At the end of July, Chef Heather and I went to visit Willow Wisp Organic Farm in Abrahamsville, PA. That morning the farm crew’s main task was harvesting garlic and hanging it in the barn to cure. Especially before it started raining, which it did in the afternoon. Just in the nick of time! Greg and Tannis gave us a great tour.

One of the many challenges they face is in my opinion an unnecessary one. Their farm is located on the Marcellus Shale, which has rich deposits of natural gas. You may have heard about the disasters in PA, where residents can light their water on fire and now have their water trucked in due to contamination. Can you tell that I’m anti-fracking?! As is Heather, whose family has owned a home not far from Willow Wisp Farm for many decades. A natural gas well sits on Greg and Tannis’ neighbor’s adjacent property. We were astonished to learn they have to dish out large sums of money each year to have their water tested. The burden is on them to prove that the quality of their water has changed since the well was erected. Below are two interviews with Greg about fracking:

www.ecocentricblog.org/2011/05/11/farming-and-fracking-don’t-mix-a-farmer-speaks-out/ www.treehugger.com/sustainable-agriculture/fracking-farming-dont-mix-isnt-it-time-we-exhibited-some-precaution.html

To learn more here are just a few of the organizations to check out:

www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/fracking/fracking-action-center/map/ www.catskillcitizens.org/ unitedforaction.org/

Greg and Tannis use no external inputs except some horse manure from down the road. I really respect farmers who work the land in this manner. They really listen and learn what their soil needs. Tannis’ flowers really make a statement in the fields and around their home. Heather cooked a delicious meal using a variety of produce, which we ate outside, surrounded by a rainbow of flowers. Join their CSA or buy from them at a farmers’ market they attend. www.willowwisporganic.com