Our Blog
Spring Dreaming
March 18, 2012
Here in Connecticut this unusually warm winter has turned into an early spring. My thoughts have been wandering. Lately I find myself day- dreaming about warm sunny days, deck parties with friends, and swimming in cool Maine waters. At our house, Rick is the gardener AND the cook, so his spring dreams run a bit more towards the culinary side this time of year. This year he has been especially focused on trying out some new heirloom varieties. We have learned so much about the importance of preserving our food diversity over these last few years, and this year Rick wanted to really put his new found knowledge to the test. We found so many great on-line and print catalog sources for organic and heritage seeds and plants complete with instructions.
One of our best discoveries this year was purely accidental. Last weekend a Sunday drive led us to the most amazing place in Old Weathersfield, Connecticut that has been producing seeds for New England gardeners since 1811. Comstock, Ferre & Co. (www.comstockferre.com) offers 250 varieties of open pollinated non-GMO seeds. The floors were old wide plank with rows and rows of paper seed packets. I think there must have been 50 different varieties of tomato seed alone. We came home with enough seeds to keep us in vegetables for ten years!
In addition to Comstock Ferre & Co. , we have a surprising number of great resources are right here in New England including the High Mowing Seeds (www.highmowingseeds.com) located in Wolcott, Vermont and Fedco Seeds (www.fedcoseeds.com) of Waterville, Maine. Another Maine based seed company, Johnny’s Selected Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com) has a large selection of heirloom and organic seeds available. 
I am sure that I have missed many other worthy enterprises here in our region, so look around and see what might be available right in your community!
Check www.permacultureactivist.net/seeds/SeedResrcs.htm for an excellent list of heritage and open pollinated seed companies. In addition, the Seed Savers Exchange (www.seedsavers.org) in Iowa is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the preservation of our seed heritage. Happy planting!
Elizabeth Conrad
Manufacturing in the US- finally on the national agenda?
February 4, 2012
I didn’t stay awake long enough to hear the President’s full State of the Union Address last week, but one part I do remember was his comment related to bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US. According to an article in the Business Section of yesterday’s New York Times (White House Offers Plan to Lure Jobs to America, NYT, February 2, 2012) the administration is proposing the elimination of tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas, tax incentives for corporations that keep or increase manufacturing employment here in the US, and enhanced enforcement of our intellectual property rights and trade policies.
We say, It’s about time.
While these measures will surely be too timid to make a radical difference, a change in official US economic policy is long overdue. While the numbers of manufacturing jobs are unlikely to ever reach their former levels, we do know that over the last 30 years we have lost over 7M manufacturing jobs, even as our consumption levels for manufactured goods has risen exponentially. A chart included in the Times article shows manufacturing employment at 19.6 Million jobs in 1979, declining to a level of 11.8 million in December 2011. Of course, wages are lower in developing countries and the fact that these wages have been rising recently is a key driver (along with higher energy costs) in the move to “on-shore” jobs formerly performed overseas. However, our national pre-occupation with cheap consumer goods and our blind faith in the “wisdom” of the free markets has led to the systematic dismantling of our employment infrastructure– an abandonment of a national industrial policy that has most certainly contributed to the destruction of the middle class more directly than any other social or economic change faced by this nation over the last 50 years. Improved education for American children? Yes. Investment in roads and new energy sources? Of course. A sustained strategy that supports small and medium sized businesses committed to Making It in America? You betcha.
Elizabeth Conrad
Westport Farmers Market Fundraiser a huge success
January 29, 2012
Rick and I were fortunate to be able to attend the annual “Fork it Over” fundraiser for the Wesport Farmer’s Market last night at Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens in Westport CT. According to event organizers, all 200 tickets were sold out within two days of posting the event earlier this month! If our experience is a guide, everyone had a wonderful time. After picking up our plate, napkin, and fork at the entrance, we were free to wander and taste the many delicious options provided by Fairfield County’s finest Farm to Table chefs. The greenhouses had been beautifully transformed with candle light, side tables and comfortable seating, live music, and of course wonderful food and wine was available throughout the evening. The Silent Auction offerings ranged from a weekend in Deer Isle Maine to a saltwater fishing trip in Long Island Sound. We know Market Director Lori Cochran-Dougall and her team must be really pleased with the tremendous support shown by the community. Check out the Market web site for pictures soon: www.westportfarmersmarket.com .