Greg Meyer of Dancing Seeds Farm and his colleagues share a goal to grow delicious food that’s good for the local community using practices that are good for the earth. Greg has a bachelor’s degree in environmentally sustainable business practice and education from Western Washington University, where he also discovered his love for wild foraging, plant identification, ecology, gardening, and permaculture. He spent two years living at the Bullock’s Permaculture Homestead on Orcas Island studying and living in their maturing permaculture demonstration site and managing their nursery. While there, he completed two permaculture design courses, as well as an advanced PDC. Greg is particularly interested in exploring and pursuing tree crops and fermented vegetables at Dancing Seeds Farm!
Spring on the farm is always a scramble, and this year with COVID-19 as an added layer, time is flying by. As the days grow longer and warmer, we continuously fill up seed flats in our greenhouse and switch out ones ready to go into the ground. Weekly, it seems each plant bed doubles in growth…as do the weeds and the grass, for good measure. We’re working hard trying to keep up with the pace of this landscape that didn’t seem to get the memo that everything else has slowed. It can almost be easy to forget that the world around us has lurched to a halt as business on the farm continues to demand more hours of our labor than exist in a day. That said, it feels good to have something to work towards in this strange time, and we are grateful to be able to provide for our community.
The ways in which we manage the farm and distribute our produce are changing to reflect recommendations by the CDC and orders by our governor. Under normal circumstances, we would be harvesting our first salad greens, pea shoots, and spring onions for the Farmers Market and our favorite local restaurants, such as Coho Restaurant. This year, we have found new outlets; we are expanding our CSA and San Juan Island Food Co-op offerings, and are trying out the new San Juan Island Food Hub. Check it out!
It has been incredible to watch and participate in a robust community of local food production as we rally to find creative solutions to unprecedented challenges. While this crisis has highlighted the fragility of the systems that fuel our way of life, it has also highlighted the importance of localized food systems, local economies, and resilience. We are looking forward to tackling this season and it’s certain uncertainties with all we’ve got. It’s a challenge that will help us understand our markets, our fragility, our strengths, and ultimately ourselves as growers.
Want to learn more about us and where to find our products? Find us at dancingseedsfarm.com
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