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. I started growing arugula, because its high in folic acid and Vitamin K, both of which are critical for raising healthy babies. We are thrilled to present Introverted Entrepreneur Success Stories, a show weve launched with sales and marketing expert Aleasha Bahr. I was the only one that chose to remain vegetarian, stating that I didnt eat my friends, and Ive never wavered in that choice. 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. 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!) In just a few short years, the farm has flourished! We are so inspired by Emmas story! Thank you, Emma, for all that you do for this planet and its creaturesboth human and non-human! I could easily add on some know-how on veganism, and was ready for the challenge. They also protest and fuss and sometimes resent having to be outside most of the time. Your email address will not be published. We prioritize consistency and diversity for our customers as well as high-quality for peak nutrient value and storage life. He called me the Plant and Animal girl, and I had heightened communication with plants and animals. Required fields are marked *. One of the most challenging seasons we had was in 2018. Its not all romantic and dreamy I dont think any childhood truly is. She is a passionate advocate for animal welfare, social justice, and environmental protection. 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. Now, I know what youre thinking: where do I sign-up? Luckily for you, shes already accepting deposits and payments for the 2017 season! 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. Appreciate you sharing that. 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. 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. I never cared much about the eggs, I dont eat them, but I dont mind that others do. Logo design by Sarah Koff; Image from MoonValleyFarm.net. I was venturing out to grow a lot of food on a very small space. We focus on storage and specialty crops. I grew lots of vegetables there, while pregnant with a second child, and got more passionate about growing my own. 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. I know more bird calls than I ever have and notice things about trees, insects & water flow that I might never have. Image Credits 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. 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. $('#content-area').css('margin-top', featured.height()); 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. In that land, Moon Valley, the inhabitants all had the capability of having magical powers. We had to quickly pivot our planting plans and added a focus on growing microgreens to help fill out our CSA boxes. A few years ago, I learned that a gal from my high school started a farm in her familys backyard. 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. 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. What should we know about Moon Valley Farm? 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. I love how many of our customers just walk down the road to get their share. 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! Share Prices: It was a lot of work but I found something I believed in, and could do while raising my kids. 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. I loved working outside, the smells, the sunrises, and the modest satisfaction that hard work brought me. As my life went on, I never felt bad about my vegetarianism, and found myself gathering more and more reasons to be so. from extreme weather events and widespread losses. Ive been vegetarian my entire life. I find growing vegetables to be rewarding I love sharing healthy, delicious, fresh-picked vegetables with people. (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 have my health, stamina, the muscles & the healthy children to prove it. My name is Emma Jagoz, and I started Moon Valley Farm in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD where I grew up. Weve got farm country and urban farms, but what about suburban farms? 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. https://www.facebook.com/moonvalleybaltimore, Introverted Entrepreneur Success Stories: Episode 3. 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 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. I wanted to be a person I truly believed in to raise my kids how I felt was right. Your email address will not be published. Recently, I caught up with farmer, Emma Jagoz, to hear more about her story. 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. The first year of the farm was a real learning experience for me. And this past holiday season, my sister Sarah Koff, the artist behind Moon Valley Farms logo, revealed something truly special. 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. Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc? }); by Megan Oliver | Jan 5, 2017 | Ethics, Everything, Feature, Food + Recipes | 0 comments. I had just read The China Study and decided I should kick dairy and my favorite cheese. And I especially love the plants, the vegetables I sustain my family and over a hundred other individuals and families on. We know that land use in the US is killing our environment, and we know our diets are making our bodies sick. 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. 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. I first started growing vegetables when I was pregnant with my first child because I read that arugula helped baby brain development. 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. I had my child and was so in love I wanted to raise him myself. Wed love for you to start by introducing yourself. Pollination is major for the vegetable farm. Im a firm believer that humans can get the nutrition they need in order to be a strong, healthy person from plant sources. I grew loads of arugula and a few tomatoes on my apartment balcony and quickly fell in love with growing food. A good amount of our crops are in fact fruits tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, melons, etc. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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). 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!) I loved my modest apartment garden and knew I wanted to do more. 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. 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. 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.
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