Two months ago I became an organic farmer. Less than two years ago, I was working as an apparel designer in San Francisco hunched over a desk sketching garments that would be manufactured in China and shipped to department stores all over America wrapped 3 times over in plastic and cardboard.
Of course, this site is about gluten free food, so I hesitate to detail the nuances of my transition from desk to farm. In short, it was time for a big change. I took this road trip I’ve told you about, and made this movie, and now I’m farming on a beautiful hillside in Novato with a team of amazingly smart and enthusiastic people. The Indian Valley Organic Farm and Garden is owned and run as a team effort by the College of Marin and Conservation Corps North Bay. The 5.8 acre farm is only in its fourth year of existence, yet the crops and gardens are already thriving. With a strong backbone of individuals who have dedicated their lives to sustainable farming (including a pioneer of the organic farming movement), the Indian Valley Farm is becoming an unrivaled educational resource in the bay area. Every day we harvest fantastic certified organic produce that’s sold to the community from our farm stand and nearby restaurants looking to support local organic agriculture.
I’m telling you all of this because I plan to start posting once in a while about things I do on the farm and talk about amazing processes like composting and bee keeping and how to grow beautiful red russian kale and what fresh pressed olive oil from our beautiful young tuscan olive trees tastes like. All of this in between the usual features of restaurants and bakeries and recipes I love. Thank you so much for following along!
Do any of you live in the North Bay? Stop by the Indian Valley Organic Farm on Wednesdays year round between 10am and 3pm for organic produce at the farm stand.
So excited you are going to be writing more about these things! I mean, you’ve pretty much already covered all the restaurants in the bay
Can’t wait to hear more about the farm!
No legislation is perfect, and if there’s a need for legislation, you can expect opposition from those whose activities that legislation will
curtail. Conventional farmers utilize chemicals which kills
bacteria. ‘Organic’ for those of you who are unaware of it, is a term, or a definition of a farming
process which shuns conventional methods of farming.
Tastier Food ‘ Obviously this is a big plus. Little did we realize the
after effects and adverse effects of using such harmful chemical based fertilizers
and pesticides.