Quite simply, the term “free-range” simply means the animals have access to the outdoors. Period. The term has been much abused by factory farms that keep their chickens in a standard poultry house–something like a warehouse with chickens wandering around on the floor–that has a small door open on one […]
Yearly Archives: 2013
16 posts
For the past thirteen years, allergies have prevented me from eating most raw tree fruits–apples, pears, cherries, mulberries, peaches, etc. But in the past several months, I’ve discovered that the symptoms have vanished, so I’ve been enjoying fresh fruit as often as I can get it. A customer who purchased […]
My three-year-old daughter Amalie and I planted 799 cloves of garlic in a new garlic bed. Seeing weeds popping up just a few days later, I had the bright idea to cover the bed with plastic. I had a few 50′ lengths of of plastic that I had used as […]
We have Giant Puffball mushrooms, picked fresh this afternoon. They’re in the fridge now, but they still shouldn’t sit around too long. We’re at 2624 Woodland Avenue, Columbus 43211. Come by today (Friday) anytime before 8:00 p.m, or Saturday or Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. $10 each for […]
I spent this evening in the woods with a stencil and a backpack full of spray paint cans. I was marking selected trees: M for maple, W for black walnut, and X for dead trees to be cut down. I’m going to try my hand at making syrup next spring […]
A vegetarian friend of mine brought to my attention the fact that California recently banned the sale and production of foie gras–not the cruel practice of gavage, but the end product. I feel that’s throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I told my friend I felt this was not […]
Here’s yet another reason to select locally produced, hand-processed meats over the stuff the big, mechanized slaughterhouses churn out for international sale. USDA plans to expand pilot program that leaves meat contaminated with fecal matter Once we have broilers again, we’ll be slaughtering them right here on the farm where […]
I picked our first couple pawpaws for the year, and they’re tasty. Since they passed the taste test, the kids and I will be picking the rest of them later today (Saturday). Pawpaws are a native fruit, the largest one that grows in this region. The texture and flavor are […]
Gardeners: A message from OSU South Centers… “Downy mildew was confirmed today on watermelons from Medina County, OH. It is safe to say at this point that downy mildew is widespread in vine crops and growers throughout the state should be out scouting for the disease, especially in cucumbers. Susceptibility […]
Down by Law: Compiling Los Angeles’ Urban Ag Regulations My favorite line from the article: “If this all seems confusing and somewhat scattershot, that’s because it is.” That’s the problem with just copying another municipality’s policy. It’s the blind leading the blind. It’s often the case that even the people […]
This has gotten totally out of hand. A SWAT team raided a farm in Texas for code violations. They said they were looking for pot (after 10 hours of searching, they found none), but what they seized were fruits, vegetables, and native grasses. Their real reason for raiding was to […]
Last night, we had hash browns, eggs (store-bought, still no hens), and locally raised pork sausage cooked over a mulberry wood fire. The smokey flavor was incredible! We also did burgers, fries, and corn on the grill a few weeks ago with mulberry wood and got similar results. I considered […]
It’s been a good year for mulberries. I’ve been picking them and freezing them to make into jelly later. If anybody would like any fresh ones, contact me at wayne@frijolitofarm.com, and I’ll pick them to order, $3.00 per half-pint. We also have garlic scapes ready. They’re five for a dollar. […]
Franklin County is writing new regulations regarding the keeping of poultry and rabbits on properties smaller than five acres in unincorporated townships. The good news is that for people living on lots smaller than one acre, you can finally keep chickens or ducks–not as many as in the City of […]