A gold standard in farming

I had my eye on this farm and finally got to volunteer picking berries with them for a day and went back for another. Apricot Lane Farms short films were highlighted on Oprah’s Super Soul Sundays and I cried at each one of them. The farm practices Biodynamic and Organic farming and have the best hand picked blueberries I ever tasted.

The farm use to be a conventional farm that no longer was able to produce crops in its soil. Biodynamic farming was created by Dr. Rudolf Steiner in the 1920’s and the mission is to create a diversified, balanced ecosystem that generates health and fertility as much as possible from within the farm itself. Preparations made from fermented manure, minerals and herbs are used to help restore and harmonize the vital life forces of the farm and to enhance the nutrition, quality and flavor of the food being raised. Biodynamic practitioners also recognize and strive to work in cooperation with the subtle influences of the wider cosmos on soil, plant and animal health. (For more information click here)

An example of the farm’s vision is in the lemon grove, the farm would have the cows come in first to eat the grass, then the sheep, then the chickens to eat the bugs so they won’t harm the lemons. The farm waits 90 days to then harvest the lemons for consumer purchase. Another example is where the place the flowers for the bees to pollinate Biodynamics is thus not just a holistic agricultural system but also a potent movement for new thinking and practices in all aspects of life connected to food and agriculture.

If you feel frustrated, stuck or disconnected to your food and health, I highly recommend to go volunteer. Some farms allow you to pick a bag full of veggies to take home for yourself. We have distanced ourselves from our food sources and lost our way. The fresh air may be the vitamin you truly need.

Here is a list of foods to purchase organic, a simple rule of thumb for fruit and vegetables is the more water content the better to buy organic:

  1. Eggs
  2. Chicken
  3. Apples
  4. Peaches
  5. Nectarines
  6. Strawberries
  7. Grapes
  8. Celery
  9. Spinach
  10. Sweet bell peppers
  11. Cucumbers
  12. Cherry tomatoes
  13. Sugar snap peas
  14. Potatoes
  15. Hot peppers
  16. Kale
  17. Collards
  18. Oranges

Get your vitamins from your healthy experiences & have a berry great day,

Heather Fleming, C.C.N

 

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