An approachable, comprehensive guide to the modern world of vegetables, from the leading grower of specialty vegetables in the country Near the shores of Lake Erie is a family-owned farm with a humble origin story that has become the most renowned specialty vegetable grower in America. After losing their farm in the early 1980s, a chance encounter with a French-trained chef at their farmers' market stand led the Jones family to remake their business and learn to grow unique ingredients that were considered exotic at the time, like microgreens and squash blossoms. They soon discovered chefs across the country were hungry for these prized ingredients, from Thomas Keller in Napa Valley to Daniel Boulud in New York City. Today, they provide exquisite vegetables for restaurants and home cooks across the country. The Chef's Garden grows and harvests with the notion that every part of the plant offers something unique for the plate. From a perfect-tasting carrot, to a tiny red royal turnip, to a pencil lead-thin cucumber still attached to its blossom, The Chef's Garden is constantly innovating to grow vegetables sustainably and with maximum flavor. It's a Willy Wonka factory for vegetables. In this guide and cookbook, The Chef's Garden, led by Farmer Lee Jones, shares with readers the wealth of knowledge they've amassed on how to select, prepare, and cook vegetables. Featuring more than 500 entries, from herbs, to edible flowers, to varieties of commonly known and not-so-common produce, this book will be a new bible for farmers' market shoppers and home cooks. With 100 recipes created by the head chef at The Chef's Garden Culinary Vegetable Institute, readers will learn innovative techniques to transform vegetables in their kitchens with dishes such as Ramp Top Pasta, Seared Rack of Brussels Sprouts, and Cornbread-Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms, and even sweet concoctions like Onion Caramel and Beet Marshmallows. The future of cuisine is vegetables, and Jones and The Chef's Garden are on the forefront of this revolution.

Growing for 100 - the complete year-round guide for the small-scale market grower. Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres. Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide provides: Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storage Information about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varieties Farm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterprise Whether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.

Most farmers don't have time to think too far ahead into the future. That's because they're busy attending to the needs of today: producing high-quality products, overseeing employees, and managing the mind-boggling number of details that go into owning a farm. If they do think about the future, it's usually in terms of new government regulations, availability and price of land or quota for future expansion, or even what the weather will be like. The truly long-term decisions, like when to sell or transition your farm (not to mention how to do it), are mentally filed away under the heading, "Bridges to Cross when I've come to it." But that bridge may be a lot closer than you think. Understandably, most farmers have great difficulty in setting aside the time to plan for the future of their farm business in addition to working on their farm. It is the planning for the future of your farm while the sun is shining that will help protect your farm, and ultimately your family, from the rainstorms that loom ahead. You see, recently conducted surveys of privately-owned family businesses, including farms across North America, report that approximately 40% of business owners expect to exit their family business in the next five years. That number goes up to a whopping 70% within the next ten years. A significant number of these business owners indicate that they will be relying on the ongoing success of their business to finance their future lifestyle. All this applies to farmers like you. So, ask yourself: 1. Do you have a plan in place to increase the value of your farm before it's time to sell? 2. Do you have a plan in place that will enable you to transfer your farm to your family or sell to a third party? 3. Have you planned how to retire on your terms, instead of being forced to transfer or sell your farm on someone else's? 4. Are you proactively preparing a successor who will enable the continuity of your farm operation? It's true: most farmers haven't planned for the day when they will transition or sell their farm. That makes them vulnerable to an involuntary sale, meaning they will be forced to sell their farm due to death, disability, or other reasons. As you can see, the question of when and how to transition your farm is something that needs to be answered sooner rather than later. The first step is to have a plan. Having a plan in place now can save you untold time and trouble in the future... and it can also help ensure that when the time does come to transition your farm, you do it right. The stakes are high. For an overwhelming number of farmers, the sale of their farm will be their primary source of income for retirement. That's why it's crucial that they get it right. Otherwise, they will deny themselves the chance at much-needed income during a time when every dollar counts. For others, their major goal is to keep their farm in the family. But transitioning your farm, even to your own children, is a long and complex process. Finally, everyone wants to cement their legacy and good name long after the transaction takes place. I know that farmers are also business owners... and that your business is one of the most important in the entire world. I understand that owning a farm isn't easy. I also know that the decision to one-day sell or transfer out of your farm can be just as difficult. My name is Adrian Spitters. I'm a Senior Wealth Advisor with Assante Capital Management Ltd. As the child of a farmer, I can appreciate the hard work you've put into establishing a successful farm. I've prepared this special book just for you. In just a few short pages, we'll look at some of the challenges facing farmers who want to quit working someday, what the most successful farmers are doing now, and where you can get additional help. One of my goals is to give you ideas of how to plan for your eventual transition into retirement and have peace of mind.

Ways to Sell What You Grow - Making Money with Your Farm Selling Agricultural Products Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Agriculture and the Internet Chapter 2: Networking Equals Sales Chapter 3: Local Outlets Chapter 4: Cutting out the Middle Man Chapter 5: Good Business Conclusion Author Bio Introduction There was a time when farmers took their excess eggs, cream, and butter to town on Saturday to trade for coffee, sugar, flour, baking powder, and other things such as nails, fabric, and shoes they couldn’t grow or produce for themselves. The store owner would then have eggs, cream, and butter to sell to the people living in the community who did not farm. The ‘system’ worked; everyone’s needs were met and they were happy. That’s not the way it is done today, though, is it? Today’s farmers are either: A—large-scale producers who grow and sell commercially for a large corporation such as Del Monte®, Tyson® or one of the other major players in the industry. These farmers depend on government policies and programs and the businessman’s thoughts and decisions in regards to what is going to put the most money in their pockets. This leaves these farmers wearing two very big hats—the one of farmer and the one of businessman trying to meet the demands of corporate America. B—small producers (like you, most likely) who raise and produce livestock, food, and grain/hay for themselves and (hopefully) some of the people living in their own community who buy what they take to the farmer’s market or directly off their farm. This does somewhat resemble the days of old, except for the fact that you have a much smaller customer base. I say this because the number of people buying from the grocery store is vastly larger than the number of people buying from people like you. But what would you say if I told you there are ways to narrow those margins and to make your products available to the masses without being swallowed up by the corporate jungle? If you would say ‘sign me up’, then keep reading, because that’s what this book is all about. By reading this book you will discover ways to reach out to potential customers (literally) around the word. You will discover how and why networking can expand your earning potential, why the middle man isn’t always necessary, and how doing away with ‘him’ will increase your bank account. Yes, this will require you to put on a business hat, but it’s one that actually fits and can be worn comfortably. So get comfortable and get ready to make your world-wide debut in the world of agriculture.

A totally modern, all-purpose handbook for today’s agricultural dreamers—covering the challenges and triumphs of launching any successful farm—from two leading lights in sustainable farming Do you dream of starting your own farm but wonder where to begin? Or do you already have a farm but wish to become more sustainable to compete in today's market? Start Your Farm, the first comprehensive business guide of its kind, covers these essential questions and more: Why be a farmer in the 21st century? Do you have what it takes? What does sustainable really mean, and how can a small (as little as one acre) to midsize farm survive alongside commodity-scale agriculture? How do you access education, land, and other needs with limited capital? How can you reap an actual profit, including a return on land investment? How do you build connections with employees, colleagues, and customers? At the end of the day, how do you measure success? (Hint: Cash your lifestyle paycheck.) More than a practical guide, Start Your Farm is a hopeful call to action for anyone who aspires to grow wholesome, environmentally sustainable food for a living. Take it from Forrest Pritchard and Ellen Polishuk: Making this dream a reality is not for the faint of heart, but it's well within reach—and there's no greater satisfaction under the sun!

* MOONBEAM GOLD AWARD * * GROWING GOOD KIDS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AND NATIONAL MASTER JUNIOR GARDENER PROGRAM * Milk doesn't just appear in your refrigerator, nor do apples grow in the bowl on the kitchen counter. Before We Eat has been adopted by the USDA’s Agriculture in the Classroom program. Before we eat, many people work very hard—planting grain, catching fish, tending farm animals, and filling crates of vegetables. With vibrant illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Mary Azarian, this book reminds us what must happen before food gets to our tables to nourish our bodies and spirits. This expanded edition of Before We Eat includes back-of-book features about school gardens and the national farm-to-school movement. Fountas & Pinnell Level L

Grow better not bigger with proven low-tech, human-scale, biointensive farming methods Making a living wage farming without big capital outlay or acreages may be closer than you think. Growing on just 1.5 acres, Jean-Martin and Maude-Helene feed more than 200 families through their thriving CSA and seasonal market stands. The secret of their success is the low-tech, high-yield production methods they've developed by focusing on growing better rather than growing bigger, making their operation more lucrative and viable in the process. The Market Gardener is a compendium of proven horticultural techniques and innovative growing methods. This complete guide is packed with practical information on: Setting-up a micro-farm by designing biologically intensive cropping systems, all with negligible capital outlay; Farming without a tractor and minimizing fossil fuel inputs through the use of the best hand tools, appropriate machinery and minimum tillage practices; Growing mixed vegetables systematically with attention to weed and pest management, crop yields, harvest periods and pricing approaches. Inspired by the French intensive tradition of maraichage and by iconic American vegetable grower Eliot Coleman, author and farmer Jean-Martin shows by example how to start a market garden and make it both very productive and profitable.