Changing the World, One Bunch of Kale at a Time—There’s a Loan for That

In the last blog entry, I mentioned member Terry Sullivan’s“Real Food” blog, and this time I want to bring your attention to another local food blog by former Enright CSA members Amy and Vince Stross. They’ve been local food advocates for years, but their Tenth Acre Farm blog/website was started fairly recently. I encourage you to visit; hey have an “edible front yard” and lots of good ideas about growing your own food, being self-sustaining, and getting your priorities straight. Take a look at it and look at what they’ve accomplished . . . they aren’t members of the CSA any more because they were growing plenty of food in their suburban yard. It's inspirational, whether you have a garden or just help out at the CSA. What if everyone started to shift to edible landscaping? Talk about making a difference!

Which brings me to the other subject of this blog, which Suellyn Shupe brought to our attention. On Sunday, August 4, there is an event at Peterloon in Indian Hill for people to find out more about the Local Loans for Local Foods program, a “Slow Money” lending network in the Greater Cincinnati/Southwestern Ohio area. Speaker Carol Peppe Hewitt, a co-founder of Slow Money North Carolina, will be in town to talk about how investing patiently in small-scale farming and food production businesses can pay off for everyone, the investors and the folks who take loans.

The event also includes food by Chef Mark Stroud, and there is a $5-$20 sliding scale suggested donation to cover the costs of the event and the food. Peterloon Estate is at 8605 Hopewell Road, Cincinnati, OH 45242, and RSVPs are requested. Visit the Local Loans for Local Foods website for more information about this. Maybe you will be inspired to start your own Tenth Acre Farm, and they can get you started.