Why farmers go organic

Ever since we lived near (actually, right next door to!) the farmers’ market in Torrance, I’ve loved supporting local small farmers. Moving to Ann Arbor gave me the chance to connect with local growers on an even deeper level and learn a lot from them about how and why they grow their crops in a sustainable fashion that doesn’t harm – and even helps – the environment and nourishes our physical well-being in a deeper way.

Most of my family’s ecologically grown produce comes from Tomm and Trilby at Sunseed Farm. The picture on the left is the sort of display that greets me at my Friday CSA pickups – yummm!

Our eggs, poultry (including amazing turkey!), lamb, and pork come from Salomon and Nina at Salomon Gardens. My son and I had the opportunity to visit the farm last year, and it gave Nikolai a view of how happy, pastured animals live and how they can be harvested with the most care and respect.

Tomm and Salomon have been very helpful to me in my Fl!p Your K!tchen project and graciously agreed to be videoed for it – I hope to share those videos with you soon!

We supplement their offerings with raw milk and some beef from Family Farms Co-op. (Email me if you want more info on the co-op.)

In the past few months, my networking has brought me into contact with an increasing number of local growers and food activists – most recently Bob and Kirsten of Local Grown Harvest in Milan. Look for an interview with Kirsten in the next few months, and in the meantime, check out their video, “Why We Do What We Do.” Unlike Tomm and Salomon, their farm used to be part of the conventional agriculture system, and in this video, you’ll learn how a very personal situation was the catalyst for going organic.