Fresh Start

Nutrition: Stone Barns Extra Credit 

Hello there! I know you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Why is she so happy?” Well, this city girl finally made it to the boonies. As soon as I got off of work today I went straight to the fabulous land of agriculture, also known as Stone Barns. I definitely didn't know where I was going and got lost a couple of times, but nonetheless it is about a 20-25 minute drive from White Plains, New York. I got lost about 3 times and was just happy to finally get there an hour and a half before they closed! Now let’s get to the most important stuff.

The workers at Stone Barns are delightful, maybe it’s the fact that their food isn’t as processed with junk that I have eaten in the past. The mission of Stone Barns is to “create a healthy and sustainable food system that benefits us all” (stonebarnscenter.org).  This organization understands that our country is in a dangerous position, because there is a limit to the amount of farmers and there have become many more industry concepts, we are missing out on the relationship between nature and humans. It’s like we buy our food and we are on the run. There is no thinking as to how the animal that I am currently consuming might have been treated, what it was injected with, or what it ate.  Most of these animals I haven’t even see in person, it is such a beautiful experience! We are supposed to adapt to nature not necessarily control it. Animals are supposed to run free with a great amount of land, not be confined. Our crops deserve to be grown in healthy soil. Stone barns want to become a partner with nature and build that relationship, while inviting outsiders to look in, be educated, and build that relationship. It gets no better than being able to talk to the farmers that grow our food and get their perspective on the industry. Stone Barns is on 80 acres of land and is located in Westchester County.  Stone Barns wants to “experiment with and improve sustainable farming practices, train beginning farmers in regenerative farming techniques, help children discover the sources of their food while preparing them, and increase public awareness of sustainable food” (stonebarnscenter.org) Must I add that this farm is a four season farm? Well, it is.

Stone Barns has a, “highly integrated methods of composting and crop and animal rotations enrich soils and their ability to produce nutritious food.  These methods contribute to a dynamic, self-renewing system of farming that doesn’t need chemical fertilizers, pesticides or other artificial inputs.  In all we do, we aim for the highest standards of farming in harmony with nature” (stonebarnscenter.org). There are many ways that Stone Barns maintains and provides sustainability, from crop rotation to mineral balancing. One way that they would restore fertility and health what was interesting to me was by waste recycling, and no I’m not talking about plastic. It was brought to my attention that it reduces everything from energy usage to air pollution. I don’t know about you, but this is something that we definitely need and should support what they are doing! Our water is absolutely horrible, even though it has gotten better these past few years. Mineral balancing creates ideal soil, plant, and animal health; there is a connection if you were to think about it. Crop rotation is used to keep pests and diseases from the soil, which is the foundation of everything we eat. Our veggies grown from there and our animals consume it as well, which then leads to us.

What I found exciting about this adventure and new experience were a couple of things. One, the food was a mind blower. It had a different taste that I can’t seem to describe. I went to the Blue Hill Café and the food was definitely fresh everything from the taste to the presentation seemed to be considered from the farmer that was growing the food to the cook! Secondly, which is probably not exciting, but educational is that I found out where my honey ham from the deli comes from…The behind! I honestly don’t even care, it makes a great lunch. Lastly, I loved how welcoming the employees were and how excited the visitors were to meet the animals they eat on a daily basis. This is definitely a place that I would recommend everyone to go to in order to be aware of what they are consuming. You could be a vegetarian, vegan or eat everything that they place their eyes on!

-Health(E)