CAPEABILITIES FARM

YIELDING GREAT CROPS & CREATIVE EMPLOYMENT FOR THE HANDICAPPED

By Mary Blair Petiet

When I met with Tom Zurn, Director of Business Development for capeAbilities Farm in Dennis, we went directly to the farm's three greenhouses. These appear at the end of the simple driveway leading from Route 6A to the farm, roosting like futuristic quonset huts quietly dozing on the Cape landscape. The first thing Tom asked me was if I am allergic to bees. As we entered the first greenhouse, I could see why: the micro-environment was teeming with resident bumble bees busily pollinating the tomato plants.

The tomato seeds are planted in January and transplanted in March in their own greenhouse. The temperature within the greenhouses is regulated closely by a heating and cooling system powered by propane and electricity to maintain ideal growing conditions. Zurn cited 82 degrees as the ideal temperature for tomatoes. The goal for this year is to produce 16,000 lbs. of tomatoes. The first week, mid-May, yielded 390 lbs, the second week, 600 lbs. and the third week, which was the first week of June, yielded 800 lbs. Tom's main goal is to twin great crop yields, such as this, with the provision of successfully creative employment opportunities for the handicapped.

The growing technique is hydroponic, which means all the nutrients, for example, potassium, sulfite and Epsom salt, come from water via hoses to the plants. This allows complete control over what nourishes the tomato. Since nourishment equates flavor in the fruit, it also ensures the same tasty results time and time again. The tomatoes are grown on strings allowing them to reach a length of up to 25 ft by the end of their season. The fruit is picked up the vine from the bottom to the top as the plant lengthens. This leaves a stem topped by vibrant red orbs of fruit. In an extreme realization of the tomato plant as a vine, the stem wends its way ever further to the right along the hanging frame installed to support it. The end result is a plump, beautifully textured tomato full of flavor that would grace any salad bowl.

The situation is much the same in the second greenhouse Tom led me through. This one contains the most verdant crop of lettuce I have ever seen. The sort of lettuce Peter Rabbit dreams of in the sort of colors interior designers are inspired by. There are ten kinds of lettuce, among them: Romaine, Boston, Bib, Miners, Salad Ball and Arugula. This is Technicolor lettuce in flavor as well as visage. It is so delicately balanced and perfectly crisp that it may be wise to entirely forgo the salad bowl at this point. Instead it could be served in pieces from a beautiful plate as an hors d'oeuvre with a pinch of sea salt. The lettuce grows in water trays through which water, mixed with nutrients, constantly flows. The nutrient mix can be replaced by cold water to cool the plants down in the hottest summer weather to avoid bolting. The lettuce is cut so its growth can continue and its harvest is rotated through the trays. Seventy to 100 lbs is harvested weekly while the plants maintain new growth.

The third greenhouse is home to cucumbers, red and green peppers, eggplant, zucchini and basil. Tom showed me the basil tree he is establishing here which will include several kinds of basil growing along a framework of PVC pipe to ensure constantly flowing water and nutrients.

The idea of hydroponic farming dates back to at least the 17th century when Francis Bacon wrote a book about growing plants without soil. The word hyroponic is from the Greek for 'working water' and that is exactly what the plants are grown in. This method of farming has been found useful in environments that are too harsh to allow conventional soil cultivation. It can produce a lot of uniform product in one place and allows the farmer increased control over the environment. It also extends the growing season: capeAbilities produces vegetables until December. The season ends when there is too little daylight for the plants to flourish. Potentially, this could one day be resolved by the use of solar panels or wind turbines for increased power. The controlled environment of the greenhouse renders the farmer less exposed to the fluctuations of weather and soil conditions. However the farmer is not completely immune to outside influence as there can still be issues with aphids, for example, or an electric failure could result in a temperature shift harmful to the plants.

The produce from the greenhouses at capeAbilities is sold at their farm stand at 460 Route 6A in Dennis, at the Mid-Cape Farmer's market every Wednesday in Hyannis and through their salad club. The salad club, currently in its second year, has grown from 40 members to 125. Prospective members must first join a waiting list before they are admitted to the actual club. Members receive a weekly mix of salad vegetables including 3 lbs of tomatoes, 1/2 to 3/4 lbs of greens; cucumbers, herbs and peppers, eggplant and zucchini.

CapeAbilities also supplies several local restaurants with produce, including 902 Main, The Naked Oyster, Blue Moon Bistro and the Brewster Fish House. Jeremiah Reardon, the chef at Brewster Fish House, met Tom Zurn at Edible Cape Cod's Chef/Growers Collaborative last December at The Red Pheasant and has been serving capeAbilities produce for the last month. He is delighted with such a great local product and continues: "everything I've gotten from them has been very good. Customers love it; they want to know how you get the tomatoes ripe so early." He especially enjoys not having to wait until late July to change his menu.

CapeAbilities was founded as Nauset Workshop in 1968 as a non-profit organization that provided, in addition to housing and transportation, jobs for the handicapped. In 2006 Nauset Workshop became capeAbilities and the capeAbilities farm is an entrepreneurial venture within the wider context of the organization. The farm itself was founded by John and Cathy Mulligan after they returned from a trip to Disney's Epcot Center where they were so impressed by the Land Pavilion's hydroponic farming that they came home and started their own establishment. John is a past capeAbilities board president and Cathy currently sits on the board. Two years ago they passed on the land and the farm infrastructure they had created, for a nominal lease, to capeAbilities. Tom Zurn said, while gazing at the greenhouses, that "without John and Cathy Mulligan, this would not have been possible". Other funding for the venture came from TD Bank North, the Mass Mechanical Association and the Mellon Foundation. Additionally, the farm received Commonwealth support for providing services to the disabled.

At a mere two years old, capeAbilities Farm is an evolving farm. It consists of eight acres of which two are currently in production and the possibilities for the remaining acreage are considerable. The land is typical of the north side of Cape Cod as it slopes from its highest point on Route 6A north down to the marsh. It is a place of blueberry bushes, sea breezes and sea gull cries ending in protected wetlands.

Tom Zurn was happily impressed by the welcome the farm received from the wider farming community in its first days. Instead of competition there is recognition that more farms are needed to provide local produce to an ever increasing market. While capeAbilities is not a certified organic farm, it does employ organic principles as widely as possible. For example, when aphids were a problem last year, they were fought with weapons such as saddle soap and hornets. According to Tom, the only time to consider drastic conventional methods would be if something serious were to occur, such as if the entire tomato crop were at threat from white fly. Fortunately that has not happened.

While capeAbilities' first year was centered on its greenhouses, this year has seen the establishment of additional outside gardens. There are beds full of Heirloom and Roma tomatoes. There is a profusion of flowers between and around the greenhouses including Asters, Cosmos, Hollyhocks, Zinnias and Geranium which provide colorful decoration and are also for sale. Herbs are also flourishing in the soil and direct sun and you can buy them in a wonderful hanging basket to snip bits from while cooking.

When Tom Zurn outlined the farm's goals he included the provision of 3,000 hours of paid work for their disabled employees, who are, in effect, the farmers. They work part-time in small shifts at everything from seeding, growing and maintaining the produce to packing it and selling it. The challenges Tom encounters daily include training, the amount of labor and the matching of skills to tasks. A typical workday at the farm starts at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 11:00 a.m. to take advantage of the coolest temperatures. Five employees work each day. One great aspect of the farm is the resulting association of a really high-end product with the handicapped.

Twenty-two year old Kyle Kratschman is an employee of capeAbilities. He has worked for the organization for one year and at the farm for two months. I spoke to him while he was outside filling pots with rich black soil and he said that the "farm is good." He likes picking produce and is proud to see the growth of lettuce, his favorite, from seed to maturity. His colleague Noel Turzyn chatted with me between greenhouses. This is his second season at the farm. He works three mornings a week and is happiest mowing the grass. He also enjoys working with the lettuce and cucumbers, as these are his favorite foods. He considers it a good, permanent place to work and feels good producing food for the community.

On a warm June morning Tom Zurn's commitment to the farm, its employees and its produce was evident as he explained the wider vision: "capeAbilities is trying to create opportunity for passion in people's work. Not just jobs, but partnerships for people coming to work. The farm gives people a chance to love coming to work, and people who are really successful love to go to work." He is providing creative employment and one of his big goals is to match the job to the employee. He maintains that we "cannot fill unneeded jobs within the community simply because it is supporting people with disabilities. Unneeded jobs will not last. The jobs at capeAbilities Farm will maintain themselves because there is a need for locally grown food, and consistently good locally grown food will maintain its own market."

This speaks of the interconnectedness of everything. As the bumblebees are ensured steady work in their own niche as long the greenhouse requires pollinating, the employees of capeAbilities Farm are ensured rewarding jobs as a result of the increasing public demand for fresh local produce. It illustrates how sustainability can work in the wider community context to the benefit of all involved.

When I met with Tom Zurn, Director of Business Development for capeAbilities Farm in Dennis, we went directly to the farm's three greenhouses. These appear at the end of the simple driveway leading from Route 6A to the farm, roosting like futuristic quonset huts quietly dozing on the Cape landscape. The first thing Tom asked me was if I am allergic to bees. As we entered the first greenhouse, I could see why: the micro-environment was teeming with resident bumble bees busily pollinating the tomato plants.

Michael Rhodes helps sell produce at the Mid-Cape Farmers' Market each week

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The tomato seeds are planted in January and transplanted in March in their own greenhouse. The temperature within the greenhouses is regulated closely by a heating and cooling system powered by propane and electricity to maintain ideal growing conditions. Zurn cited 82 degrees as the ideal temperature for tomatoes. The goal for this year is to produce 16,000 lbs. of tomatoes. The first week, mid-May, yielded 390 lbs, the second week, 600 lbs. and the third week, which was the first week of June, yielded 800 lbs. Tom's main goal is to twin great crop yields, such as this, with the provision of successfully creative employment opportunities for the handicapped.

The growing technique is hydroponic, which means all the nutrients, for example, potassium, sulfite and Epsom salt, come from water via hoses to the plants. This allows complete control over what nourishes the tomato. Since nourishment equates flavor in the fruit, it also ensures the same tasty results time and time again. The tomatoes are grown on strings allowing them to reach a length of up to 25 ft by the end of their season. The fruit is picked up the vine from the bottom to the top as the plant lengthens. This leaves a stem topped by vibrant red orbs of fruit. In an extreme realization of the tomato plant as a vine, the stem wends its way ever further to the right along the hanging frame installed to support it. The end result is a plump, beautifully textured tomato full of flavor that would grace any salad bowl.

The situation is much the same in the second greenhouse Tom led me through. This one contains the most verdant crop of lettuce I have ever seen. The sort of lettuce Peter Rabbit dreams of in the sort of colors interior designers are inspired by. There are ten kinds of lettuce, among them: Romaine, Boston, Bib, Miners, Salad Ball and Arugula. This is Technicolor lettuce in flavor as well as visage. It is so delicately balanced and perfectly crisp that it may be wise to entirely forgo the salad bowl at this point. Instead it could be served in pieces from a beautiful plate as an hors d'oeuvre with a pinch of sea salt. The lettuce grows in water trays through which water, mixed with nutrients, constantly flows. The nutrient mix can be replaced by cold water to cool the plants down in the hottest summer weather to avoid bolting. The lettuce is cut so its growth can continue and its harvest is rotated through the trays. Seventy to 100 lbs is harvested weekly while the plants maintain new growth.

The third greenhouse is home to cucumbers, red and green peppers, eggplant, zucchini and basil. Tom showed me the basil tree he is establishing here which will include several kinds of basil growing along a framework of PVC pipe to ensure constantly flowing water and nutrients.

The idea of hydroponic farming dates back to at least the 17th century when Francis Bacon wrote a book about growing plants without soil. The word hyroponic is from the Greek for 'working water' and that is exactly what the plants are grown in. This method of farming has been found useful in environments that are too harsh to allow conventional soil cultivation. It can produce a lot of uniform product in one place and allows the farmer increased control over the environment. It also extends the growing season: capeAbilities produces vegetables until December. The season ends when there is too little daylight for the plants to flourish. Potentially, this could one day be resolved by the use of solar panels or wind turbines for increased power. The controlled environment of the greenhouse renders the farmer less exposed to the fluctuations of weather and soil conditions. However the farmer is not completely immune to outside influence as there can still be issues with aphids, for example, or an electric failure could result in a temperature shift harmful to the plants.

The produce from the greenhouses at capeAbilities is sold at their farm stand at 460 Route 6A in Dennis, at the Mid-Cape Farmer's market every Wednesday in Hyannis and through their salad club. The salad club, currently in its second year, has grown from 40 members to 125. Prospective members must first join a waiting list before they are admitted to the actual club. Members receive a weekly mix of salad vegetables including 3 lbs of tomatoes, 1/2 to 3/4 lbs of greens; cucumbers, herbs and peppers, eggplant and zucchini.

CapeAbilities also supplies several local restaurants with produce, including 902 Main, The Naked Oyster, Blue Moon Bistro and the Brewster Fish House. Jeremiah Reardon, the chef at Brewster Fish House, met Tom Zurn at Edible Cape Cod's Chef/Growers Collaborative last December at The Red Pheasant and has been serving capeAbilities produce for the last month. He is delighted with such a great local product and continues: "everything I've gotten from them has been very good. Customers love it; they want to know how you get the tomatoes ripe so early." He especially enjoys not having to wait until late July to change his menu.

CapeAbilities was founded as Nauset Workshop in 1968 as a non-profit organization that provided, in addition to housing and transportation, jobs for the handicapped. In 2006 Nauset Workshop became capeAbilities and the capeAbilities farm is an entrepreneurial venture within the wider context of the organization. The farm itself was founded by John and Cathy Mulligan after they returned from a trip to Disney's Epcot Center where they were so impressed by the Land Pavilion's hydroponic farming that they came home and started their own establishment. John is a past capeAbilities board president and Cathy currently sits on the board. Two years ago they passed on the land and the farm infrastructure they had created, for a nominal lease, to capeAbilities. Tom Zurn said, while gazing at the greenhouses, that "without John and Cathy Mulligan, this would not have been possible". Other funding for the venture came from TD Bank North, the Mass Mechanical Association and the Mellon Foundation. Additionally, the farm received Commonwealth support for providing services to the disabled.

At a mere two years old, capeAbilities Farm is an evolving farm. It consists of eight acres of which two are currently in production and the possibilities for the remaining acreage are considerable. The land is typical of the north side of Cape Cod as it slopes from its highest point on Route 6A north down to the marsh. It is a place of blueberry bushes, sea breezes and sea gull cries ending in protected wetlands.

Tom Zurn was happily impressed by the welcome the farm received from the wider farming community in its first days. Instead of competition there is recognition that more farms are needed to provide local produce to an ever increasing market. While capeAbilities is not a certified organic farm, it does employ organic principles as widely as possible. For example, when aphids were a problem last year, they were fought with weapons such as saddle soap and hornets. According to Tom, the only time to consider drastic conventional methods would be if something serious were to occur, such as if the entire tomato crop were at threat from white fly. Fortunately that has not happened.

While capeAbilities' first year was centered on its greenhouses, this year has seen the establishment of additional outside gardens. There are beds full of Heirloom and Roma tomatoes. There is a profusion of flowers between and around the greenhouses including Asters, Cosmos, Hollyhocks, Zinnias and Geranium which provide colorful decoration and are also for sale. Herbs are also flourishing in the soil and direct sun and you can buy them in a wonderful hanging basket to snip bits from while cooking.

When Tom Zurn outlined the farm's goals he included the provision of 3,000 hours of paid work for their disabled employees, who are, in effect, the farmers. They work part-time in small shifts at everything from seeding, growing and maintaining the produce to packing it and selling it. The challenges Tom encounters daily include training, the amount of labor and the matching of skills to tasks. A typical workday at the farm starts at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 11:00 a.m. to take advantage of the coolest temperatures. Five employees work each day. One great aspect of the farm is the resulting association of a really high-end product with the handicapped.

Twenty-two year old Kyle Kratschman is an employee of capeAbilities. He has worked for the organization for one year and at the farm for two months. I spoke to him while he was outside filling pots with rich black soil and he said that the "farm is good." He likes picking produce and is proud to see the growth of lettuce, his favorite, from seed to maturity. His colleague Noel Turzyn chatted with me between greenhouses. This is his second season at the farm. He works three mornings a week and is happiest mowing the grass. He also enjoys working with the lettuce and cucumbers, as these are his favorite foods. He considers it a good, permanent place to work and feels good producing food for the community.

On a warm June morning Tom Zurn's commitment to the farm, its employees and its produce was evident as he explained the wider vision: "capeAbilities is trying to create opportunity for passion in people's work. Not just jobs, but partnerships for people coming to work. The farm gives people a chance to love coming to work, and people who are really successful love to go to work." He is providing creative employment and one of his big goals is to match the job to the employee. He maintains that we "cannot fill unneeded jobs within the community simply because it is supporting people with disabilities. Unneeded jobs will not last. The jobs at capeAbilities Farm will maintain themselves because there is a need for locally grown food, and consistently good locally grown food will maintain its own market."

This speaks of the interconnectedness of everything. As the bumblebees are ensured steady work in their own niche as long the greenhouse requires pollinating, the employees of capeAbilities Farm are ensured rewarding jobs as a result of the increasing public demand for fresh local produce. It illustrates how sustainability can work in the wider community context to the benefit of all involved.

CANNING

FORGOTTEN ART OR THE WAY OF THE FUTURE?

By Donna Wood Eaton

Many of us remember the days of cautious trips down into dark cellars with friends or family, passing rows of mysterious jars, sporting labels and dates, on the way to other cellar treasures. But is canning and preserving important now in our abundant times?

As we, as a culture, explore issues of food safety, sustainability and local food sourcing, canning can be a great way to provide for your family, make meaningful gifts, and start new traditions. Canning, for me, was the natural progression of a bountiful garden, after my first try I was hooked!

Like anything done in the kitchen, canning combines art, science and taste. The art of canning survives to this day and though there are freezer pickle recipes, and instant brining packets available on the market, they pale in comparison to the taste of time honored recipes and procedures. Science plays a big role as well. The process of canning has been refined into strict guidelines to keep us safe from food contamination. The final element, taste, is where the creativity involved in making a recipe your own can really be challenging. My friend and I have a salsa recipe that has been evolving for the past ten years! Our personal taste dictates our choice in the effort, is it relish, pickles, salsa, or chutney that you crave to bring back the taste of the sleeping garden.

Canning is a labor of love with immense personal satisfaction that begins with the proper equipment, a proven recipe and the willingness to try. When I first began canning in the mid '80s, I followed guidelines in Joy of Cooking and information provided by the County Extension Service. The most time consuming part is assembling equipment, jars, produce and spices, once the process begins you don't want to have to run out for things, organization is key. Only the best produce, scrubbed clean and dried should be used for canning, hopefully within 48 hours of picking. I also find that having more than is called for on hand a good idea. Measuring produce before chopping or processing can be very deceptive. Even after all these years I find it hard to match the amounts called for and the recipe yields of finished jars. So I have extra jars on hand as well.

Canning equipment needs to be glass, enamel or stainless steel, and sparkling clean to start. Dishwashers can be handy to clean jars, as all should be washed before sterilizing.
I find wide mouth jars easier to fill, 'must haves' include a canning pot, with removable insert, for boiling water bath processing, and a jar grasping tool which enhances safety. Food processors can be labor saving, and create uniform pieces which is important. However, be careful not to over-process. Texture and shape is important in some recipes, when I make piccalilli I like long thin pieces, which can only be done by hand.

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When looking for recipes, terms like short brine (1 to 24 hours), boiling water bath (the process by which jars are sealed), pickling salt (additive free), 5% acetic acid vinegar (most prepared apple cider and distilled white vinegar) should be understood and followed. Guidelines for filling jars, washing, sterilizing, maintaining proper head space (1/4" - 1/2" between liquid and lid), and creating a sterile field for working space are also important.

Some recipes can be done in a short time, requiring the packing of hot, sterile jars with raw produce then pouring a prepared, hot brining solution to the proper level in the jar before processing. Other recipes require salting down the produce overnight, then simmering in the brining solution for up to an hour before packing into jars. I always wipe the top of the jar with a clean damp cloth or paper towel before putting on the sterilized top so that the sealing surface is clean. The screw band is then put on and just tightened enough to hold the lid in place. Then, keeping the jar level, it is put into the canning pot insert. When full with jars the insert is submerged in the boiling water for 15 minutes.

After processing the jars are taken out--again keeping as level as possible, and I set them gently on a doubled towel on the countertop. I blot away any water sitting on the top of the jar and leave them to cool. It is important not to bump the jars, as they may break easily when hot, they should also not be set in a drafty spot, as quick temperature changes may cause cracking. With proper care jars will last a lifetime, bands and lids should be replaced each batch. As the jars cool you may here popping sounds, this is normal as the metal lids seal.

When totally cool, inspect each jar, hand tighten the bands, and gently tap the center of each lid. You should hear a dull thud. If it sounds hollow or is raised in the center, it didn't seal. Unsealed jars can be put into the refrigerator and eaten right away. Store any sealed jars in a cool, dark place after labeling and dating. Most recipes benefit from resting for 4-6 weeks before serving.

I hope you'll try canning and start a secret recipe of your own. It's fun to do with a friend or two and split the results. After a few times of practice you can fill your pantry in a week end or two, I usually have two or three recipes going at once, timing them out so that as one batch simmers another is being processed, while the third is salting down. The rows of jars still hold mystery for me that my taste buds love to explore!

PASTURED POULTRY PILOT PROGRAM

BRINGING HUMANE PROCESSING TO THE FAMILY FARM

By Ali Berlow

"I'll meet you at the boat" I said to Jim.

This day had finally arrived. Jim McLaughlin of Corner Stone Farm Ventures in New York was coming to Martha's Vineyard to deliver Island Grown Initiative's mobile poultry processing unit (MPPU). It'd taken almost two years to get this point…

"What color is your truck?" I asked.

"Look for the red PT Cruiser." He said, in a deep voice that came from somewhere near the center of the earth. "You're kidding…right?" I asked, off-kilter.

"No, really" he repeated…"a red PT cruiser…didn't you know that 'PT' stands for 'poultry truckin'?"

Well, damned if it didn't. On July 11, 2007, Jim and his wife Peg, rolled off the Steamship ferry into the summer night air of Vineyard Haven-styling, with the MPPU in tow. "The dock workers all thought it makes cotton candy." He said and we burst out in ice-breaking laughter.

The goal of Island Grown Initiative (IGI, a non-profit) is to help create and support a more sustainable agricultural reality on Martha's Vineyard. Local food includes the crops…the tomatoes, asparagus, greens, etc...but also meat from island animals. These are the freed-from-the-Meatrix.com farm animals that will meet their destiny in the most humane way possible-on the land on which they lived.

Since its inception in 2005, IGI asked the Vineyard farmers a lot questions, sorted answers, raised money and built community support for an on-island, size-appropriate, humane slaughter solution, which would include both the backyard growers and the full-on farmers who want to raise local meat. Demand is high. Product is in short supply. And sadly, the infrastructure (i.e., accessible, small scale, humane, USDA certified brick + mortar processing plants) have all but gone extinct. However, mobile slaughtering and processing units, can be appropriate solutions, in certain circumstances.

IGI set out to find the best solution for our community. We talked with SEMAP and the New England Small Farm Institute in Belchertown, Mass. We attended workshops and met with Bruce Dunlop of Lopez Island in Washington re: his work with mobile slaughtering units. And then we went back and talked with the island farmers, again: How many animals would they raise if there were an on-island facility? Nobody could give really good answers because there's no precedent and these are unprecedented times. Locally grown food is more than a fad. It's an imperative.

The lack of good, accessible USDA certified processing capabilities, inherently prohibits the small family farmer from raising animals. And if you don't have the numbers of animals to economically justify a slaughter/process solution-then it's pretty hard to build one. But with community support, accountability, a leap of faith and some money-the Catch 22 starts to fragment.

IGI's Mobile Porcessing Poultry Unit on the trailer

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This research-the grunt work of sorting out what can and can't be done, from all the unintentionally duplicitous legal-eze that strangulates the small family farmer, was often frustrating and confusing. Unraveling those scorched threads of bureaucracy, farmer rights, consumer and environmental protection only seemed to make answers more elusive. Loopholes turned into black holes and black holes turned to grey. There is much undefined, un-chartered territory in terms of mobile slaughter and processing. But this means that nothing is impossible IF done well. Because it's not that safe, humane mobile on-farm processing that creates a good clean product for sale-can't or shouldn't, be done. It's that no one knows how to say, 'Yes. Do it.'
When IGI started a Pastured Poultry Pilot Program (PPPP) in the spring of '07, it was to encourage both the backyard growers who wanted to fill their freezers, and jump start the island farmers. The deal was: if they grew the birds, IGI would make available the best possible processing solution.

Most of the growers in the PPPP use Joel Salatin's methods-and raise their birds in movable, bottomless pens so the chickens can live a life of chicken-ness while still being protected from weather and predators.

Some of the PPPP growers are veteran chicken people. A few are totally new to raising animals, while others have raised egg-layers in the past but were ready to give broilers a try. The growers gather and email, sharing information about all-things poultry. Some have joined forces to build pens and buy feed collectively, in bulk, to bring costs down.

IGI's funding for research, training and equipment came in the form of grants and donations from South Mountain Company, Cronig's Market and Dakota Organic Beef's CEO and founder, Scott Lively, who lives on Martha's Vineyard. While the PPPP group was raising birds, IGI trained the chicken processors (aka the Chicken Crew) at the FARM Institute, a working educational farm, in Edgartown. Wesley Wood, the FARM's Lead Farm Hand, worked with the Chicken Crew, honing their processing skills and protocols, at the FARM's poultry abattoir.

Since Jim McLaughlin landed on Martha's Vineyard in his red PT Cruiser with IGI's MPPU on July 11, to date, three families each have approximately 175 pounds of their own chicken in their own freezers, to feed their own family.

These results are extremely gratifying, when the MPPU is operated with complete assiduousness. But managing it is a high-wire balancing act with china plates spinning on the tops of very long-very skinny poles: the animal, the farmer, the Chicken Crew, the eater, and all the local, state and federal agencies, who in end, truly don't want any of those plates to come crashing down, either.

Chicken Crew Working