Photos:

Cynthia Raiser Jeavons

Grains grown at Golden Rule Farm

42-56 days. A mix of lettuces from Gathering Together Farm. Plant by broadcasting spring through fall. Succession sow plots a week apart to maintain a supply of fresh greens, and allow each plot to grow for 6-8 weeks to make the most biomass. Chickens love to be thrown heads of lettuce for their daily greens, and the more bugs, the better. One packet plants 100 sq ft.

75-90 days. 10-18 inches tall. Almost any animal that eats any kind of leafy food loves kale. Poultry love it, and the yolks get nice and golden from the vitamin A. Turkeys, goats, rabbits, cows, ducks and pretty much anything but cats will eat kale and thrive -

Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver and her family were living in Arizona and loved being there but they wanted to do more to be self-sufficient. They found it difficult in such a dry climate, so they moved back to West Virginia where her family was from. There they commenced a family experiment to grow and raise as much of their own food as possible, and keep their food purchases to within 100 miles. This book tells that story in a very readable way.

I love my garden passionately and feel strongly about being a locovore. This is probably why this book by Barbara Kingsolver hit such a strong chord in me. We are putting in an asparagus bed as I was reading that part in her book, harmonic convergence. I found myself encouraged and inspired, and you just might be as well!