May 2005: Peter DeLoof and Sara Bassett know that local farm families leave a long-lasting legacy that runs with the land. They have lived at "the old Blumenaur place" for nearly 10 years now, but it is no closer now to being referred to locally as "the DeLoof-Bassett place" than it was on the very first day they moved in. They've come to understand that it will be known as "the old Blumenauer place" well into the foreseeable future.

Peter and Sara's farmland was one of the stops on the Washtenaw Land Trust's Farmland Preservation Tour on Saturday, May 21. Attendees took a bus-ride through the western part of Washtenaw County to learn about farmland preservation options and to visit two local protected farms. In addition to Peter and Sara's farm, the event included a farm tour at the Ann Arbor Community Farm in Lima Township.

Peter & Sara's farmland
Peter, who serves on the Washtenaw Land Trust Board of Trustees, and his wife, Sara, moved to their farm in 1996. They conserved a portion of their farmland through a governmental Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program, which compensates a landowner for entering into an agreement to conserve the agricultural and natural features of the land.

Peter & Sara are in the process of restoring the farm's outbuildings to preserve their historic condition. The prior owners, the Blumenaur family, purchased the 100-acre farm in about 1915. They grew oats, fruits, and vegetables, and raised cattle, chicken and sheep.

Peter and Sara currently have the cropland in hay. They have also worked to improve the water quality on their land by planting native Michigan grasses north of their house and north of the small kettle lake on their property. With root systems that can reach as much as 15 feet deep, native grasses improve water quality and protect drinking water sources by filtering out pesticides, organic matter, and other pollutants.

The Community Farm
The tour's second stop was a farm on Fletcher Road south of Chelsea. The farm is owned by Isabelle Joy Yingling and has been farmed since the early 1990s by the Ann Arbor Community Farm, a cooperatively owned farm.

Isabelle, the Community Farm, and the Washtenaw Land Trust completed a conservation agreement in 2004 to protect the 10-acre farm. The conservation agreement protects the land's agricultural and natural features in perpetuity.

The Community Farm of Ann Arbor is a member-owned farm that grows fruits and vegetables for their members. The members, in turn, finance the farm system, providing economic stability each year. The farm uses organic and bio-dynamic methods to restore and maintain balance in the soil.

"It is up to us to decide what land will be available for our children's children to grow their food upon," said Anne Elder, one of the farm managers at the Community Farm.

She and Paul Bantle work with several apprentices to do the primary farm work, growing the crops and raising the farm's cows, goats, chickens, and bees.

Thanks to the conservation agreement, and a long-term lease, the farm will be able to provide delicious food for many future generations.

Protecting farmland for the long haul
A wide variety of tools are available to preserve farms such as these. The Farmland Tour highlighted a few of these tools, including conservation agreements, purchase of development rights (PDR) programs, and the federal Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP.)

For their part, Paul & Anne of the Community Farm and Peter & Sara in Freedom Township will continue to be good stewards of their land, so that the farms will still be around for the next generation.

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While we were on the farm tour, our bus driver, Doug Harvey, mentioned some great German Potato Salad recipes. He sent us a copy of these recipes, and here they are. Thanks, Doug!

Doug's German Potato Salad
  - Boil potatoes - 4 or 5 or more. Peel and slice them into small slices about the size of a quarter.
  - Pour vinegar over them in a bowl, add some parsely flakes over them, and let it set.
  - Dice about 6 or 8 slices of bacon. Fry them on low heat until the bacon is crisp. Do not burn. Add bacon to salad.
  - Cut up a few green onion tops and put them into the potatoes.
  - Cut up the green onion bottoms (the white part) and put them into a frying pan with some bacon grease.
  - Put a small amount of corn starch mixed with vinegar in a small bowl, then add the mixture to the grease and onions in the frying pan and stir until it is clear and thick. Then pour into potatoes and stir.
  - Add salt and pepper and more vinegar to your taste.
  - Let set for about 1/2 hour and serve.

Metzger's German Potato Salad
    2 pounds potatoes, washed
    3/4 cup hot beef or chicken broth
    1/2 cup finely chopped onions
    1/3 cup apple cider vinegaar
    1/4 cup corn oil
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon fine black pepper
- Boil potatoes with skins on until tender. Allow to cool just enough to be able to peel and slice to a thickness of about one-eighth inch.
- Add salt, pepper, onions, vinegar and oil. Pour hot broth over potatoes. Let stand at room temperature for at least one hour. Mix again just before serving.

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About the Washtenaw Land Trust:
The Washtenaw Land Trust is a private, non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that protects natural areas and working farms throughout Washtenaw, Jackson, and Ingham Counties.

Washtenaw Land Trust
info@washtenawlandtrust.org
734-302-LAND(5263)