Hooray to
Windfall Farms and
Neely Green Solutions for bringing biodiesel full circle...and for inviting us to be part of the process!
In October 2006, longtime friends Morse Pitts of
Windfall Farms and engineer Tom Herbert of
Neely Green began brewing biodiesel on a FuelMeister II in Morse's Montgomery, NY barn. The operation started fairly full circle to begin with: Morse grows an array of greens that are in great demand at
New York City Greenmarkets and restaurants. Each week, on his way home from Union Squre Greenmarket, Morse picks up used cooking oil from the restaurants he delivers greens to. Back on the farm, Tom and Darren Hinman brew clean-burning biodiesel that fuels farm trucks and tractors and Tom's Jetta and that heats a family home. By March, Windfall greenhouses were also being heated by biodiesel. In May, the bus shown here, fueled by home-brewed B100, was added to the fleet, and has since been used to ferry goods to market and the makings of biodiesel from it.
Hopefully YOU'll get on the bus, one way or another! Windfall sells at Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the year. Morse often finishes his market days by delivering greens to, meeting friends at and picking up oil from
Heartland Brewery, just across the street...giving truth to the forthcoming bumpersticker, "Our Fuel Comes from the Heartland." Up on the farm, Darren and Tom undertake the
transesterification process that transforms cooking oil from
Heartland,
Chow Bar, City Bakery and other restaurants into clean-burning biodiesel. While byproducts from the process are used to fertillize the fields, biodiesel made from it is used to heat the greenhouses that grow the greens that feed the fans that...can also come upcounty to help make it happen! Check out
Neely Green Solutions for upcoming biodiesel workshops, and befriend
Windfall Farms to learn more about the farm tours, best-of-local feasts and seasonal celebrations that often follow.
Count me in! And Happy B*Day, Morse!
