moon valley small farming

We are thrilled to present Introverted Entrepreneur Success Stories, a show weve launched with sales and marketing expert Aleasha Bahr. In just a few short years, the farm has flourished! A good amount of our crops are in fact fruits tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, melons, etc. Also love that they have the extended option so you have 3 seasons of fresh produce. [more], Small share: $28/week; Medium share: $42/week; Large share: $62/week available for pick-up at pick-up locations in MD/DC/NoVA, or add $6/week for home delivery in those regions, Jimmy Nardello's Sweet Italian Frying pepper. So they decided to give all of their children ages 7, 5, 3 (thats me), and 1 the option to eat meat or to remain vegetarian. I signed up for her Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share, and when I made it to Moon Valley Farmfor the first time, I was filled with amazement and inspiration at the sight of the transformation! I find growing vegetables to be rewarding I love sharing healthy, delicious, fresh-picked vegetables with people. Im one of 4 siblings in my family, and when I was 3 years old, my brother was 5, and he was a real picky eater. She has a number of share options so you can choose one that suits your needs, plus various convenient pick-up locations. They also protest and fuss and sometimes resent having to be outside most of the time. But some of the most rewarding parts of farming for me have been finding my power in construction and other practical areas. Photo Credit: Lise Metzger ofGrounded Women. For eight years, we grew on bartered land throughout the county, and in late 2019, I purchased land of my own in Woodsboro, Maryland in Frederick County. But I got great grades in school, and went off to college, though truly unsure of my career path. Now at the end of my 5th season, Ive expanded from a 15 person CSA to over 110 people, and also from growing on just my one 1/2 acre plot to growing on about 5 acres across 7 different suburban sites throughout the county. I needed some source of affordable, high-quality, and nearby fertilizer, and having some hens (who have a very high nitrogen manure), could both show my kids first-hand that animals are our friends (I have a hard time imagining a kid whos never met a chicken empathizing with one), and provide a high quality soil input for my gardens without me going off the farm. At Moon Valley Farm, we are passionate about changing the food system to be locally sourced because we believe that it is better for our environment, our Chesapeake Bay, AND our bodies. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). Im not sure that farming is ever a smooth road, and its made even more challenging by growing in a changing climate. Ive built (not all solo, mind you) the walk-in coolers we use every day, the hoop houses, the tables, Ive done a lot of our electrical wiring, installing lights and fixing plugs and fixing drywall. Then, I got married and got pregnant and decided to finally become vegan. It was a lot of work but I found something I believed in, and could do while raising my kids. }); by Megan Oliver | Jan 5, 2017 | Ethics, Everything, Feature, Food + Recipes | 0 comments. Small share: $28/week; Medium share: $42/week; Large share: $62/week available for pick-up at pick-up locations in MD/DC/NoVA, or add $6/week for home delivery in those regions, Vegetables, herbs, gourmet mushrooms, organic eggs, local fruit, microgreens, sourdough bread, grains, beans, baby ginger and turmeric, organic vegetable + herb seedlings, We love the selection and variety of veggies we get from Moon Valley Farms. We prioritize consistency and diversity for our customers as well as high-quality for peak nutrient value and storage life. I just had a very small CSA, 15 people, and I knew most of the members. I first started growing vegetables when I was pregnant with my first child because I read that arugula helped baby brain development. I fought strongly about anti-racist feminism, I wanted UMD to divest from sweatshop labor, I wanted fair trade coffee in our shops, and I wanted justice. We want to help our customers succeed at eating locally by providing easy guides to whats in the season when, and recipe ideas to help those who are trying new ingredients. For infrastructure, I built most things that I needed out of recycled junk I found for free on Craigslist, since I didnt start the farm with a big bank account to support it. And for childcare, I would wear these two babies (just 1 and 2 years old) on my back and front, have them crawl around the gardens, nap in pack n plays in the barn, rely on baby monitors to work while they were napping inside, and hand em over to my husband when he came home from work. All local and all from trusted farmers who steward the land responsibly. function adjust_margin() { Weve got farm country and urban farms, but what about suburban farms? Besides my choice of vegetarianism, I LOVED all animals, especially our cats at the time. The first year of the farm was a real learning experience for me. The hens also provide some services for the farm that would be difficult to get done otherwise they eat crops with pests on them that I dont want to compost, getting nutrition from both the insects and the plants and eating older or damaged produce not fit for human consumption. Today wed like to introduce you to Emma Jagoz. } Without owning land and with very limited financial resources, I decided to barter land from my neighbors and did a LOT of DIY projects to bootstrap the operation. I went riding every week, I felt so much connection and compassion for horses, and I eventually found my first several jobs working with them at local horse farms. With one payment ahead of the season, youll get a weekly box of produce from June until Novemberor, with an extended season share, from May until December. Now, I know what youre thinking: where do I sign-up? Luckily for you, shes already accepting deposits and payments for the 2017 season! Appreciate you sharing that. She authored Moon Valley Stories: The Next Generation, which tells the adventure-filled stories of my kids and hers and their special superpowers, as well as continued adventures with the original superhero gang, on the magical land of Moon Valley. I know more bird calls than I ever have and notice things about trees, insects & water flow that I might never have. I still wanted justice in the world and had always wanted to own my own business. Farming is more than a full time job, especially when youre teaching yourself how to farm, how to build the infrastructure, do your bookkeeping, your mechanical problems, and quickly fix many many more problems than you couldve ever imagined youd have. I started growing arugula, because its high in folic acid and Vitamin K, both of which are critical for raising healthy babies. What should we know about Moon Valley Farm? We also grow seedlings for gardeners in the spring, and serve our county school system with our hyper-local produce!We have partnered with farmers we know and trust in our region to widen our offerings to the best bounty this region can produce. I grew loads of arugula and a few tomatoes on my apartment balcony and quickly fell in love with growing food. We had to quickly pivot our planting plans and added a focus on growing microgreens to help fill out our CSA boxes. Follow Crunchy Vegan on WordPress.com I grew lots of vegetables there, while pregnant with a second child, and got more passionate about growing my own. Its not all romantic and dreamy I dont think any childhood truly is. Required fields are marked *. By this point in my life, I had become really prolific in nutrition and vegetarian-based health, conquering COUNTLESS innocent questions and ruthless interrogations on my diet. (function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.parentNode.insertBefore(p,f);}(document)); Are you interested in sharing your product or service with an engaged vegan audience? I was venturing out to grow a lot of food on a very small space. A few years ago, I learned that a gal from my high school started a farm in her familys backyard. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a9bc2f228d9531201b233aa962f4b650" );document.getElementById("dd814d4706").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I worked constantly to get everything planted, picked, and sorted, and relied on volunteer help to get the work done. We offer gourmet mushrooms from King Mushrooms, organic eggs from Nick?s Organic Farm, fruit from 78 Acres, veggies from Sassafras Creek Farm, grains from Next Step Produce, beans and oats from Purple Mountain Farm, organic sourdough from Twin Bears Bakery, all local and raw honey from Chesapeake Queen Co and more. We are so inspired by Emmas story! Andsince we just cant get enough of the awesome that is Moon Valley Farm and Farmer Emma, heres some more eye candy: Take a moment to hear more about their story in this video from the Moon Valley Farm website: Megan has been veg since June 2002. I plant flowers and leave many spaces for the native pollinators to live and breed in, and for the honeybees to forage on when the veggies arent in bloom. Around that time, in 1989, my dad finished writing Moon Valley Stories, an unpublished series of short stories that he wrote about a magical land. $('#content-area').css('margin-top', featured.height()); Around age 7, I found that horses, and horseback riding, were one of my favorite things on Earth, and continued to develop relationships with horses through college. Photo credit: Lise Metzger ofGrounded Women. I loved my modest apartment garden and knew I wanted to do more. I wanted to be a person I truly believed in to raise my kids how I felt was right. The increasingly unpredictable climate we live in has helped to inform our long-term business plans, which now include growing in more high tunnels and greenhouses to protect our crops (and our employees!) Im a firm believer that humans can get the nutrition they need in order to be a strong, healthy person from plant sources. Maybe one day my husband and kids would have their own magical powers and we could write stories about them, too. Pollination is major for the vegetable farm. Thank you, Emma, for all that you do for this planet and its creaturesboth human and non-human! Share Prices: and require pollination in order to fruit. I also grew some peppers, tomatoes, and herbs. We partner with a select number of Maryland-based growers to widen our offerings for our customers to also include gourmet mushrooms, fruits, grains, beans, eggs, and additional veggies. The first half of the year was very very dry, and on leased land, getting enough water for all of our crops was a constant challenge. I have my health, stamina, the muscles & the healthy children to prove it. My parents questioned whether vegetarianism was the right diet for him as he wasnt eating enough or healthily. Our mission is to promote mom and pops, artists, creatives, makers and small businesses by providing a platform for these hidden gems to tell their stories in their own words. Would you say its been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges youve faced along the way? Your email address will not be published. I wanted to be a small part of the solution for bees, providing them with lots of flowering, pesticide- and herbicide-free plants to pollinate. In college, I found myself highly active in social justice activism. Hi Emma, thanks for joining us today. In terms of growing vegetables, I was figuring out how to scale up from my garden-sized plot before, and how to package and distribute the produce. When shes not snapping photos of her food, spending time with her vegan fam, or writing about veganism, shes exploring, shes creating, and shes working with residents and communities as an urban planner to shape the future of our towns and cities. My vegetable garden grew and GREW over the next two years and in 2011 I decided to take the leap and start my own farm at age 25 with two babies under age 2. Your email address will not be published. In 2011, about 9 months after my daughter was born, I decided that the following year I would have a real, official farm. I visualized this backyarda place where Id spent crisp evenings chatting with friends around a bonfire. Seasonal, Local, Cheap: July | Crunchy Vegan, Seasonal, Local, Cheap: June | Crunchy Vegan, Seasonal, Local, Cheap: May | Crunchy Vegan, Seasonal, Local, Cheap: April | Crunchy Vegan, Seasonal, Local, Cheap: March | Crunchy Vegan, Seasonal, Local, Cheap: February | Crunchy Vegan, Seasonal, Local, Cheap: January | Crunchy Vegan, Loaded Tater Nachos (P.S., theyre vegan!) We now farm exclusively on our own 25-acre property, and now grow all-year-round for over 50 restaurants and hundreds of CSA members in the Baltimore, DC, and Frederick regions. Moon Valley Farm is a 100% woman-owned specialty vegetable and herb farm that focuses on year-round production and sales to our Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) members, restaurants, and wholesale partners throughout Maryland and DC. And I especially love the plants, the vegetables I sustain my family and over a hundred other individuals and families on. And this past holiday season, my sister Sarah Koff, the artist behind Moon Valley Farms logo, revealed something truly special. But I still strongly believe in having them truly know where their food comes from and how it grows, and that growing up mostly outside gives you invaluable life lessons and skills. I had my child and was so in love I wanted to raise him myself. Image Credits Recently, I caught up with farmer, Emma Jagoz, to hear more about her story. from extreme weather events and widespread losses. We focus on storage and specialty crops. I love how many of our customers just walk down the road to get their share. Wed love for you to start by introducing yourself. Moon Valley offers CSA shares of varying sizes and costs. I was the only one that chose to remain vegetarian, stating that I didnt eat my friends, and Ive never wavered in that choice. Aleasha VoyageBaltimore is part of the LA-based Voyage Group of Magazines. Lise Metzger, Grant Knud-Hansen, Jessica Leigh Photography, and Emma Jagoz, Your email address will not be published. She is a passionate advocate for animal welfare, social justice, and environmental protection. Starting in late July, we received record rains after record rains, and experienced seeds washing out, erosion, rotting crops, mildew, and disease, and lost the ability to prep and plant new ground. My husband and I decided to move to my parents house in Cockeysville, MD, so I could start to garden/farm more seriously while my husband worked full time. We believe that a collective of local farmers responsibly stewarding the land can help change the food system and improve our health at the same time. We know that land use in the US is killing our environment, and we know our diets are making our bodies sick. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. My name is Emma Jagoz, and I started Moon Valley Farm in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD where I grew up. Moon Valley Farm grows specialty and staple vegetables and herbs on 25 acres in Woodsboro, Maryland for a year-round Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and for restaurants in DC, Maryland, and NoVA. To help at work, I listen to the podcasts Manager Tools and Lead to Win, and two books I have read and enjoyed our How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, and Think Again by Adam Grant. We also have honey bees that we use primarily for pollination, and occasionally for honey. Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc? | Crunchy Vegan, Seasonal, Local, Cheap: September | Crunchy Vegan. I loved working outside, the smells, the sunrises, and the modest satisfaction that hard work brought me. Your email address will not be published. As my life went on, I never felt bad about my vegetarianism, and found myself gathering more and more reasons to be so. I got my degree in American Studies with a certificate in Womens Studies, and I decided I didnt want to continue to go to school. I could easily add on some know-how on veganism, and was ready for the challenge. That was the first vegetable I grew myself in a little salad table I built myself for my apartment patio. So, you can either pay online via PayPal, or pay bycheck along withthis completedMember Agreement Form and mailing it to: Moon Valley Farm, 1124 Greenway Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030. I never cared much about the eggs, I dont eat them, but I dont mind that others do. I absolutely love what I do and get joy out of sharing the harvests with our community every week! https://www.facebook.com/moonvalleybaltimore, Introverted Entrepreneur Success Stories: Episode 3. I had just read The China Study and decided I should kick dairy and my favorite cheese. I wanted to make a difference. Required fields are marked *. I love truly living through the seasons Ive learned so much about our native birds, plants, and animals and how they interact with the land throughout the year. I look forward to working on these construction projects and the winter season when its time to focus on more of them. In that land, Moon Valley, the inhabitants all had the capability of having magical powers. He called me the Plant and Animal girl, and I had heightened communication with plants and animals. My farm sites are in the county among many other homeowners who might spray their lawns, and I needed to ensure that my crops would get pollinated. I love animals and know that the ways that I raise the hens and the bees on the farm arent harming the animals and I love working with animals around me. Were having a crisis in this world, and specifically in Maryland in which many of our pollinators are dying due to (among other things) increased pesticide and herbicide usage. I grew more than I could use myself and gave it away to family, friends & neighbors. Logo design by Sarah Koff; Image from MoonValleyFarm.net. I was born and raised that way my parents were vegetarian when I was born. I called this new venture Moon Valley Farm, because I was the real plant and animal girl now, growing vegetables, raising babies, and I LOVED the idea of pretending we all have magical powers. Over time, the kids have gotten bigger and playing on the farm and in the gardens is just what they do. They get lost on the farm, they discover nature, they play; they also help me harvest, seed, transplant, build, wash and sort. One of the most challenging seasons we had was in 2018. In addition to the vegetables, we got a small flock of laying hens, because although I was vegan, I knew that animals were critical in our ecosystem and in the world especially the world of soils. We grew vegetables for a small Community-Supported Agriculture program serving just 15 members the first season and have grown steadily ever since, adding more acres and members each season. Ive been vegetarian my entire life.

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