Sprouting Change

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My coworker took a photo of the lovely cherry tomato selection we had at market yesterday for Blue Moon Farm. I'm battling the early morning sun in my eyes and making the wonderful face you see before you.

[npr]

If you are looking for proof that Americans’ vegetable habits lean towards french fries and ketchup, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has it: Nearly 50 percent of vegetables and legumes available in the U.S. in 2013 were either tomatoes or potatoes. Lettuce came in third as the most available vegetable, according to new data out this week.

And while the USDA’s own dietary guidelines recommend that adults consume 2.5 to 3 cups of vegetables a day, the agency’s researchers found that only 1.7 cups per person are available.

“The dietary guidelines promote variety,” Jeanine Bentley, a social science analyst at the USDA’s Economic Research Service, tells The Salt. “But when you look at it, there isn’t much variety. Mostly people consume potatoes, tomatoes and lettuce.” (The data technically tally domestic production and imports, then subtract exports, but researchers commonly use them as a proxy for consumption.)

The U.S. Doesn’t Have Enough Of The Vegetables We’re Supposed To Eat

Photo by Ryan Kellman/NPR

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An interesting study on America's vegetable eating habits and the vegetable production numbers that follow those trends.

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Birthday carrot pudding is the absolute best gift. I have a mom that knows me well. Also the recipe can easily be vegan if veggie oil or apple sauce is used and not butter or lard.

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What happened to June? I haven't posted since May! Well, rain happened in June. Record amount of rainfall hit Illinois which hindered projects and killed sections of plants at work, let weeds take over my garden and kept my mind on things other than Tumblr. While we have emerged with a few dry days during the holiday weekend, it is again raining this week. I have escaped the month still hopeful about my farm dreams despite the stresses at work. I hope to be better about posting as we hit our strides this summer.

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The weekend is quickly approaching. Today will be a long harvest day as we get the items picked for this weekend's three farmers markets. I'll be going to the Division St. farmers market to sell some of our great produce. While it undoubtedly means a long day with a really early star, it will be an amazing experience helping run our stand in a downtown Chicago market. Here comes a coffee fueled Saturday!

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Some of our lovely red kale harvested on Friday out of the Spring 1 block. Saturday's market in Kankakee went well, seeing our greens consistently being sold and almost none of it coming back with us. I won't get to go to next week's Kankakee market, but I hope to get to help at a different market, or get to explore some of the markets I might go to in future seasons.

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When it rains it pours. We battled this afternoon to get the first summer planting of crops out in the field after our harvest for farmers markets this weekend. It rained during lunch which got things sloppy for some transplanting, then the second wave came and dumped enough rain to make the water rush through the walkways between rows and make it impossible to finish off that transplant. Most of the water in this photo isn't on any of the beds and what is on the beds will dry with some speed once the rains subside due to the sandy nature of the soil at my internship. The raised beds have helped keep standing water to minimal levels over the plants as the water puddles first in the walkways.

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This is a Ford county aerial photo over my family's farm in 1940. If you take the top road going left to right (east to west) and count 3 homesteads in from either side you have found the farm on the north side of the road. I'm excited my uncle has sent me this image as I am fond to know more about the farm's past as I hope to extend the family lineage on this land. I notice the corn crib (that still stands) on the land along with other buildings I've seen earlier in my life.

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This year, while I am working at the farm near Watseka, I have limited my personal plot to a small 18′x36′ plot (I already wish it was bigger, but since I started the season a bit late, I have plenty to do and grow). Its nice because I get to try some odd Seed Savers Exchange varieties, but not get overwhelmed since I’m only growing for my own needs. 

I also will soon have more tasks to do off work when I get a few chickens to raise. I am working on building a chicken tractor for them and later this week will have 5 peeping chicks to take care of. There will certainly be more posts about that coming up as I continue to work on the chicken tractor and finalize some other decisions.

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I think I'm done with the wind. The sandy soil near Watseka moves quickly with the wind we have had this week. Luckily the farm uses a lot of cover crop in unused fields and has minimal bare ground, but there are plenty of open fields nearby and that are on their way to being planted that cause dust storm conditions.

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Just finished my first week farming. I got my body pains and a solid farmers tan, but it's been exciting. I've learned a ton and I'm still excited to start working my own garden this weekend and get things planted.

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Day 1

Mother Nature seemed to have noticed this morning that I was starting something new. As I got ready for my first day at the internship, a front came blasting through with a brief rain shower, strong gust of wind and some lightning. I had a moment to stop and enjoy this excitement before hitting the road. It reminded me that the past is the past and there's a change happening that will move me towards a better future. Constant physical labor for 8 hours today helped me kick off this internship by letting me clear my mind of previous work stresses. I'm sore physically, but my mind is feeling good. I sweated plenty in the 90+ deg greenhouses, got dirty with the tasks for today and have a few marks left over. On a side note when I took lunch, I managed only to use 2% of my battery which was used idly by my phone. It's a great feeling that I can work 8 hours and not want check my phone. I'm bound to be sore in the morning but I'm excited to hit the fields again.

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Day 0. Nine hour car trip from NW Iowa to Illinois. Got to the farm safe and sound. Need rest before first day at my internship. Let’s hope this cold goes away tonight.

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Earlier this week I announced my change of careers to my world of friends on Facebook. I spent some time making this announcement and feel like it is a good way to start this blog and to let you in on some of my thoughts on why I am moving from a career in journalism to a career of farming. Below is the post, with some minor changes since it is no longer Monday.

Above is a photo from my family’s farm outside of Sibley, IL that I took in March while making a brief visit. While beauty of spring had not yet arrived outside, I always find calm beauty looking around the buildings that my past generations have used to help work the land. I think about some of the dust covered equipment and its years of service it provided for my grandfather.

For a few months now, I have been struggling with my career path. As I found the long days getting longer and the creative ruts getting deeper, I hit a breaking point. With the help of some great friends, I have decided to take a leap of faith into something new. Since my childhood I have looked at farming with excitement. To be tasked with working the land with the goal to feed yourself and those around you has long held importance with me. While this possible career path took a back seat during my high school years and a portion of my college years, it has always sat in the back of my mind as a noble and exciting way to make a living. I have looked fondly at the previous generations in my family that have worked the land with a glimmer that I may one day be able return to the roots that run through my lineage. Late on Sunday, March 29, I took a big leap towards my future and being able to work towards a more fulfilling life. In the span of hours I put in my two week notice at the newspaper I have worked at the past 1.5 years, setting aside almost 3 years in journalism, and accepted an internship at a farm near Watseka, IL. While I am leaving the daily toils of newspaper work in the next few weeks, I do not wish to set down the camera, or stop creating photos of the amazing people and things around me. I hope with this career change I am able to document my journey and share it with you and with whomever may want a glimpse in to it. I look to share this through numerous mediums to give those following me on this journey the chance to see the joys, challenges, knowledge and passion I will be encountering along the way. “Sprouting Change” is the first part of my plan to share this journey with you. I will continue to adapt and grow this idea as I make this transition. As I leave the newspaper, I have too many people to thank for the millions of opportunities to photograph amazing stories in communities from Santa Cruz to Galesburg. Some great photojournalists and journalists have given me great support and help that has pushed me to become a better photographer. Most importantly I must thank the hundreds of people I have been able to photograph over the years that opened their lives to me, even for a few seconds, so I could document a moment of their lives. I am honored to have found so many friends in the newsroom and out in the communities I covered. In no way do I think the coming years will be easy for me, but I feel that this path will allow me to grow to be a better person, allow me to take care of the land in which I see great beauty, and allow me to have greater control in changing the future for myself and the communities around me. I hope I can look back in a decade, seeing the changes I have made to my life and the lives of those around me. Wish me luck, send your positive vibes, and most importantly thank you all for the support you have given me in one way or another over the years.