Extra feed, hay, straw and other goods on our truck this week if you need, we'll be at market 2 - 7pm + more pick up options, stop by, email or 503-517-8551. 

Reminder we'll be away in Iowa next week, not at People's Dec. 7th.  

Sun may shine this afternoon... bringing books to market - always 10% off for People's Members. Garlic is 25% off and still time to nestle some in.  Just planted a big patch of our seed garlic at our friends', 46 North Farm, at the coast in Olney, OR this weekend.  It magically did not rain while we prepped the beds and finished planting in the dark by headlamp, really fun with the big glowing cloves against the dark soil, crisp autumn air...  We made it in time to watch a movie up in the colorful, cozy barn loft with lots of their friends from Astoria.  Thank you Teresa & Packy!!

Back at market Dec. 14th & 21st and regular pick up sites  : )

sunflowers in november

EDIBLE Portland Local Hero Nominee 

just found out we're nominated for a Local Hero award through Edible Portland, woo hoo! you can VOTE here by December 14. the awesome The Side Yard Farm and Adelante Mujeres are among our favorites and of course we love fellow retailer, People's Food Co-op and are honored to be in this super neat group of shops, farmers, non-profits and artisans and loved by you ♥

View of our old shop site from the overpass

4 MONTHS 

seems like a short time and forever, since our old shop was demolished by the Tireanosaurus Les on July 8th.  To mark the occasion, my mom took these photos this Wednesday, November 9th before the farmer's market.  The 6 days notice and 2 hours of building munching have led to an empty two acre lot, but in that... a serious herd of sunflowers is in full, ragingly lively bloom in the west side of our old goat, hen and duck pen.  They made it through the heat of summer alone, growing strong a few inches above gravel in layers of decomposing leaves, straw, woodchips, manure and lots of worms and soil critters.  In this pivotal time for us and darkening of daylight towards winter solstice, this is a really inspiring sign to create a fertile life, be feisty and grow wherever you can.  Ever year is a geological layer in our life cakes.  With a focus on love, kindness and honing what you believe in and care about, it keeps getting better, roots go deeper, sunny faces radiate.

The ferociously happy sunflowers!

May we find our new centrally located, smaller storefront space soon, strengthen our pick-up sites for you, perhaps find a separate tiny patch of farmland with a barn to warehouse our goods, live on and grow organic plants and continue to be a merrily mobile supply co. in the meantime for as long as it takes...  

CHECKS

We are taking a lot more checks from all of you lately.  We love that it feels both comfortingly old fashioned in the hand writing, trust, time between physically depositing and also very modern in that it cuts out the approximate 3% credit card fees.  There are an overwhelming number of checks from OnPoint Credit Union, creating a strong endorsement...  When we started our shop, our personal Oregon Community Credit Union, had closed its Portland branches and consolidated to Eugene, and we didn't qualify to join nearby Clackamas Federal Credit Union as we weren't living or working in Clackamas County.  Another Sellwood shop recommended US Bank for the importance of night drops and nearby banking, we joined with the intention to figure out a credit union to switch to, but we were quickly busy, two years went by and we also had a serious stash of computer and hand-writing checks.  Now in the quieting of fall and with the inspiring movement to switch to credit unions, aka "Bank Transfer Day", we're turning those checks into cozy winter worm bin bedding and moved all of our funds to OnPoint.  The funny thing is we can still use those ubiquitous US Bank ATMs to deposit to our credit union, along with 45,000 nationwide fee-free ATMs. Any day is a good day to switch to a credit union and you can always open your new account and gently take time to transition from your old account before you close it.  Feels so nice : )

OPB Music ! makes your order elves and office goat's hooves tap while typing to you, love it{ listen here }

FOFF

Valley Flora Farm in Langlois, OR

Mark your calendar - Friends of Family Farmers is holding their 2nd Annual Auction at Holocene on Tuesday, December 13th!  They are also collecting stories and photos to celebrate diversity for their website's Meet Oregon Family Farmer's feature. "We would love to have you tell us about yourselves, your farm or ranch, your animals, the crops you love to grow, what sustains you and what inspires you to do what you do.  How and why have you chosen to be a farmer or rancher?  How did you come by your land?  Is this just a phase or are you in it to win it? Send us your letters, pictures, poems, hiakus- your choice. We would also love to hear about the ways in which you and FoFF have intersected. It would be inspirational to have your testimonials and would nourish all of us to know just how your experiences have contributed to our agri-"cultural" landscape. Send us your submission via email or, if you prefer, US Post at PO Box 1286, Molalla, Oregon 97038."

National Young Farmer's Coalition Report from their survey is in, read it here.

DUCKS a family of 6 Runner Ducks, free to a good home with more space to roam, water to have fun in and safety from predators, ranging in age from 1 to 5 years and hoping to keep them together. Contact Caitlin of the Tierra Soul Urban Farmstay / Guesthouse in NE Portland

CREDIT CARD OFFERS
This video made a recent credit card mailer fun to receive and easily just put all of it's contents right back in the pre-paid envelope to mail back, more fun to support the US Postal Service economy a bit before it gets recycled by the bank.

Murmuration, beautiful


Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

GENETIC ENGINEERING - what I wrote on my petition this morning:

"It is simple, if plant genes are engineered in a lab, just label them. As Monsanto and other corporations think genetically engineered plants are in the best interest of individuals and countries, they should be proud to label them and pushing for this easy distinction. Let us, the eaters, decide if we feel a GE / GMO trait is a scientific advantage, ie. engineering pesticidal proteins to be expressed throughout the dna of a plant, or if we'd prefer selective plant breeding in the field by farmers and plant breeders, for whichever food we are eating, including future GE of domestic animals."  Naomi Montacre

Let's join the 15 European Union nations, plus Russia, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries around the world and demand our government label genetically engineered foods.  Sign this petition to the White House and FDA.

To nerd out on, enjoy & perhaps get riled up...
Vandana Shiva VIDEO - http://cookingupastory.com/vandana-shiva-the-future-of-food-part-1
Monsanto VIDEO - http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/default.aspx
World According to Monsanto in 10 parts - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvGddgHRQyg

Marvin & Puff on a foggy Friday morning at the office

EPA on GE Plants - http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides/reg_of_biotech/eparegofbiotech.htm
FDA on GE Animals - http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/developmentapprovalprocess/geneticengineering/geneticallyengineeredanimals/default.htm

Thank you for reading, following us and keeping us busy with your orders.  We hope you are having a really great fall and enjoying the sunny days we've been having.  Know we'll all be getting a bit more cozy with hot beverages, yummy baking and winter reading when the rains set in...  Warmly,  Naomi

Garlic + Chinook Book + Fraga's Organic Goat Cheese

♥ Fraga Farms Organic Goat Cheese was at market last week and they will be a continuing neighbor near us at People's farmer's market this fall and winter, so delicious, mmm... we love!! Carissa worked with Jan & Larry for a year a while back in Sweet Home, OR with their herd of 60 Alpine and Nubian goats. Chevre, Feta, Cheddar, Goatzarella, Greek Olive and more here + at more farmer's markets, groceries stores and co-op in Oregon.

Seed Garlic - Chesnok and Killarney Red are back, plus a new hot Siberian variety. More Polish, Ontario Purple Trillium, Silver Rose and the heirlooms Oregon Blue & Nootka Rose.  Beautiful selection of 12 varieties of garlic in stock, read descriptions here.  New planting tip sheet for you at market this week, too.  You can plant as late as December or January, with the goal to have nine months for your garlic heads to grow and harvest during a dry time of year.  We've found ourselves planting late November around the thanksgiving holiday, motivated like good squirrels to make sure that garlic seed stock will be ample in the new year.

Order organic fertilizer to get your garlic on to a great start, too, including fish bone meal, soft rock phosphate, alfalfa meal, kelp, lime and mycorrhizal + compost and worm castings.  Buy direct on Wednesdays at our booth at People's or order by email and pick up at the nearest location - we're happy to talk through clove / seed quantities per head of each variety, answer questions and put together your dream order.  We eat a LOT of it roasted (mmm!!!), pureed fresh, in salsa, in popcorn with fresh herbs and nutritional yeast and chopped into breakfast eggs and many dinners.... ahhhhh....love

Flower Bulbs new signs and photos by Mamo, Tulips, Daffodils, Crocus, Muscari and Hyacinths in so many colors.  All grown with organic fertilizer, soils and compost at our old shop in Sellwood in our flower crates and the mighty Flower Bulb Mountain...  and we will be growing out more stock each year and look forward to hearing about your favorites. (Ballerina, Monsella and Elizabeth Arden's Tulips growing at the entrance of our old shop this past spring)

Chinook Book Coupons - honoring your 2010 coupons all week for pre-orders placed for pick up through this weekend and for anything you buy from our booth at market tomorrow, Wed 11/2.  We're also in the new 2011 book  : )