Inspired by Rex Teague, I've asked long time friend and neighbor Rex Harrill to join BD Now! for a little while. Rex was a very strong contributer to this list in its early days and has become a very strong voice for food quality on his own. One would do well to investigate the links Mr Teague listed below.
Here's a quote from Rex: >Dr. Arden Andersen's treatise on ecological agriculture suggested >obtaining a refractometer to test one's output. I did, and >small-scale farming has never been the same for me since. The >mystery of that earlier bug-proof garden with its scrumptious fruits >was soon revealed. It's so simple: when the brix is low, the taste >is poor, and the insects come. When the brix is high, the taste is >superb and the insects seem to busy themselves elsewhere. The >farmer's job is simply to remineralize and fertilize in such a way >that the plants, properly fed, can develop higher brix. As a person who came into biodynamics "recovering" from multiple chemical sensitivities and one who is diagnosed by his homeopath as a "NUX," I've had the fortune of being sort of a walking quality tester for some time. Whatever it is that will allow my body to react negatively to the plastic molecules in a jug of spring water reacts just as strongly in the presence of strong 'chi.' I'm convinced that the BRIX meter is an external measurement for these qualities. I also very strongly believe that they only way that we small biological farmers are going to make it in the market place is by ceasing to talk about how much better our food is because of our practices and by starting to knock people's sox off when they taste (or smell!) the food we grow. Take Hugh Lovel's remarkable produce as an example of bringing this sort of quality to market and having your neighbors beat a path to your door. I do believe that a farmer can do this with biodynamic compost and the BD preps, but I've come to believe that making good compost from poor inputs (be they plant or manure) is almost impossible and that even the most devout beginning BD practitioner will have much to gain - - and time to save - - by reading what Rex Harrill has written (links below) and by listening to what he has to say. Ask him questions. Please be polite to our guest, but ask him any question about food quality or tissue testing that you have been looking for an answer to. Thanks in advance to Rex and to anyone who takes the opportunity to participate in this discussion. -Allan >On 31 Dec 01, Rambler wrote: >> Hi Stephen There is a method called Brix testing that a farmer can do >> himself. It uses a refractometer to measure suger levels in plants and >> fruit. When suger levels get above a certain level for each group of >> plants then you have reached a balanced soil energy level. A figure >> between 9-15 is my understanding. This is also subject that i would >> like to study this coming year. It is one of the means which Dan Skow >> uses in his book Mainline farming for the 21st Century to get his soil >> nutrient levels to balance and you can do it your self. > >There is a good amount of Brix information at >http://www.brixpage.com. Note it is not just a measure of sugar >rather plant sap solids. > >Rex Harrill has written a helpful book(let) which can be clicked >through to from the above website or >http://www.crossroads.ws/brixbook/BBook.htm. > >The BrixTalk list is linked from the Crossroads website but because of >the unwieldy frames it maybe easy to go straight to it at >http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrixTalk. > >Further links at http://www.crossroads.ws/brix/index-page7.html. > >HTH... Rex
