Beyond Organic with Hans Hansen and Troy Mullinax

Is your organic produce all that it could or should be? Unless you know your farmer it is probably not. Hans Hansen will be taking you "beyond organic" into the field of nutrient dense produce. What is it? How is it different? What are the most nutrient dense crops and growing techniques used to optimize their nutrient content? Hans will touch on home microgreen production and the use of a refractometer to test produce quality.

Hans Hansen - Grower, teacher, speaker, writer and activist for sustainable local food and the conservation of heirloom and regional plant resources for over 20 years. He is the owner of Integrated Environments, a firm that designs, builds and implements urban and rural sustainable food systems. Hans grows nutrition dense produce on a recently completed project, a 125 acre farm in SE Grimes, Co. His CSA, Twin Persimmons Farm, is now taking memberships for Houston and surrounding communities. He is looking forward to joining other nearby growers in cultivating one of the strongest centers of slow local food in the state and country.

Does that urban farm building project have you stumped? Creative problem solving is a way of life for the sustainable builder. Not sure how to cover the end of your back-yard hoop-house? Not sure of a good design for or how to build a small microgreen growing system? Meet Troy Mullenax, Hans' go-to guy when it comes to practical hands-on conundrums. Hans Hansen and Cath Conlon will be on hand to co-host, with Troy, a live (in person) urban farm problem solving chat-room. If you have experience in urban farm building, come share and compare notes - your community needs you.

Troy Mullenax - is Hans' co-designer on construction projects, builder-artisan and master problem solver - Troy thrives on a good challenge. He has the unusual combination of great abstract thinking, hands-on intelligence and skill - the perfect hands-on guy for sustainable oriented projects. He is also a gardener to boot - what a find!

There will be a wide variety of and very broad selection of biologically activated heirloom tomatoes, peppers, flowers and herb starts to sell at the March A Morning in the Country. Also available will be live microgreen trays (different varieties, serving sized trays) and produce. The heirloom varieties we will offer are some of Hans' personal heirloom picks and those started for trial. Many are either rare or non-existant (as starts) from local commercial sources - this is a rare opportunity for those interested in trying something new. Variety information with pictures will be available. Everthing available is produced at Twin Persimmons Farm or Blackwood - purchases support both projects.