights the causes of food access disparities and analyzes the various strategies people use to source and secure food including markets, the state, charities, self-provisioning and farming.” The WVU Food Justice Lab (FJL) houses students that work with the Department of Geology and Geography to research food access, food policy, and other issues related to food justice. Then they host events with different counties across the state to share their research and help inspire positive change for the future.
The FJL now has an application ready for the 2019 Appalachian Food Justice Fellowship Program. “Participants will develop social justice leadership skills while learning about food policy, hunger, farming, foraging, gardens, distribution networks, cooperatives, climate change, racial justice, gender equality, and food sovereignty. A 10-day immersive experience in May 2019 will see participants encounter food activists on the front lines of food system change through visits to incubator farms, urban farms, food banks, and think tanks all concerned with advancing equitable food networks. In addition to daily site visits, participants will engage current literature, lead discussion, and hear from a series of speakers engaged in food justice activism and scholarship all in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia.”
Sprouting Farms is excited to be a part of this program as one of their partnering sites for this educational experience.
If you or someone you know might be interested in this program here is the link to apply!
