Volume Number 6 Issue Number 3 June 2011

an email from Adam Mackie of the Dixon Community Seed Exchange. Adam informed us that Dixon would not have its seed exchange this year because they no longer have access to bulk seed offered by the Seeds of Change farm. The Seeds of Change farm, located in El Guique, just outside of Espanola in New Mexico, was unexpectedly shut down by its parent company Mars back in August of 2010. The Ramah Seed for Need program received much of its “giveaway” seed from Seeds of Change through the Dixon seed exchange. Adam explained that Dixon would take a break this year, and then resume next year with an exchange, rather than a giveaway, that would focus on seed growers exchanging seed for “propagation only”. This means growers would receive seed specifically for the purpose of growing out to collect seed, not growing out for a food or herb crop. This year, the Ramah Seed for Need seed cache was divided into five collections: Rare (for propagation only) seed from last year’s Dixon exchange, DreamE’s collection from Candy Kitchen, the Pueblos Y Semillas (for propagation only) from Española, seed grown in Ramah and some rare, organic or “unusual” seed, and commercial or large quantity seed. 1. Participants filled out a form detailing which non commercial seed they brought, and what (non-commercial) seed they took away with them. Seed brought in had to be labeled as to variety and grower. 2. Participants were urged to grow out ALL the seed from the exchange, but that we would no longer track commercial seed (i.e. seed from seed packets) unless grown out and brought back next year.3. Experienced growers and seed collectors were offered seed from the Rare Dixon seed, the Pueblos Y Semillas seed and the rare Ramah grown seed. 4. Volunteers were recruited to the Seed for Need program to specifically address how to promote local seed propagation in the Ramah Market community (see “Workshop” p. 2)5. Participants could sign up for a seed propagation workshop to be held sometime in June. (See “Workshop” p. 2). Seed exchange participants took all the changes in stride. Twenty-seven local growers signed into the Seed for Need (continued next page)

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FREE FREE

MARKET NEWSPotluck and Seed Exchange Well Attended

The Ramah Farmers’ Market Potluck and Seed Exchange, held on Saturday, April 23 at the Old School Gallery was well attended, with 55 community members participating. This is the largest turnout we have had since the very first potluck the market held in March of 2006. As usual with market potlucks, the food was local and delectable. Community members involved with the Ramah Farmers Market are great cooks! When the doors opened at 11:30 at the Old School Gallery, community members immediately mobbed the seed tables, manned by Seed for Need volunteers Denis Black, Genevieve Humanay, Pat Burnam, Alan Burnam, Ella Scott and Linda Thornton. Running the seed tables is hard work; volunteers must be prepared to explain the how and what of seed propagation, as well as how to grow crops, and garden in general. Its hard work, but great fun as well, and a very productive way of interacting with our community. At noon the potluck was served, set up by Susan McNabb, Leslie Moosman, and Sari Clark. Inscription Rock Trading, as usual, donated their great coffee. After everyone was seated and enjoying the meal co-managers Jackie Rossignol and Denis Black honored two volunteers, Leslie Moosman and Kirk Shoemaker, for their work in market promotion. Denis Black brought everyone up to speed on the new Ramah Farmers Market Association.

Seed Exchange The Seed for Need program has accumulated a diversity of local and commercial vegetable, herb, and flower seed that hitherto had been given away to growers in the local community. Year by year an increasing number of growers have returned seed to the exchange, some of it from commercial seed packets, but more and more propagated locally. One of the goals of the Seed for Need project, an outreach program of the Ramah Farmers Market Association, was to transform the seed giveaway program into a real seed exchange (see New Mexico Seed Exchanges Go Local p. 5). The Seed for Need program decided to go forward with changes at our local seed giveaways after receiving

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We Need YOU for our Community Table What is the Community Table? Many back yard gardeners fail to participate in the farmers’ market because their small gardens do not produce any significant surplus. No one wants to sit at a table for three hours trying to sell three turnips or five tomatoes. These small growers can, however, come early to the market (9:30 am, or a half hour before the market opens) and sign in their produce to the volunteers at the Community Table. Experienced volunteers will then market your produce for you. These volunteers will teach you how to prepare your produce for sale if you don’t already know. They will count or weigh in your produce, decide on a fair price, and then display it for sale in baskets or other props. The money you earn is then kept back for you and can be picked up at the end of the market day. The Ramah Farmers Market currently has no commercial gardeners. Also, this year, lake water is in short supply, so the market is going to be dependant on the back yard gardens in the subdivisions and other outlying areas outside of the Ramah irrigated garden locale. The market is possible mainly through the efforts of backyard gardeners. The market fully supports gardeners growing produce for themselves and their families as the keystone for a local sustainable community. However, if every local gardener contributed even a token amount of produce to the community table, then the whole community benefits in a small but powerful way. We encourage all local back yard gardeners to share a small part of their abundance so that the community can both experience superior nutrition and also come to envision the agricultural potential of the greater Ramah area. How do I participate? Please call the co-managers at 783-4440 for information on contributing to the Community Table, or just show up on Saturday morning at 9:30. You may also e-mail ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com. If it’s not possible for you to come to the market we can arrange to pick up your produce either at your house or at some prearranged place. Of course, if you would like to set up a table, contact us, or be at the market early (9:15 am).

Seed Propagation Workshop The Seed for Need program will be offering a beginners seed propagation work shop some time in the early summer. All community members are invited. A small fee may be charged. Topics to be covered include:• The differences amongst annual, biennial and perennial plant seed saving.• The differences between self and cross pollinating plants.• How to grow plants for seed and prepare them for seed collection.• Simple methods for processing annual plants for their seed: tomatoes, chiles, orach (wild spinach), lettuce, spinach, corn, squash. • Techniques and strategies for ensuring seed purity

• Containers, labeling and record keeping• Integrating seed collection into your garden• Coordinating with other seed growers both locally and nationally

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Market News(cont. from p.1) Program and filled out their seed forms, which means 27 local growers committed to propogating their own seed and bringing it back to the seed exchange next year. This is seed that we will be able to bring to the Dixon and Pueblos Y Semillas exchanges next year . Twelve growers signed up for the Seed Propagation workshop (see “Workshop” this page) . Volunteers Recognized Leslie Moosman and Kirk Shoemaker will be receiving Certificates of Appreciation for their excellent work in Market promotion and outreach. Leslie set up and maintained a children’s art table every week the market was open last summer. She brought in volunteers from the community and rangers from El Morro National Monument to help kids in their creative projects. The table kept kids occupied while their parents shopped. Every week Leslie would unload tables and art supplies from her truck and then set up her own baked goods table. Leslie plans to have the Kid’s Art table again this year, and is looking for volunteers. If you are interested in helping out call the co-managers at 783-4440. The Market sincerely appreciates this over-the-top volunteer effort. Kirk Shoemaker made real a long-standing dream of the market co-managers come true – a Ramah Farmers Market Website. By some kind of cyber magic, the co-managers would e-mail links, files and suggestions to Kirk, and usually within an hour – there it would be, usually with photos or (very funny) illustrations. Kirk does all of this, patiently, and very cheerfully, and for free. We are one of the few markets in the state that has a website, and we are very grateful to Kirk for making this possible. The web address is www.ramahfarmersmarket.org.

Ramah Farmers Market Association The Ramah Farmers’ Market is now part of the Ramah Farmers’ Market Association. Besides the Market, the Association includes the newsletter Farmers Beet, and outreach and support programs, including the Seed for Need program. Co-manager Denis Black explained how the Market would be kept separate from the outreach programs and the Farmers Beet, and that the new board will be largely an oversight board, with the work of the Market and Association programs run by committees. The new Board currently has three members, Denis Black, Kate Wilson and Jackie Rossignol. All vendors who have attended at least three markets in 2010 are considered voting members. Anyone can join the Association as a non-voting members for $15.00 a year. The draft bylaws were e-mailed (or will be hand delivered) to voting members for review, and comments can be forwarded to the board at ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com or mailed to RFM Association, HC 61 Box 816, Ramah NM 87321, or call 505-783-4440 or 505-783-4704. After the first market, on Saturday, June 25, the voting members will vote on accepting the bylaws. The figured this would be a good day for the vote because all the produce,craft and baked goods vendors will be there. If you’re not sure you’re a voting member, contact a board member above. This year the Plant Sale and Craft Fair was held out in front of the Ramah museum, on Bloomfield road in Ramah. The meeting drew to a close with Jackie explaining how the work of the Market and the Association is done through committees, and how the committees need volunteers. Any community member may participate on a committee. Committees currently in need of volunteers include the Market, the Community Table, the Kid’s Table, and the Seed for Need Seed Propagation Project. One new committee in the planning stage is the “produce pick-up” program which would recruit backyard gardeners to contribute to the community table (see “Volunteers” p.3 and ‘Community Table” this page).

Call for Produce Yes, it was a dry, windy spring with cold nights. It was so windy in May no one wanted to go out into the garden to plant. Timberlake Ranch recorded night temperatures below 32° running into late May. The oak trees did not leaf out until May 22. So, yes, a lot of us are a little behind. Now is an excellent opportunity for local gardeners who have never thought to take part in the Ramah Farmers’ Market to seriously consider how they can participate. We need your surplus produce! Besides, its fun, you get to meet kindred spirits, and get to know your community. Back yard gardeners are more than welcome to come set up a table at the market. If you don’t feel like you have enough produce for your own table, consider combining your produce with another grower. Having someone with you at the table is a lot more fun. Finally, if your idea of fun doesn’t include sitting behind a table selling produce you can always drop it off at the Community Table. For more info call the co-managers at 505-783-4440 or e-mail ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com.

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If time permits topics such as collecting wild seed, and developing your own local varieties of seed will be covered. If you would like to sign up for the Seed Propagation Workshop, or you are an experienced seed propagator and would like to help out with the workshop, e-mail ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com or call 505-783-4440. We are forming an Association committee to support Seed for Need programs. If you would like to volunteer to be on this committee e-mail ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com or call Denis at 783-4440.

Volunteers If you are interested in the Ramah Farmers’ Market or community gardening and farming, there are many interesting activities for volunteers to take part in at the market and in the greater Ramah and El Morro area, as well as the local subdivisions. Volunteers are welcome to make a serious commitment, for example, coming to every market to volunteer, or once a month, or even only twice a season. Volunteers are very important because those with the most investment in the market, the vendors, are often too busy growing and producing for the market to have time to put in time to volunteer. Many do anyway, but the non-vendor volunteer group is a critical component to the ongoing success of the market and the Association. To volunteer e-mail ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com or call 505-783-4440. The Market and the programs listed below are all administered by the Ramah Farmers Market Association, a non-profit registered with the State of New Mexico.

Committees The work of the Ramah Farmers Market Association is done by volunteers through committees; the Market committee, the Seed for Need committee, the Harvest Festival committee, etc. All community members are invited to serve on these committees.

Ramah Farmers MarketMarket Operation- The Ramah Farmers Market is held every Saturday from the middle of June until the Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 1. Volunteers are needed every week to do the following:• Market - Set up (really heavy) signs, set up community and information tables, setting up customer tables and chairs, packing away equipment, assist volunteers at the community and information tables, monitor parking area, assist new vendors• Community Table - Set up and run the community table by weighing or counting in produce, filling out paper work, making signs and labels, assisting growers, marketing (selling) produce, keeping accounts, paying out to growers, training other volunteers. If you are interested in learning how to grow and market produce working the community table is an excellent way to acquire valuable experience. If you are interested in working the community table contact the co-managers soon; Mary Barry is willing to provide a training session for all interested community table volunteers.

• Information Table – Every market we need one or two volunteers to set up and monitor the information table. These volunteers need to know enough about market operations to be able to answer questions from market patrons and potential growers, or know who to direct them to. Volunteers are also responsible for recruiting memberships to the Association, sell promotional items such as baskets from Ghana and aprons, and distribute Surround (for fruit trees) and Nolobait (for grasshopper control). This is the volunteer that is also responsible for the “clicker count” so we know how many customers patronize the market.

Kid’s Art Table – Every market day Leslie Moosman arranges for their to be a kid’s art table where kids can work on creative are projects while their parents shop. If you are interested in teaching art to kids Leslie is always looking for volunteers. If you are interested contact the co-managers at 783-4440, or contact Leslie at home.

Market Site Clean-up and Maintenance - The Market site under the trees is like a small park, with all the accompanying maintenance demands; raking, brush removal, mowing, tree trimming, chipping tree branches and gravel spreading. Usually there is a major clean-up before the first market in June. If you are interested in participating e-mail or call above, and bring a rake.

Community Outreach Programs:Potlucks - Twice a year the Ramah Farmers Market Association hosts a potluck as a way to keep membership informed on Association happenings and eat great food. Seed for Need Program – The Seed for Need program is ongoing

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throughout the year, but with emphasis in the spring and early summer. There is also a seed exchange at the fall potluck, usually held in November. The goal of the Seed for Need program is to promote the propagation of locally grown and developed seed, and then arrange to exchange that seed with both local and state growers. Volunteers are needed stand behind the tables to organize and present seed to seed growers. Often the volunteers must answer or refer questions about what the seed is, where the seed is from , who grew it, how to grow it out, and how to collect and preserve seed produced. Seed for Need will also be arranging for seed propagation workshops, and needs volunteers to help with those. The Seed for Need program also needs help with record keeping and maintaining a seed inventory. The Seed for Need program also includes a local seed propagation committee that works on the promotion of seed propagation in both the local and statewide areas.Bingo Fundraisers – After the success of Bingo fundraiser in February it is likely that there will be another in the future.Community Table Produce Pick-up - This year the market will be very dependant on the community table to access produce available for the market. A committee is planned that would arrange for volunteers to contact back yard gardeners in both Ramah and in the subdivisions such as Candy Kitchen, Pine Meadows, El Morro Ranches and Timberlake. These volunteers would arrange to pick up produce from back yard gardeners, either Friday or Saturday and bring it to the market for the community table. They would be responsible for paperwork and training gardeners how to best prepare their produce.Volunteers that agree to pick up produce will be reimbursed for fuel. Library Committee- The Association has received several donations of books about organic gardening, farming, and sustainable agriculture. We need to create a “bookmobile” that we can bring to the market so the books can be made available to the community. Let us know if you would like to help with the planning and implementation of this new program.

Market Promotion The Farmers Beet Newsletter- Ever thought about writing for the Beet? Help us out! We are always on the look out for stories about the Ramah area, Ramah history, gardening, and research based articles on sustainable and organic agriculture, agricultural crafts, poetry, food, book reviews, maybe even (agricultural) fiction. Contact the editors at 505-783-4440, ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo,com. If you have editing skills we also could use your help.Website – The website at ramahfarmersmarket.org is part of the outreach program, and needs to be further developed to provide technical information on sustainable agriculture. Beet Delivery – Six times a year the 1500 or so Beets (cont. next page)

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Market News(continued from p. 3 “Volunteers”) need to be delivered. There is reimbursement for fuel. Ramah Farmers Market Harvest Festival and Ancient Way Fall Festival – A very large committee with subcommittees is required to set up for the Harvest Festival. We need volunteers to plan the new Festival set up, fundraising, harvest table competition, chicken show, pie contest and auction, livestock demonstration, and maybe a rabbit show. To volunteer use the above contact information at the beginning of the article. The Harvest Festival is set up in conjunction with the Ancient Way Fall Festival – If you would like to volunteer call Gen at the Old School Gallery - 783-4710.

Selling Baked Goods at the Market(and Other Food Items)

The sale of non-produce food items is regulated by the New Mexico Environment Department. If you are interested in selling non-produce food items at the market please read the article “Great News for Bakers on p. 10. If you need assistance with dealing with the Environment Department, inspections, paper work, etc, contact the market managers at ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com or call 783-4440.

Locavore Feast at the May Fest This year El Morro Area Arts Council featured a “locavore” feast at its annual May Festival. The feast, coordinated and prepared by Tony Osborn of Star Cloud Farm, featured locally grown ingredients. The menu included Barbecue Pork on Bun, Lasagna, Beef Stew, Vegetarian Pasta, Salad, and (many) desserts. Participating local growers and business included Ancient Way Café, Coonridge Dairy, Davis Ranch, Inscription Rock Trading, Sky High Bakery, Snozi Farms, Starcloud Farm, Windy Ridge, and Whooville. Donald Sharp provided funding. We are all looking forward to the next locavore feast!

“Surround” Orchard Spray Available One of the things we learned at the Tooley’s Trees workshop was how useful “Surround” tree crop protectant could be for protecting young fruit trees from sun scald and insect damage. The Ramah Farmers Market purchased 50 lbs of Surround at a bulk price and is offering it to local orchard growers for $4.00 a pound, about half price. If you would like to purchase Surround stop by the market or call 783-4440 or e-mail ramahfarmersmkt @yahoo.com. “Surround” forms a mineral-based particle barrier film, which acts as a broad spectrum crop protectant against sunburn and heat stress, and as a protectant for controlling damage from various insects, mites and disease pests. Surround also serves as a growth enhancer. Surround can also be used on crops, and plants in greenhouses, home landscapes and gardens.

Commodity Boxes Commodity boxes are available for pick-up at the Ramah Senior Center every third Wednesday or Thursday of the month (usually) from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. Boxes are available for low income residents. You can sign up at the time of pickup. Box contents change month to month but usually contain dry goods such as dry beans, rice, pasta, nuts, dried fruit; canned goods and fresh produce. For more information call Mike at 783-4009.

Ramah Farmers’ Market Website The Ramah Farmers Market website continues to evolve at ramahfarmersmarket.org. The new website provides a wide variety of information and links related to the market, marketing of local crops and produce, sustainable agriculture, organic farming and gardening, home

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As of March 14th the the ground is warming, and if the trends continue, the soil temperature will be in the 40’s. The trees will need to be watered, the flowering buds are swelling and will freeze. April had no rainfall. Some areas got a light mist but for most of it no real gain in soil moisture. On May 1st soil moisture in the open areas was about 8 inches down, and in some areas as much as a foot and a half. With the storm we had on May 19, we gained half an inch in moisture from the snow, sleet, hail and rain that we got. Most of the fruit trees lost most of their blossoms and are probably not going to have fruit because of the freezes and cold nights we've had. Some of the cherries that come out later, however, may actually get some fruit. The orchard so far has been watered three times on about a one-week schedule. Some trees still show sign of insufficient water. This is a year that fertilizers or any other kind of preparation should be done in very moderate doses because they could cause a burn and actually damage the plants. The spring has been very hard on the turkeys for some reason.With the very warm days and cold nights the young turkeys did not do well in the first brooding. The eggs seem to be laid about three weeks too early, so they hatched out too early. Then the turkey chicks ended up going through some days almost in the 80s and then some days it was like 25 and windblown. The mortality rate of the first clutch was 100%; I’m hoping that the wild turkeys in the area did somewhat better, but indications are that they haven't. The chickens seem to have become acclimatized to the area really well. This is the fourth generation hatched and raised here on the farm, and they seemed to have adapted a strategy that is not affected by the differentiations of the temperature between night and day. The lack of water and then wet cold periods right after warm hot periods this year is going to make it a fire year. In many areas lack of water is severe, and a number of the trees are suffering from beetle kill this year. In years past the drought has not been that severe. This year, with wind speeds fairly high and the lack of humidity, all indicators look to make this year a trying year farm or gardening, and the orchards are going to suffer. Also, the possibilities of a weavel attack and a fire blight will create a real problem so a good watering regimen is very important this year. Well, hopefully June will bring us some water and we will be able to farm or garden. As it looks right now, the farmers in the Valley are not going to plant hay. This means feed and food is going to be short and prices this

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New Mexico Seed Exchanges Go Local Seed exchanges are a time honored way for small agricultural communities to preserve and propagate the very best of their locally developed seed. Instead of purchasing seed from catalogs, farmers and gardeners utilizing seed exchanges grow their own seed, which they then exchange with other local gardeners. Locally developed seed is also supported by regional and national seed exchanges such as the Seed Savers Exchange, as well as small scale seed growers. One New Mexican organization that combined local seed breeding and regional seed production was the Seeds of Change farm. The Seeds of Change farm was an outstanding source of 100% organic seed developed by small farmers throughout the U.S, as well as seed grown right there in El Guique. New Mexico lost a valuable source of locally grown organic seed with the Mars company decision to shut down operations. The Dixon seed exchange was also affected because Seeds of Change was very generous with hundreds of pounds of seed donated throughout the years to the community seed exchange. Last year their eighth annual exchange was attended by 500 participants. Ramah was represented by Genevieve Humanay and Brianna Clark, bearing seed for the Ramah seed cache. Ramah also benefited from the generosity of Seeds of Change when Gen and Bri brought back (free) Seeds of Change seed to the local community. ` After the Seeds of Change farm shutdown, Adam Mackie, the convener of the Dixon Community Seed Exchange, decided that the time had come to return to the original intent of the exchange. The Dixon Exchange would shift gears and go forward with the sharing of homegrown seed of non-commercial varieties and promoting their culture and preservation. A meeting of the local growers in Dixon decided that this year, they would not have their giveaway with the handfuls of free seed, but instead cancel this year’s seed exchange. The plan is to return in 2012, and instead giving away seed, participants will be required to offer their own homegrown seed, “sharing the story behind the varieties and the reasons we have chosen to grow and preserve them”. Seed will be offered in tiny amounts, enough to grow for breeding purposes. About the same time the Ramah Seed for Need program found out about cancellation of the Dixon seed exchange, news came through the internet of another seed exchange in Espanola, the 6th Annual Pueblos Y Semillas Gathering and Seed Exchange. An invitation to the seed exchange also had been extended to the co-managers of the Ramah

Farmers Market at the Organic Farming Conference. Ella Scott, a coordinator who works for Gallup’s Connections, volunteered to attend the Pueblos Y Semillas seed exchange on behalf of the Ramah Farmers Market. Ella’s work with Connections is to help with putting together a coalition of growers from Gallup, Ramah and El Morro area to improve the availability of fresh produce and other agricultural goods in the area. (To see more about Connections in Gallup see the article on p. 6 of the April 2011 issue of the Beet, and website www.gallupgrowers.com. Ramah Seed for Need gave Ella a box of seed from the program inventory to take to Espanola. When Ella arrived at the seed exchange she was required to label all the seed we sent with her, and in return, collected together “for propagation only” set of seeds from the Espanola growers to share with growers in Ramah. On that day (March 26) the Pueblos Y Semillas gathering took place from 8:30 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon, and featured family, ceremony (blessing of seeds), local food traditions, workshops and celebration. The exchange was sponsored by the New Mexico Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance (NM Acequia Association, Traditional Native American Farmers Association, Honor our Pueblo Existence, Tewa Women United), Northern New Mexico College, and Rio Arriba County. Seed breeders are pulling together to continue local and regional seed breeding traditions. Adam Mackie’s revamping of the Dixon Community Seed Exchange is one such initiative. Other local seed breeding initiatives includes the newly formed Family Farm Seed Cooperative (FFSC) (see p. 6). The cooperative has pulled together (cont. next page “Seed Exchanges)

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HIGH ELEVATION GARDENING (continued from page 5 “Seed Exchanges) many small scale seed breeders across the U.S, and is currently offering seed for sale for smaller scale commercial farmers (see p. 6). FFSC features a long standing New Mexican seed breeder, Joshua Cravens of Jardin del Alma, in Montecello (see p. 7).

Family Farmer Seed Cooperativefrom the website, organicseedcoop.com

Family Farmers Seed Cooperative (FFSC) is a farmer-owned marketing cooperative, formed in 2008 with eight founding members in Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and North Dakota. The decreasing number of cultivars and gene traits in the commercial seed market makes it imperative that open-pollinated seeds are preserved and quality maintenance and breeding programs are undertaken.Our purpose is to... ~Strengthen seed sovereignty and seed securityOur mission is to… ~Foster the development and improvement of open-pollinated varieties suitable to organic production systems.~Produce and distribute high quality, open-pollinated, organic seed.Our vision is… ~Bio-diverse, resilient, public seed systems evolving with the farmers, the land, and the community.Business Plan:FFSC is structured as a wholesale-to-retail and farmer-to-farmer marketing cooperative. We offer seed in bulk quantities to garden seed catalogs and direct to market growers and farmers. In 2009 and 2010 we are: ~refining our business model~conducting variety trials on our seed~producing seed~implementing our quality control program, and~recruiting additional experienced seed growers. We expect to begin ~selling certified organic, open-pollinated seeds through our website in 2011. We are unable to offer garden size packets to other gardening enthusiasts but encourage you to ask for FFSC seed through your favorite garden seed outlets.

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WildBlue or Hughes

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Why Now? Why a Cooperative? Meeting the challenges to the organic seed industry. Why Now? In recent years consolidation in the seed industry has increased dramatically. During this same period of time the organic market has grown at a rate unlike any agricultural market in history. While the organic market and the certified acreage continue to increase, organic seed availability has not kept pace as traditional seed companies were slow to invest in organic production practices. Organic producers are highly dependent upon plant varieties bred for industrial agriculture. Larger seed companies have focused on the most profitable varieties, narrowing the diversity of open-pollinated varieties available to farmers and gardeners. Organic farming relies on bio-diverse systems for productivity and resilience. There is a need to produce seed within organic farming systems, selecting for traits of interest, including adaptation to local climatic and soil conditions, weed competition, durable disease and pest resistance, beneficial soil microorganism - root interactions, nutrient uptake, yield stability, and nutritional and quality traits.Why a Cooperative? Forming as a cooperative presents special advantages for meeting this need: ~identifying the agronomic and market needs of organic market farmers~selecting high quality seed with traits that meet organic farmers' needs~providing the diversity of seed crop production experience needed~building sufficient volume and diversity of products, ~coordinating seed production with market demand. As a cooperative of organic seed producers, FFSC will work closely with the Organic Seed Alliance to coordinate variety development and improvement efforts with high quality seed production to achieve our mutual goal of strengthening seed sovereignty and seed security.

Arid Crops Seed Cache Joshua Craven, a New Mexico seed grower, is a member of the Family Farmer Seed Cooperative. He can be contacted at jardindelalma @

yahoo.com Joshua Cravens stewards the Arid Crop Seed Cache, a collection of over a thousand accessions with a tolerance for arid conditions. Joshua’s goal is to steward the plant’s ability to take care of itself. In addition to the stewarding the seed, Joshua seeks to contribute to the development of young seed savers with varietal improvement skills through his farm's internship program. Joshua Cravens “got the seed bug” at age 20 when volunteering on an organic farm in Sarosota, Florida. His first seed saving experience stimulated a life-changing passion. He realized that seed saving is an art that affects us physically, mentally, and spiritually. After farming in more than a half a dozen states, Joshua traveled to Oregon to immerse himself in the art of seed saving. In 1999 he and his wife, Lalynn put down roots on a farm in Monticello, New Mexico in the northern reaches of the Chain Desert, where they continue to farm with their two sons, Ashe and Mokena. Their farm, Jardin del Alma, is at an elevation of 5400 feet and is situated on the edge of two climate zones. This allows them to raise apples and pears as well as pistachios and pomegranates. The crops are irrigated through a combination of flood and drip irrigation. The row crops are situated on a half-acre, hand-dug garden managed in quasi permaculture model, encouraging microecoystems throughout. Volunteer plants in the garden are encouraged, allowing nature to select and acclimate them to the farm’s environment in concert with the farmers’ efforts to screen for flavor and other traits of interest. Joshua’s main crops are a bank of seeds with a tolerance for arid conditions and a bank of people who have interned at Jardin del Alma, learning the skills to become seed savers. Preserving seeds and creating new varieties over time is crucial but for Joshua developing the next generation of seed savers is the most important work. Joshua stewards the Arid Crop Seed Cache, a collection of over a thousand accessions, with the goal of ensuring the availability of the seed. Joshua raises a variable mix of popcorn, corn, squash, watermelon, melons, runner beans, bush and pole beans, chilies, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, onions, collards, lentils, garbanzos, millet, sorghum, cucumbers and sesame. The hope is that people will discover these crops and rare varieties and utilize them in their gardens, farms, and breeding projects; that people will once again eat and enjoy Juan Pueblo popcorn, for instance. Breeding and varietal improvement efforts have been focused on 15 crops, seeking to encourage diversity and select for vitality and resistance to disease, pests, weed pressures, drought, and climatic extremes. Joshua’s goal is to steward the plant’s ability to take care of itself rather than play the

role of a heavy caretaker or protector—to get back to a place where the crops can grow themselves under our stewardship. Joshua was drawn to the Family Farmers Seed Cooperative because seeds are communal in nature. "The community model of seed saving and varietal improvement is the only model that has ever worked. Seed growers and seed savers have so much to share with each other and to learn from each other." Working together in bioregional efforts provides a foundation for cooperation and spawning more seed growers, Joshua’s greatest interest.

In a Drought Year J.Y. Rossignol For what ever reason, we are having a tough spring and early summer. “Climate change”, “global warming” and “La Nina” are all terms being tossed around as explanations for the lack of rain and discouragingly persistent winds that have plagued our region. Many of us have held off planting, hoping rains will materialize, or the winds will stop. Really and truly though, these types of conditions are not unheard of in the arid southwest. Many generations of Native and Hispanic families have managed to thrive here through the centuries in spite of the “bad years”. Successful gardeners, farmers and homesteaders need a set of “alternate” strategies to address challenging conditions that surface every decade or so. In successful cultures these strategies are passed on from generation to generation. Maybe things seem unusually tough because we have lost our intergenerational knowledge base when it comes to growing our own food. In any case, we are certainly better off than in the Midwest, where this spring, there’s been flooding up to the roof tops and half mile wide tornados.Moisture and Wind In the arid southwest, gardeners and farmers have never had the luxury of taking water for granted. It’s just that in some years it’s easier or harder to deal with. There are strategies for dealing with water control in general, and many individual tactics for conserving moisture in the garden. Rainwater capture – Everyone in the arid southwest needs an overall strategy for rainwater capture, whether they are on a ranch in the middle of no-where, or in the middle of Santa Fe. In a nutshell, rainwater capture is necessary for all human beings who choose to live here and plan on eating. Because of the monsoon pattern built into water dynamics of the latitude we live in on the planet, when water does happen, it happens all at once. Recall the four inch rain (in two hours) we had two years ago. This is normal event for our area. Most of it is wasted because hard dry ground cannot take in this amount of moisture; all that water just runs off and creates erosion problems. In fact, we get plenty of rain water, but ever since humans in industrial countries started to rely primarily on wells, we have lost the knowledge and traditions for managing rainwater. Where rainwater is precious (and the ground therefore hard) two things must happen: humans must capture the water and siphon and pump it into holding tanks (large ones), and the water they do not capture must be persuaded to stand long enough to sink into the ground through the use of swales, contour earthworks, and terraces. (It’s a shame that subdivision covenants don’t require that all land owners develop their property to maximize rainwater retention – the entire community would benefit. ) Swales, earthworks and terraces level slopes so that rainwater sinks in instead of running off, improving the water table and avoiding damage caused by erosion. Just catching water off the roofs of your house and outbuildings can result in a substantial hedge against a dry year. Last month the combined water and snow fall (probably 1” of moisture) captured off of roofs resulted in a thousand gallons of water at our homestead. And our gutters leak. We have photographs of the small retaining walls holding snow throughout our orchard, snow which eventually melted and watered the trees.In the Garden Drip Irrigation – Even if you have a strong well, a drip irrigation system should be developed for your garden that maximizes efficiency of water use. Probably the most efficient water use is to irrigate everything once, maybe even twice, a day just enough to keep things evenly moist – watering a little every day eliminates stress on the plants. Ideally these systems are on timers to eliminate wasteful over watering, and can also be labor saving. Any watering system requires careful monitoring for leaks and breaks, and constant tweaking to maximize efficiency. Develop your Soil- The number one best drought coping technique is to develop your soil. (continued on page 10 “Drought”)

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The Great Coonridge Farm Goat Caper Sari Clark and Cindy Blea

Five local farmers gathered at the parking space at the entrance to Great White Father at 7:30 am to begin a journey to Nancy Coonridge’s Goat Dairy on the other side of Pie Town. The travelers were Tony Osborn, driver, Jackie Rossignol, navigator, and passengers Cindy Blea, Alicia McCabe and Sari Clark. Jackie had organized the trip on behalf of local farmers having an interest in producing milk and milk products such as cheese and yogurt from goats and sheep on a micro scale. (The lowest numbers of dairy animals considered a “small” dairy are 200). Most of us who wished to produce milk and milk products from less than 10 or so animals believed that the current legislation for licensure of dairies and milk products were so onerous, and the requirements would cost so much money to gear up for, that their aspirations were out of reach. After meeting Nancy Coonridge and hearing about her process to become a licensed certified organic goat dairy, Jackie became excited and decided to help us find out how it could be done.

We are going—Where? After some consultation about the directions, and a call to Cindy’s husband Randy (who had done some work in the area), we set out. After a quick stop at Pine Hill market for gas and snacks we were finally on the road. Two hours later –uh oh, We must have gone too far on the highway and missed the right turn. We proved the old adage that lost humans circle to the left. Into cow pastures. Twice. With mama longhorns approaching us suspiciously. We also learned that asking directions is good. Our benefactor didn’t look like an old codger, but he quickly entered into the spirit of a local advising lost strangers when he joked, “Goat dairy-Isn’t that where all the naked hippies are? “ Then kindly led us to the correct turn off. The last phase of the journey involved left turns into arroyos, right turns out of arroyos and carefully judging whether the truck could fit in between large boulders. After Tony’s awesome driving into and out of the arroyos we were on the main driveway. Eureka! Buildings and goats in sight! We meet Nancy (no naked hippies) and begin the interrogation. Jackie’s agenda: How to get us to legal goat milk production in New Mexico. Cindy, Sari and Alicia’s agenda. Just absorb as much information as we can hold in order to decide what our agenda might be. And in Alicia’s case, report back to the goat caretakers in her household. Tony’s agenda: How to get one of those great Maremma guardian dogs. Nancy graciously fields a confusing cacophony of questions. She introduces us to her apprentices, some of whom are washing dishes and preparing a late lunch. Others are taking advantage of the down time between milkings by reading or working on other projects. While we eat our sack lunches Nancy opens several of her products and explains her current type of cheese production. Her main product is a pasteurized, hot water bath canned soft cheese of various wonderful flavors. They are packed in olive oil in jars and sold via the inter-net all over the country and at the Santa Fe farmers’ market. Because of her remote location, selling raw milk or fresh soft cheese in a timely way is not really an option. Testing every batch of cheese made is an important component of Nancy’s production process. The test records protect against claims of contamination since she can show that the product that left her farm was safe. The testing is for her own peace of mind as no matter how meticulous you are, chances of a “bad” batch exist. The tests also show whether antibiotics show up in the cheese. While we were finishing up our lunch one of the apprentices came in to tell Nancy that one of the goats was kidding. So we started the actual tour by observing the birth of a lovely kid, and seeing the goat nursery full of new vigorous kids. Nancy uses the most natural methods she can. All organic feeds, and no vaccinations are used, and hardly any of the intensive management techniques proposed in most goat/sheep production manuals. She said the only kid she has had die of naval ill was one who had the commonly used iodine treatment of the naval at birth. The natural methods are enhanced by the goat’s freedom to roam and browse the 400 acres of pasture with the protection of several enormous white Maremma guardian dogs. Goats prefer bushes and shrubs to grass. These plants have deeper roots that bring minerals up from lower reaches of the soil. By open range browsing, Nancy’s herd gets all the exercise the goats need as well as the extra minerals gained

from the woody material. Nancy also keeps her herd in family groups. The young are not totally separated from their mothers. After they are weaned they return to the herd and naturally reform their families so that several generations of moms and kids hang out together. In our opinion this natural social interaction would probably also enhance the health of the herd. Goats are intensely social and it is said that dams and kids reunited even years after separation appear to recognize one another. The Milking Parlor and Cheese Rooms

We were heartened to see that although fulfilling the requirements for licensure, Nancy’s dairy was not full of expensive shiny equipment or structures. For example, the requirement for a washable impermeable surface of the walls was met by layers of paint instead of expensive wall paneling.Nancy milks 40-60 goats using milking machines designed for goats. The goats are milked in shifts. During the height of production they are milked twice a day and later only once as production falls.

The cheese rooms contain the pasteurizer and the items necessary for the antibiotic testing. A second space is set up for the hanging of bags of soft cheese to drain, the flavoring of the cheese and packing of the jars and hot water bath canning. Other highlights were the engaging small pigs that are a very old breed, mainly producing lard. Cindy was ready to take some of them home on the spot as they were so tame and personable. They are called American Guinea pigs (not to be confused with the rodent). These pigs are descended from stock brought over with the slave ships from Africa, purposely released throughout the “new world” by colonists so that they would have a familiar food source when returning to those locations to settle. These small pigs are great foragers and thrive on the land. These pigs are currently on the extreme endangered list. Breeders are currently working to get information out about these and other endangered, but wonderful breeds of pigs. Other animals roaming the homestead were various chickens and cats. I personally can testify to the protective attitude of the Maremma dogs. I left the cheese room early to sit down and rest my back outside. I saw the goats meandering up from the pasturage. Excited to see them, I started walking down the road to meet them. Suddenly, a seemingly polar bear sized dog came running and barking warnings at me. I decided the cheese room was the place for me after all and I was glad I hadn’t ventured any further than I had. This was the only one who challenged any of us, probably because Nancy was usually with us. Happy, healthy, productive goats and sheep were what we all hoped to learn more about producing. Nancy dismissed many of the standard “must-do’s” of traditional small dairies with the standard shots, worming, graining and separation practices. It was great to see Nancy work with nature and have amazing results. The synergistic flow of animals, people and the land left you with a felling that all was as it should be. Sometimes man just can’t improve upon mother nature.

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than cold protection. Shade cloth works better than plastic because the wind is less likely to tear it off the wire supports of a low tunnel. Hoop Houses – Hoop houses are taller versions of high tunnels that are large enough to walk into. Ideally they are small enough, or well designed enough, to be moved from plot to plot, allowing the gardener to practice crop rotation. They provide even more wind protection than low tunnels. Hoop houses will also raise soil temperatures faster than low tunnels. After starting a crop of root crops or greens under a hoop house, once they are strong, the hoop house can be moved off to a different spot and then be used to grow melons or tomatoes, or to harden off plants.

Greenhouses, Cold Frames and Starting Indoors You can “buy time” with your spring planting by starting plants indoors. If the cold and wind are not cooperating, starts can be transplanted into larger pots and then kept inside, or in an attached green house, and continue to grow until conditions improve. Lettuce and other greens can be hardened off in cold frames and unheated hoop houses. About the time the oak trees are putting out their leaves, it should be safe to put your tomatoes and chiles in a unheated green house, hoop house or cold frame where they can harden off. Many of the strategies promoted for season extension (and sustainable agriculture in general) also work well for conserving water use. So when the winds blow and the rain storms drift north, don’t give up. Plan, and be prepared.

COMMUNITY HOMESTEADINGGreat News for Bakers:

Get Legal and Sell at the Marketby Kim Score

The very first time I sold my homemade jams at the Farmer's Market happened to be the day the food inspector showed up. Just my luck. Busted without a permit. I suppose it was going to happen sooner or later. He actually gave several of us warnings that day; so it is to all of you other uncertified, rebellious bakers out there that I address this article. I know many of us have checked into the process of getting our own kitchens certified. In my case, I'd have to completely remodel my entire kitchen, plumbing system and outhouse to comply with the current standards. This process seems costly and demanding, especially when considering that I only make a couple hundred dollars profit from selling my jams each year. I don't want to discourage anyone from going through this certification process, but I do have a temporary solution, and one based in the spirit of community cooperation: bake in someone else's certified kitchen! Terrill Pettet, co-owner of the Creative Notions Bakery in downtown Ramah, is offering such a service. She has gladly offered space in her kitchen for rent to other bakers. The fee is $40 per day for use of the kitchen, plus a refundable $20 cleaning deposit. Her kitchen has been inspected, certified and is available for use. Check with Terrill if you have questions about her specific appliances and cookware. Please note that if you bring your own special cookware with you, it must be washed upon arriving at the kitchen. This also means that any preparations, like peeling and chopping apples, cannot be done in your own home. You must bring it all and start from scratch. All baking and food processing must be done within the certified kitchen. Now that's the easy part. There is paperwork involved, of course, and a few regulations. But don't worry, after a long talk with Andrew Wilson, our local Food Specialist in Gallup, I've got it all figured out. Here's the deal. All bakers must apply for a Temporary Food Establishment Permit with the NM Environment Department. There are two types of permits to choose from: annual or monthly. An annual permit costs $200 for the year. This allows you to bake in a certified kitchen as much as you want, and is most suitable for large-scale production. For those of us who only need to use the kitchen seasonally or monthly, the permit is FREE! Let me be clear: a monthly permit is FREE if you are baking only 2 times per month or less. If you plan on baking more than twice a month, the permit will cost you just $25 for the month. This is great news for seasonal bakers like myself who specialize in jams and jellies. I can rent the kitchen once or twice a month just a couple times a year, and produce enough product to sell for the entire year! And for those of you who want to sell your baked goods weekly just during the

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HIGH ELEVATION GARDENING(continued from page 10 “Drought”) Well developed soil acts like a sponge to hold onto to every drop of moisture that comes its way, stretching and maximizing its benefit through increased water holding capacity. Do not use chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or GMO crops; these all interfere with the soils water holding capacity by interfering with the organisms which increase soil fertility. Mulch – Mulch stops evaporative loss. The entire garden, even the paths, should be mulched to minimize water loss. Shade Cloth- One of the most productive ways to conserve moisture in a garden is to shade your greens. If you experiment with only shading half a row, and compare how often you have to water with an un-shaded row, you will be amazed. It’s like gardening in a completely different eco-system. Consider growing all your shallow rooted crops under shade at least part of the time, at least while getting started. “French Intensive” Gardening Methods – French Intensive methods were developed to maximize use of space in gardens by focusing on very close spacing of crops, intercropping, maximizing soil fertility, and minimizing water use. For the southwest, there are “unintended consequences” in using the French intensive method. A variety of plants grown close together protect each other from the intense New Mexican sun, important if you are growing at 7000 feet. When paths between rows are minimized, and plants within rows are close together, water efficiency is maximized, and evaporation is reduced. And the plants flourish; they clearly are happier with this arrangement. This strategy can be observed in the local natural environment. If you observe the pattern of where trees choose to grow, usually trees grow in mixed groups – the groups are separated by grassy or shrubby areas. The trees themselves will be in groups of mixed one-seed juniper, western juniper, occasionally a young alligator juniper, pinon, with several young ponderosas, and sometimes a single adult ponderosa. The under story will consist of a mix of sage, horsebrush, current, lemonade berry, buckwheat, and, higher up, pine dropseed and mountain muhly. All these plants crowd together to maximize water and wind protection. In between the tree groups are grasses (grama, sand dropseed) and shrubs (sage, horsebrush, snakeweed) that have a higher tolerance for wind, and strategies for water retention. Grasses such as grama have the ability to go dormant; trees and shrubs have very deep roots. (Root crops such as beets spinach, parsnips and carrots do well in Ramah because they have long roots.) Gray Water – The best way to utilize gray water is to direct it into an orchard, and to design an orchard to utilize it.

The whole ticket to arid lands gardening and farming is to honor water. That means even if you are on lake irrigation, or have a good strong well, you must still interact with rainfall in such a way to take advantage of every drop that comes our way. Too many wells will eventually deplete aquifers, and some years lake irrigation is not available. When La Nina is here, and the monsoon is likely to fail, every drop that comes our way needs to be directed into the soil or into a tank.

Wind This spring the winds were so intimidating that people held off going out into their gardens to plant. Winds are a problem because they are very dehydrating; this is obvious if you have an opportunity to compare plants grown under shade cloth with those directly exposed. Garden Placement – Before starting a garden, it’s a good idea to evaluate your land for exposure to prevailing winds. One tactic is to place the garden in a spot that is surrounded by mature trees. The sun is so intense in high elevation New Mexico that many crops will thrive in a shaded garden. The mature trees on the borders of the garden can break up harsh spring winds, even on a bad jet stream day. In many traditional Hispanic houses, kitchen gardens are set inside a walled courtyard. This is another excellent way to protect against drying winds. Another way to protect a garden against winds is to fence it in with a coyote fence. A six foot coyote fence will also protect against deer (but maybe not elk).

Low Tunnels and Hoop houses Low Tunnels – Seeds planted in low tunnels, whether with shade cloth or plastic, will get a head start over those that are only mulched after planting. Although low tunnels are recommended as a way to get a jumpstart on the planting season by providing a warmer environment, another “unintended consequence” is that, with shade cloth especially, a low tunnel provides excellent protection against the wearying affect of wind on small plants. This spring, the wind protection of small plants provided by plastic, remay, or shade cloth proved to be a greater benefit

Farmer's Market season, the monthly $25 temporary permit will suffice. The permit process is easy. You need to go online to the NM Environment Dept. website at www.nmenv.state.nm.us., look under the Food Program section and print out a two page Temporary Food Service Application. This application is generally used for food vendors setting up a cooking station at an event, but it applies to our situation as well. There are applications for 1-3 day events, 4-7 day events, etc. Choose which is appropriate for you; i.e. how many times per month you'll be using the kitchen. There is also an additional section you'll need to find under the Home-Based Food Processing Application. You'll only need the P-1A Attachment page at the end of this application. This is where you must list each different product you will be making, and its separate ingredients. So if you're baking both chocolate chip and peanut-butter cookies in the kitchen, you'll need a separate P-1A form for each type of cookie and its respective ingredients. You must deliver or mail in your permit application after it is signed by both you and Terrill Pettet, the owner of the certified kitchen. Be sure to schedule your time in Terrill's kitchen in advance. It is important to list the dates you'll be using her kitchen in your application. Mail your application at least two weeks in advance of your scheduled kitchen date. If you are applying for the monthly temporary permit, you must re-apply each month. You need to update your application only if you are baking a new item for the month. In this case, you'd add another P-1A attachment form describing your new product. If you're making the same recipes each month, just make copies of your original application, have them signed, and send them in again. Your permit will arrive by mail, or you can arrange to pick it up at the local NM Environment office. There are a few requirements for selling and labeling your product. You can only sell to customers directly, not on-line through the internet. This means (such venues as) the Ramah Farmer's Market, the festivals at the EMAAC Gallery, and local flea markets are perfect places to sell. You may also legally sell to local businesses in New Mexico if they are selling your product directly to the consumer, and only if their business does not already hold a current food permit. For example, this means I could potentially sell my jams through the local El Morro Valley COOP, but not to the Ancient Way Cafe for resale, because the cafe already has their own permitted kitchen facility. A copy of your permit must be on-site wherever you are selling your items. Your products need to be properly labeled with a list of ingredients, a batch date (e.g. made on June 1, 2011), and your contact information (a phone number, address, or email). You need not label every single cookie, as long as you have all the above information available to the consumer (say, on a card at the table) at the time of selling. All these specifications are in the regulations section of the website. Now keep in mind this permit is for temporary food processors that create their own products from scratch. This includes all your homemade desserts like cookies, brownies and breads. For those of us who enjoy canning and preserving foods, these products fall under two separate categories: the “non-hazardous” and the “potentially hazardous” food items. For technical explanations about acid content, water activity, and equilibrium pH of the finished product, refer to the website. Basically, all high acid foods, which can be processed in a water bath canner (like my jams, jellies and pickles), fall under the first category, and are acceptable to sell under the permit. Low acid food items like vegetables, meats and poultry need to be processed by a pressure canner at very high temperatures because they are more susceptible to bacterial growth. These canned items are considered more risky to public health and are NOT covered under this food permit. They have very specific guidelines for processing which are regulated by the FDA. Also not permitted are products like cheeses, keffir and yogurt. Sorry folks. Making salsa is another story. Even though tomatoes and chiles are considered a high acid food, their high moisture content trumps this classification, and puts them in the “hazardous” category. Salsas are not allowed to be canned and sold under this permit unless they are sold within one week of processing. Freshness is the key. After 7 days, it will expire and cannot be sold. Only salsa made and sold fresh within 1 week is covered by this permit. If this is getting confusing, don't worry, it's all explained in the regulations. There is just one last requirement. All permittees must also complete a short Food Safety Certification class. This class is FREE and offered on Tuesday, May 10th in Gallup at the Golden Corral restaurant from 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. This certification is good for 5 years!

For further information about the Temporary Food Establishment Permit and the schedule of Food Safety Certification classes, please contact your local Food Specialist. Residents of McKinley County can contact Andrew Wilson, andrew.wilson@state.nm.us office: 505-722-4160, cell: 505-870-4904. And residents of Cibola County can contact John Rhoderick at 505-287-8845. Don't forget to call Terrill Pettet at the Creative Notions Bakery (3371 Bond St in downtown Ramah) at 505-870-2849 to schedule your space in her kitchen. Thank you, Terrill, for offering this community service. She's providing an opportunity for many of us to get legal and sell our delicious products locally. I look forward to selling my famous Apple Green-chile Jam with a clear conscience this year! I hope you other rebellious bakers out there will join me.

Topbar Beekeeping Workshop UpdateKate Wilson

Hello everyone, The Topbar Beekeeping Workshop is right around the corner and I have some updates. Please read carefully. We have a location for the workshop, thanks to Ella Scott and the Work In Beauty program. The workshop will be held at: Work In Beauty house (Bea Sargents house 113 E. Logan Ave., Gallup, NM 87301). Directions: On corner of Logan Ave. and Puerco St., Big house with green trim, big garden behind it, greenhouse with solar panels. (*Google maps are a little off, for some reason, with this house and will direct you to a house further down the block, closer to the intersection of Logan Ave. and 1st St.) **Remember, the correct house sits on the corner of Logan and Puerco. It is just a 2-3 blocks east of 2nd St. I found it by taking 2nd St. (north) to Aztec, turn right (east) onto Aztec and go 2-3 blocks to Puerco. Turn right on Puerco and go south 4 blocks to the corner of Logan and Puerco and Work In Beauty house sits on your right, on that corner. You will need to park on the side of the road since there is not a parking lot. Please be respectful of others driveways as this is a residential area.Date & Time: June 11 & 12, Sat. & Sun., 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM both days.Cost: $130.00 per person for the two day workshop or $70.00 for one day. * We are asking for a $30.00 deposit to hold your space in the workshop which will be deducted from your fee. Please write the check to Les Crowder and send to Kate Wilson, HC 61 Box 749, Ramah, NM 87321. So if you are attending the two days, you will owe $100.00 at the door and if you are only attending one day you will owe $40.00 at the door. I know I told everyone initially that we would not be asking for a deposit but we have had a strong response and may need to put some people on a waiting list. We have limited the class to 30 people. Bring: Bee veil, gloves are optional for the workshop, light colored clothing which include long pants, long-sleeve shirt, closed toe shoes, and socks. If you need to purchase a bee veil you can look on the internet. One company out of many to choose from is www.dadant.com. Also bring writing material to take notes during the workshop.Meals: You will need to provide your own food, either purchase from a local restaurant or bring a sack lunch. Bring any snacks and drinks you may need. Food and drinks will not be provided.Movie: Les is planning on showing a movie on bees, probably Saturday evening. It will be free to attend and will be open to the general public. We are still working out details for time and location in Gallup. Stay tuned for further updates. Carpooling: Chris Loeffler has offered to drive her van which seats six. Her email is cloeffleracoma@yahoo.com. She will be coming from east of Ramah. If you are interested in carpooling, either as a driver or passenger please check list below for other possible options.Here is my list of people who have expressed an interest in attending the workhop. The individuals on this list will get first seats for the workshop since you have told me you were interested in attending, however, Please reconfirm and send me your $30.00 deposit if you have not already done so: Kate Wilson akwilson@wildblue.net, or (505)783-4704 (please leave a message).

El Morro Traditional CraftersKNITTED SOCK WORKSHOPJune 5, 12, 26, Sundays, 1:00PM-4:00PM, at the Old School Gallery, Cost: $5.00/class which will be donated to the Gallery.Join experienced sock knitters, Susan Haygood and Judy Malys, as they teach this much anticipated sock workshop. You must have strong skills in knit & purl stitches. Children must be at least 13 yrs. old and accompanied by an adult. You will need to purchase supplies before the class starts. (continued next page)11

William G. Stripp

Attorney at Law P.O. Box 159

Ramah New Mexico 87321

Telephone: 505-783-4138 Facsimile: 505-783-4139

Mobile: 505-870-2993 Email: stripp@wildblue.net

We support The Ramah Farmers’ Market

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COMMUNITY HOMESTEADING(continued from p. 11)Supplies: 2 skeins of Cascade Fixation yarn of the same dye lot. (Susan & Judy agree this yarn will be the easiest to learn sock knitting as well as the most forgiving due to its elasticity). Cost range $4.60 (solid), $5.50 (variegated). Wooden double pointed needles, size #2, 6 inches in length, set of 5 needles, (Wooden needles are less slippery than metal needles and therefore, will be easier for learning sock knitting; eknittingneedles. com has them starting at $3.99.)Yarn Sources: Village Wool in Albuquerque (www.villagewools.com) www.yarnbarn-ks.com, www.paradisefibers.net, www.yarnmarket. com. Please sign up at Old School Gallery (783-4710). Questions: email: Susan Haygood bysusanhay@yahoo.com or Judy Malys, heyjude4804@gmail.com.

COMMUNITY NOTESWill Someone Adopt Us?

The students of Ramah Elementary School need to be adopted by some caring mentors. Knowledge of gardening and farming techniques, willingness to share wisdom and humor, and belief in the power of the individual to make an amazing difference would be helpful attributes. Mentors might help us write a gardening grant, build a hoop greenhouse, support science instruction, encourage improved nutrition and so many other life lessons. Anyone interested should call 721-3700. This is a tremendous opportunity to make a positive contribution to our kids and this community. Thank you for your consideration.

Clothes, Shoes and Toys We are accepting clothes, shoes and toys for the Native community to help them in a time of need. If you can help it would be deeply appreciated. Please contact Janey and Don Bowe at 505-783-4008. We will pick up anything.

El Morro Feed and Seed Recycling ServiceDrop off any Thursday afternoon or on Saturdays from 9-3. $1.00 per trash bag (50 cents per grocery store bag) for handling. NOTE: bags must not be overfilled. Broken glass should be contained so as to not poke through the bag.Items Accepted: Paper, Shiny paper, Cardboard, Aluminum, Copper, Steel cans, Glass, Plastic, Electronics, Batteries, Microwave ovens, Motors. Will not take: TVs, Coffeemakers, Irons, Hair dryers, Bread machine, Light bulbs or Appliances. Please call for details. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS CALL 783-4420

J.R.L. Enterprises inc 16 Ashcroft Ave.

Ramah, NM Phone: 505-783-4797

Fax: 505-783 4021 (1 ½ block north of the Post Office)

Mechanical Repair & Engine Diagnosis, Tire & Auto Body Repair,

Paint jobs

Gravel, Dirt work, Septic system

Call for your free estimates Today

Breakfast Served All Day We Serve the Best Green & Red Chile in Gallup

Open Mon-Sat 7am to 5 pm Established 1982

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Residential, Commercial and Industrial

Plumbing, and septic needs Call Us First

for fast and complete help Plumbing, Cooling, and Heating service

complete septic systemPortable Toilet rental

RV tanks

1724 South SecondGallup, NM 505-863-4475800-559-4475 Quotes & bids call or e-mail; glsbids@cnetco.commailing list: gladv@cnetco.com

Summer; Mon.-Fri.-7:30 am-6 pm,

Sat. 7:30 am-5 pm

Submersible Well Pump 230V, 3 wire. 1/2 HP (460141) 3/4 HP (460272) 1 HP (460283)

43099

57599

66999Price good till 5/31/11

Water Working Pre-Charged Steel Vertical Pump Tank44 gal.,69 lbs.., 22” D x 36” H.,16.3 gal. drawndown at 20-40 PSI. 13.6 gal. drawn-down at 30-50 PSI. 1-1/4” PFT connection.(46053) 27999

Also stocking Control Boxes.

Old School Gallery

Home of El Morro Area Arts Council Supporting Art & Community

and the Ramah Farmers Market

OPEN Thursday - Monday 11 am - 5 pm

NM 53 One mile east of El Morro Monument

505-783-4710 www.oldschoolgallery.org

Diamond G Home Center225 El Morro Rd., Grants, New Mexico

Phone (505)287-8861 or fax (505) 287-5367

ANCIENT WAY CAFÉ

EL MORRO RV PARK & CABINS Open

Every Day - 9 am. To 5 pm Friday & Saturday Evenings 5-8p.m.

Closed Wednesdays Homemade Food and Desserts

Made with Love “We are proud to serve local produce”. El Morro RV Park, Cabins & Ancient Way Café elmorro-nm.com elmorrorv@yahoo.com 505-783-4612 Near mile marker 46 on Hwy 53, one mile east of El Morro National Monument Entrance

Chaffins Ranch & Rope Supply Feed, hay, clothing, work boots, etc;

OPEN Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-5:00pm Sat.9:00am-3:00pm Closed Sunday (505)285-6608 1700 Juniper Milan N.M. I-40exit 79 behind Love’s

Serving All Your Livestock Lianas, Poultry, Cattle, horses, Sheep, Goats, Rabbits, Dogs, Cats, and Wild bird seed

Don’t Miss the Stage! Come & Eat Lots of Good Food & Pie

O pen Monday-Saturday 7:00am to 9:00pm

783-4288 Bond Street, Ramah, NM

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Thank YouGallup Independent Company

For your generous sponsorship of the Ramah Farmers Market

Let our Sponsors know you saw their advertisement in the Beet

Ranch

Delicious, homegrown on the foothills of the Zuni Mountains.

USDA Certified beef at reasonable prices. No antibiotics, insecticides or hormones have

ever been used on these We are now taking orders for quarters

To be available in September and October.

Nita and Bob (505) 783-4564 Davisranch2@wildblue.net

Landscape & Irrigation Contractors Please email or call us with your question Or concerns dealing with your yard or landscape appearance ask our landscape designersEmail – holidaynursery@yahoo.com or Call-(505) 863-5791 or fax (505)722-9305 1214 East Aztec, Gallup N.M.

Holiday Nursery

CONTENTSMarket News ( PP. 1- 4)Potluck, Market Opens, Call for Produce, Community Table, Seed Workshop-----------pp.1-2 Volunteers, Baked Goods,Locavore, Surround, Commodities, Website, FaceBook---pp. 3-4High Elevation Gardening (PP. 4-7, 10) Farm Speaking Out Loud, NM Seed Exchanges, FFSC, Arid Crops Seed Cache-----pp.4-7In a Drought Year-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------pp. 7-10Center Pages - The Great Coonridge Goat Caper---------------------------------------pp. 8-9Community Homesteading (PP. 10-12)Great News for Bakers, Bee Workshop, El Morro Traditional Crafters------------------pp.10-12Community Notes (P. 12) Ramah Elementary, Clothes Donations, EMF&S Recycling----------------------------------pp.12 RFM Community Outreach; Sponsors (P. 15)

Editors, Writers, Poets & Photographers, Researchers: Cindy Blea, Bo-dhiarts, Sari Clark, Pam Davis, J.Y. Rossignol, Steve Peters, Kim Score, Kate Wilson. Thanks Everyone.

Contact the Co-managers: Denis Black & Jackie Rossignol, HC 61 Box 816, Ramah, NM 87321 505-783-4440 ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com

Business Owners:If you would like to advertise with the Ramah Farmers’ Beet as a Business Sponsor contact the co-managers at 505-783-4440 or e-mail ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com so we can set up an appointment.

RFM Sponsorship Program The Ramah Farmers’ Market is rapidly expanding with more growers, more customers, a community table, a longer market season, and a Harvest Festival. The Market also has expanded its outreach with a newspaper - The Ramah Farmers’ Beet - spring and fall potlucks and seed exchanges, workshops, garden visits, and field trips. The Ramah Farmers’ Beet is a free community resource for dis-seminating information on the Ramah Farmers Market, high elevation gardening, organic gardening, homesteading skills, local, state and national developments in Sustainable Agriculture, the Slow Food movement, local food security and safety, and other issues of community concern. In 2007 we converted the free newsletter to newspaper tabloid format, accepting local business sponsorships, and increasing circulation to 1500. We publish six issues a year. We envision The Farmers’ Beet as a free community newspaper to be mailed and distributed to the wider Ramah community, Zuni, Gallup, Grants, Fence Lake, Pine Hill. In order to improve our links with the community we have initiated a web site, and have already contributed funds to the installation and support of a satellite dish to assist in on-line research necessary for accurate and informative news-paper articles. We also plan to reimburse newspaper writers, poets, editors and researchers. The increase in circulation will also increase fuel costs for newspaper delivery – we reimburse newspaper delivery volunteers for their fuel cost. All of these activities require money, time, and volunteers. We invite you to help support the Ramah Farmers’ Market Community Outreach Program by becoming an RFM Community Outreach Sponsor. All dona-tion amounts will be accepted, but a donation of 15.00 or more gives you a year’s mailed subscription (6 issues) of The Farmers’ Beet. A donation of 50.00 or more gives you 10% off of all promotional items (aprons, baskets, etc) for the Market year.

Thank you, Community Outreach contributors; We couldn’t do it without you…

BENEFACTOR Anonymous Ramah, New Mexico Bob & Mary Barry Ramah, New Mexico Frank & Vicky Giannangelo San Juan Island Mike & Shirl Henderson Ramah, New Mexico Frank & Barbara Lambert Ramah, New Mexico Harry Hutton & Harriet Lawrence Ramah, New Mexico Dana Letts Ramah, New Mexico Whooville Ramah, New Mexico

SILVER PATRON Anonymous Ramah, New Mexico Jill Acheson Ramah, New Mexico C. Marlow Gallup, New Mexico Paula Tripodi Ramah, New Mexico

BRONZE PATRON Steven Albert Ramah, New Mexico Reed & Fran Anderson Ramah, New Mexico Anonymous Ramah, New Mexico Anonymous Vanderwagon, New Mexico Jerry Ginsburg Albuquerque, New Mexico Stanley & Shirley Giser Grants, New Mexico Terence M. Gurley Gallup, New Mexico Lee & Susan Haygood Ramah, New Mexico Rosalie Bianchi & Paul Juncker Zuni & Ramah, New Mexico Tom & Kate Manrodt Ramah, New Mexico Paul & Flora Merrill Ramah, New Mexico Katherine Rossignol New Milford, Connecticut Martha & Joe Rossignol Manchester, New Hampshire Vinnie Rossignol Crested Butte, Colorado

SPONSOR Anonymous Zuni, New Mexico Anonymous Ramah, New Mexico

SPONSOR Alana Benjamin & Tim Corner Zuni, New Mexico Howard & Karin Brunner Ramah, New Mexico Allen & Pat Burnam Hayden, Arizona & Ramah, New Mexico Bob & Hannah Crooks Ramah, New Mexico T. M. Dolan Pie Town, New Mexico James Janko Ramah, New Mexico Jerry Jorgensen Ramah, New Mexico Susan McNabb Ramah, New Mexico Kim Score & Chris Moeller Grants, New Mexico Beverly Moody Ramah, New Mexico BUSINESS SUPPORTERS Alpine Lumber Ancient Way Café Battered Families Services, Inc. Butlers Chaffins Feed Diamond G Davis Ranch Donald Sharp El Morro Area Arts Council El Morro Feed & Seed El Morro Portables El Morro Valley Ranch Four Corners Gallup Lumber Gallup Pumping Service Holiday Nursery Inscription Rock Trading JRL Enterprises Justin’s Earthworks La Montanita Co-op Law Office of William Stripp Loeffler Gun Shop Maria’s Restaurant Mr. Shed Mustang Storage Plaza Del Sol Ramah Senior Center Stage Coach Café Star Cloud Farm Star Electronics Tax Shoppe Tooley’s Trees The Trading Post Work In Beauty

IN KIND DONATIONS El Morro Feed & Seed Gallup Independent Gallup Pumping Service Inscription Rock Trading The Trading Pos---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Add my support to the Community Outreach Program Fund:

□ $1.00 - $14.00 Friend

□ $15.00 – $24.00 Sponsor (Farmers’ Beet Subscription)

□ $ 25.00 – $49.00 Bronze Patron

□ $ 50.00 - $74.00 Silver Patron (10% off promo items)

□ $ 75.00 - $99.00 Gold Patron

□ $100.00 + Benefactor

Amount of gift _________________

□ Please check here if you do not want your gift acknowl-edged in The Farmers’ Beet.

Name_______________________________________________________

Address_____________________________________________________

City_________________________________________________________

State/Zip_____________________________________________________

Phone _________________________E-mail________________________

Make Checks Payable to Ramah Farmers’ Market. Mail to: RFM, HC 61 Box 816, Ramah, NM, 87321 RFM A is a Non Profit Corporation registered with the State of New Mexico and is not a tax exempt organization.15

Volunteer ☺ Sell Produce ☺ Get on the e-mail list ☺ Start Gardening ☺ Write Contact the co-managers: Jackie Rossignol & Denis Black, HC 61 Box 816, Ramah, NM 87321,

783-4440, ramahfarmersmkt@yahoo.com or web www.ramahfarmersmarket.org

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