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Proudly Presented byHeart's PasturePotato CSAReal Food. From Our Hearts. To You. |
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Beginning in summer of 2024 we will be offering a limited community supported agriculture focused on one versatile vegetable: the potato. This CSA will consist of many varieties, most of which are not found in stores, and runs for six months, from October to March.
Wild, abundant, earthy gems, each potato will be dug by loving hands and sweaty brows, perfectly preserved under cover of snow and a deep mulch bedding. This is food that will awaken your senses during the months of fallen leaves and cold winter snow, food that is truly grounded, unearthed from the slumber of the growing season, ready to be drawn inward to the warmth of your home. |
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Sunday Potatoes, Monday Potatoes (Our Story)
Potatoes became a major part of our farm expansion plans at the beginning of 2024. Often overlooked, with little attention on our part, the grandeur of the potato was hiding in plain sight since 2022. Not realizing it was close to our hearts, it spoke to us in many subtle ways. Captivating flowers emerged every summer, and beautiful tubers were unearthed each fall. Flavorful, versatile, and abundant, they became a vegetable worth cultivating. And so thoughts inspiring a market garden ensued. In January 2024 we decided to clear all barriers that were stopping us from sharing this often overlooked food staple with other people.
Here's how it happened . . .
Contemplating whether or not to even grow food, back in 2022, we "threw" what we considered soft, spoiled potatoes into the ground and mulched them with goat waste hay (organic matter with goat manure), hoping that they would grow, yet, honestly, not knowing much about how to grow them, let alone what to expect. During the warmer months of that year we were intensely focused on the care of live animals more than growing fruit and vegetables. The potatoes became neglected by our standards. Zero weeding was done. And we hardly watered them. The soil amendments that took place the previous year were tilling in chicken manure with a shovel. It was hardly a picture of a well-manicured garden. But the potatoes grew anyway. In fact, they flourished. Very memorable were the flowers that summer. Flowers of the nightshade family are small and dainty, yet showy. They have a glowing essence to them. We were shocked to be so serenaded by their siren-song-beauty. As the plants began to die back in the fall of that year, we got to harvest potatoes for the first time. What an experience that was! A true gift, each plant provided numerous little tubers for our table. During that first year of growing potatoes, the variety we chose to grow was the Viking. They looked unlike any of the stereotypical potato varieties from the store. A picture of the starry sky, they really did draw us toward the cosmos. We were aligned and we didn't realize it, but our experiences that year were well noted, nonetheless.
As farmers, we are not shy to sudden burst of inspiration or momentum. Sometimes when an idea is good enough it can feel like fate. For whatever the reason, we were meant to expand our farm to include food. In January of 2024 the planets aligned and drew our thoughts inward, and it was there that the potato emerged yet again, cloistered deep in our hearts from the underground realm of our dreams. It was a start-from-scratch, build-it-like-you-can-dream-it kind of calling. There was literally no chance of turning back. Zero. Plans were put in place: It would be a half acre market garden, divided in half, making it a garden/animal pasture rotational grazing system. Check. Then the work started immediately. We are a forest farm. Quite literally. Trees were cut, moved, split, moved. Stumps were pulled by excavator and moved. A forest mulcher tilled the top of the ground. The perimeter was marked. Cedar posts were set. The fence and gates were erected. The soil was tilled, with the remaining roots removed via splitting maul. Countless hours and seven months later, using mainly the manpower from one small family and a few helpful neighbors, marked the planting of the first potato and the beginning of year one.
In 2023 it was time for an upgrade. Ready to get serious about growing food for our family, we expanded and reconstructed the dimensions of our garden, allowing a lot more space. We opened up the woods a bit and created a better direction so that the little chlorophyll solar panels could better follow the sun throughout the day. Among other fruits and vegetables, growing potatoes in larger quantities became an important part of our plans that summer. The previous fall, the pigs were run into the garden to forage and move the soil, and chicken manure and goat waste hay in larger quantities was tilled into the soil by machine that spring. Up until this point, we had a growing herd of goats and an inordinate amount of waste hay. Expanding our home garden really allowed us to find a need for it. That summer we grew Viking, Amarosa, and Baby Red potatoes. And that growing season we tended the potatoes with a little more loving care. We planted and harvested using the biodynamic calendar and, knowing that goat manure does not "burn" plants, surrounded each with a thick layer of nutritious goat waste hay. Each row ended up with nearly zero weeds. The nutrients in the soil, as well as the layer of mulch above ground enriched the potatoes as they grew, and added an extra layer of protection from the sun, providing a dank environment underground. They were truly in their ideal growing habitat. That summer we experienced the most beautiful variety of different colors of potato flowers. Dark green plants, full of life and at high levels vibrationally, grew like wild. They glowed in their aura. True potato seed emerged in the fall. And an average of three pounds of potatoes were unearthed from each plant. At the end of 2023, we were happy to have so much food, and potatoes were nearly begging us to make them the focal point of our Eden here at Heart's Pasture.
Measure Twice, Plant Once (Our Practices)
Tons of buzz words surround farming practices now a days, with a plethora of certifications to match. Fancy labels like organic, non-GMO, local, and animal welfare approved certainly hold weight in our household when we buy food from the grocery store. But in all reality, even with those labels, that food is from farms that we have little-to-no knowledge or connection to. Though labels help (so we think) for those situations, there is still a lot more that goes into farming than what is seen on the surface. Most of the time, the labels are associated with operations that are quite large, with a lot of hands in the pot.
Fancy labels do not define us --and they never will. And when you grow your own food or know your farmer, they very seldom impress. In contrast, this is a family operation. Quite literally. So we could say that we are organic, beyond organic, non-GMO, and soy free. We could seek those types of certifications. But those ways to identify us, and our products, are often more restrictive and cost prohibitive. They would confine us more than they define us, and they do not represent us.
Over the last several years we have have learned and trialed farming practices that better reflect our principals and beliefs. It has been an extremely enjoyable experience, as a lot of what we do not only can be applied to growing food, but also to nourishing children, and living a life with more potential than ever realized. If we resorted to labels we would only limit ourselves.
Fancy labels do not define us --and they never will. And when you grow your own food or know your farmer, they very seldom impress. In contrast, this is a family operation. Quite literally. So we could say that we are organic, beyond organic, non-GMO, and soy free. We could seek those types of certifications. But those ways to identify us, and our products, are often more restrictive and cost prohibitive. They would confine us more than they define us, and they do not represent us.
Over the last several years we have have learned and trialed farming practices that better reflect our principals and beliefs. It has been an extremely enjoyable experience, as a lot of what we do not only can be applied to growing food, but also to nourishing children, and living a life with more potential than ever realized. If we resorted to labels we would only limit ourselves.
As Prospective CSA members, you are owed an explanation of how this food is grown and how this whole operation works. Thus, We present to you the following:
Energetics
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The two most powerful words are I am. What we do here at Heart's Pasture embodies the completion of that thought. We are all energy beings. It flows all around us. Our thoughts are energy. All living things emit energy. The energy emitted is referred to as a vibration. We farm at a high vibration. Each seed has a purpose and is grown with the love from our hearts with great intention to share with other people. The result of this vibration is food that nourishes.
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Enrichment
The most important element of our food operation, soil enrichment consists of using the abundant, nutrient-dense manure from the other animals at our farm in a variety of different ways. Chicken, pig, and goat manure, along with organic matter, is manually taken from the animal paddocks and is tilled into the ground every fall. In addition, our potatoes are never grown in the same place every year. We use a rotational pasture system, where they are grown on ground that was previously an annual cover crop pasture that fed our animals in the spring, summer and fall. Perhaps most importantly, though, we add a thick layer of what we call "goat waste hay", which consists of organic matter not eaten by our goats (hay), and, naturally, goat manure, around each growing potato plant. This feeds the plant through all stages of life, and creates a consistent amount of moisture and bioactivity in the soil. Our goat manure contains high levels of trace minerals because of the concentrated mixture of kelp and herbs they eat. This enriches our soil with many trace minerals, such as iodine, selenium, copper, and iron, which are nonexistent in most Michigan soils. It is essentially the equivalent of a vitamin-laden balm for the soil --and the food that is grown from it!
Core Principals and Beliefs
Here we come to our non-negotiables. For this, we do need the help of labels. Any seed not saved and reused is from non-GMO, organic seed stock. We are herbicide, pesticide, polyunsaturated oil, and soy free in all facets of our operation, so any manure used to enrich our soil does not contain those poisons. We do not feed our animals anything that does not contain real ingredients. Resorting to using an OMRI organic certified product to thwart pests is not used. We believe in building the foundation of our soil so that the food we grow can be resilient. Nature is an ally, not an enemy.
A Potato in the Hand is Worth 3 Pounds in the Bush (The Specifics)
We will be offering the opportunity to experience incredible varieties of potatoes, at good quantities, to fill many main courses from one CSA box to the next. And we have big plans for what this will develop into in the future!
Most CSAs consist of a variety of different fruits and vegetables, enough food for a couple meals per week. But what about the rest? Having been a part of different CSAs, we experienced the ability to choose what goes into each box and were always left a little unsatisfied, wanting more potatoes. We could never quite create the perfect combination that met our desire. Nothing against the rutabaga, but it doesn't quite elicit thoughts of variety and flavor. Often overlooked when meal planning, it seemed as though some of the more unfamiliar foods were never used up before it began to soften and spoil.
Enter the potato. In regards to eating, it's one of the most versatile vegetables around --mashed, roasted, baked, boiled, fried (for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!) On top of that, when harvested fresh throughout the colder months, it has incredible storing qualities, easily lasting well beyond any other potato.
We decided to create a CSA with the focus on providing our favorite, often-used food staple that doesn't feel repetitive when eaten many times a week. CSA members will have the ability to choose between a large and a small option to be received monthly for six months, from October to March.
These aren't russets. At any one time, we are easily growing close to fifty different varieties of unique potatoes to be included in present and future CSAs. Some of the varieties are grown from true potato seed, which is a lengthy, multi-year growing process that doesn't allow us to share them with you right away. Each month, you'll receive a combination of at least three different varieties of those potatoes, thoughtfully curated with suggestions on how to showcase them for your next month of meals.
Most CSAs consist of a variety of different fruits and vegetables, enough food for a couple meals per week. But what about the rest? Having been a part of different CSAs, we experienced the ability to choose what goes into each box and were always left a little unsatisfied, wanting more potatoes. We could never quite create the perfect combination that met our desire. Nothing against the rutabaga, but it doesn't quite elicit thoughts of variety and flavor. Often overlooked when meal planning, it seemed as though some of the more unfamiliar foods were never used up before it began to soften and spoil.
Enter the potato. In regards to eating, it's one of the most versatile vegetables around --mashed, roasted, baked, boiled, fried (for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!) On top of that, when harvested fresh throughout the colder months, it has incredible storing qualities, easily lasting well beyond any other potato.
We decided to create a CSA with the focus on providing our favorite, often-used food staple that doesn't feel repetitive when eaten many times a week. CSA members will have the ability to choose between a large and a small option to be received monthly for six months, from October to March.
These aren't russets. At any one time, we are easily growing close to fifty different varieties of unique potatoes to be included in present and future CSAs. Some of the varieties are grown from true potato seed, which is a lengthy, multi-year growing process that doesn't allow us to share them with you right away. Each month, you'll receive a combination of at least three different varieties of those potatoes, thoughtfully curated with suggestions on how to showcase them for your next month of meals.
The Matrix (Next Steps)
Hopefully we haven't lost you among all the details. It's a busy world, with a lot of distractions. What you read truly was food for thought, as the aphorism suggests, and hopefully you've had time to digest. If you've come this far and you're still with us, perhaps (maybe, just maybe) those words rekindled a connection with food as the most primal human experience. For that, we ask that you now let the potato be the vessel to transform your senses . . . one plate at a time. See you there.