Ramps, Organic Certifications, and more with Monroe Family Organics
Michele Monroe with a ramp harvest
At Argus Farm Stop, there are a few items that come in the store that signal a real beginning to the new growing season. We begin to see green garlic, green onions, and radishes as the sun comes out. But as the days turn from just above freezing, to so sunny your soul begs to stay outside, we see the arrival of asparagus, foraged morels, and ramps, signifying a moment of the season. Ramps are a special item in our store due to their cultivation, or lack thereof. Farmers can’t grow ramps at scale for the most part, so when ramps are harvested, it’s more of a foraging activity than a farming one. Our good friends at Monroe Family Organics in Alma, Michigan supply us with the vast majority of our ramps. We chatted with them to learn more about how they harvest Ramps, how they sell local produce to consumers, and different certification options for farms.
We’re always excited to have produce that is native to our region, such as strawberries, and ramps. Ramps are native to the forests of eastern North America. “They’re an onion type plant. They look like a lilly and grow in the woods.” Fred Monroe of Monroe Family Organics tells us. Along with other alliums like green onions and garlic, ramps grow from a bulb in the ground, growing two leaves out in the spring. This time of late April into May is when the ramps are visible and able to be harvested by foragers. (Jessee and Ram, 2024)
Ramps at Argus farm stop
Ramps aren’t usually cultivated like almost all of our produce because they take a very long time to grow to maturity. From seed, ramps can take 7-10 years to fully develop into a harvestable ramp. Because of this extended period of time, foragers need to be sustainable and consider the environment when they forage. Taking too many bulbs from a ramp patch can cause the patch to diminish in size. The dangers to this local treasure is evident by the state of a particular variety of ramp, Allium tricoccum var. Burdickii, which environmentalists fear could go extinct.
Foraging sustainably for ramps involves never taking more than 10% of the bulbs of a ramp patch, leaving ample bulbs to continue to propagate. The Monroe Family follows this rule and then some in their harvest.
“We harvest by hand with garden forks, walking throughout a 40+ acre wood. We harvest about 1-2% of the ramps every year, way below the recommended sustainable harvest maximum of 10% which is probably conservative already. We do no-clear cutting, leaving a few of every clump we harvest to make sure they are still spread all over the woods.”
With access to ramp patches spreading across 40+ acres, the Monroes have been able to satisfy all the demand Argus Farm Stop customers have had the past couple years during ramp season. With their unique garlicky-onion taste, ramps are a specialty for chefs, but not everyone will be ready for their flavor. Some great ways to cook ramps involve sautéing the bulbs and leaves, pickling the bulbs, and even our recommended recipe of a Ramp Pesto! See our recipe at the bottom of this post to learn to make this great dish.
The arrival of Monroe Family Organics at Argus Farm Stop each year is a welcome sight, and a signal of local agriculture’s awakening from the winter. Based two hours north of Ann Arbor in Alma, Michigan, their products aren’t available in our stores for a couple short winter months, while it’s too cold for the Monroes to harvest enough produce to warrant the journey down to deliver. They have been farming for 14 years now and selling through Argus Farm Stop since 2018.
Michele monroe with a full delivery of fresh, organic produce from their farm in alma
“Michele and I both quit our jobs and moved with our newborn Jane back to Alma, my hometown, to start the farm in 2011. It was just an open pasture with no infrastructure and we built it into the farm it is today.” Now, the Monroe Family Farm has built out a 300 person CSA, and increased the family size with three kids. Fred and Michele run the farm with two full-time and two part-time employees. They sell through Argus Farm Stop, other grocery/markets, and farm boxes such as Argus Farm Stop’s Weekly Produce Box. They grow a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and even a microgreen mix.
Shoppers at Argus Farm Stop will recognize Monroe Family Organics for their cherry tomatoes, salad mix, potatoes, and carrots in addition to their ramps. Having these products to fill out our store is exciting not only because of how delicious they are, but Monroe Family Organics is one of our producers that is certified organic. We try to offer an organic option for as much of our produce as we can to our customers and while many producers use organic practices, not all of them have the certification.
The organic certification is a federal level certification from the USDA. The process for getting certified involves applications, fees, and on-site inspections, with annual reviews. The certification shows consumers that your products have been produced without GMOs, ionizing radiation, and more. There are strict rules to obtain the certification, banning the use of certain materials for growing food. Growing organically has been proven to improve the soil ecology on farms and improve water quality.
“Organic certification keeps us to a verified standard of growing practices which is easier to understand than just saying we are ‘natural’, which could mean almost anything.” Fred pointed out to us. “It does take some time, paperwork and expense.”
Many farms don’t have the organic certification from the USDA, not because they aren’t growing organically, but because they don’t find the financial investment in the certification to be worth the cost. Some small farms can’t afford to invest the possible thousands of dollars into the certification. They know their own growing practices and are very passionate about growing in ways that are good for the planet and people. A lot of producers at Argus Farm Stop would fit this description. Some have even had the certification before, but grew a loyal customer base that trusted them. So they forewent keeping the expense of the certification at a certain point, while keeping, and in some cases, expanding those organic practices on the farm.
monroe family organics’ delicious spring mix at argus farm stop
Some don’t think the organic certification goes far enough, allowing certain growing practices to be labelled as organic that they wouldn’t consider good growing practices. This has led to the rise of alternative forms of certification such as the Real Organic Project, Certified Naturally Grown, and Good Agricultural Practices certifications. Multiple of our producers such as Green Things Farm Collective and The Farm On Jennings have sought out these alternative certifications that may have even more strict specifications than the USDA, and/or may have more farm friendly pricing structures. Monroe Family Organics were previously Good Agricultural Practices certified in addition to the USDA certification, but have not renewed that certification.
“We didn’t see the need for an extra expense and time. We did learn some valuable things to keep in practice even after we dropped the GAP certification.”
With different certifications on the rise, each with their own sets of rules and reapplications, farms and consumers can have a hard time keeping track of what each label may mean for their food. For now, the organic certification straight from the USDA still holds the standard in consumer’s minds for what “organic” means. With that standardization of the inspections and processes, Monroe Family Organics can count on their certification meaning something to their customers. Since 2018, we’ve been overjoyed to have their products available at our markets. You can buy fantastic and flavorful spinach, spring mix, ramps, green onions, green garlic, and more from Monroe Family Organics at Argus Farm Stop’s Liberty and Packard Market locations.
Bach elementary students make ramp pesto with mary balog
Exposing the whole family to the wonders of local food is something we at Argus Farm Stop cultivate everyday. Our resident Farm Stop Dietitian Mary Balog uses Monroe Family ramps each season with the group of Bach Elementary kindergarteners who come to the store each spring. Mary’s special Wild Ramp Pesto recipe is below.
Recipe:
Bach elementary kindergarten classes have been visiting Argus Farm Stop each spring for the last few years. They usually come during the brief season for wild ramps, so we get to make Wild Ramp Pesto when they visit. It's a great way for them to practice using a recipe, measuring ingredients, and tasting new foods. They also get to learn about Argus Farm Stop and have fun.
Wild Ramp Pesto is a fun and easy recipe that kids can help make! This vibrant, flavorful pesto uses wild ramps, a wild onion, along with spinach, sunflower seeds, lemon juice, and olive oil. Kids can assist by measuring ingredients, tearing the spinach or ramps into smaller pieces, juicing lemons, and adding ingredients to the food processor. They also can help adjust the seasoning to their liking. It’s a great way for them to get involved in the kitchen while learning about fresh, seasonal ingredients! This dish is perfect as a dip, spread, pizza or pasta topping.
Ingredients:
1 cup spinach
2-3 ramps (bulbs and leaves)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
juice of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions:
Combine the ramps, spinach, sunflower seeds, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a food processor.
Blend to mix. While mixing, carefully stream in the olive oil.
Mix until smooth. taste and adjust seasoning to your preference
Enjoy!
Citations:
Organic certification. Organic Certification | Agricultural Marketing Service. (n.d.). https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/certification
Jessee, C., & Ram, C. (2024, September 8). Everything you need to know about ramps. Food & Wine. https://www.foodandwine.com/vegetables/everything-you-need-know-about-ramps
Is it possible to grow ramps in the garden? (2020a). Extension.https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2020/01/it-possible-grow-ramps-garden
Maple Syrup Season In Michigan: An Interview with Whitney Farmstead
As the weather warms, people regain energy laid dormant during the sleepy winter. Certain birdsong, the sound of peeper frogs, and the occasional sunny, 50° day indicate that spring is on the way. One indicator of spring’s coming is the flow of sap from our local maple trees. Alex Blume and I, Bella Martinez, of Argus Farm Stop recently spoke with Malaika Whitney and Matthew Haarklou of Whitney Farmstead, about the process of maple production during this special month. Sitting in their sugar shack, we discussed the farm’s history, the local community, and tradition on the farm.
The Whitney Farm, located in Dexter, has been with the Whitney family since 1900, when Malaika’s great-great grandfather, Estley purchased 40 acres. “He had a lung issue, so he bought land to get out of the city. They were small and diversified [then].” The farm grew and shrank over the decades, but maple sugaring has been a part since the beginning.
a sugar maple with two collection buckets
The current iteration of the Whitney Farm, known as the Whitney Farmstead, began in 2014, after Malaika returned from Sterling College in Vermont. Matthew and Malaika met there and Matthew came with her to start the farm. “Spring of 2015 was the first year we sold syrup and applied to go to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market and the first year we started selling at Argus Farm Stop.” Matthew told us.
The oldest sugar maples the Whitneys tap predate their initial purchase in 1900. The oldest are probably 200 years old, Matthew estimates. A sugar maple tree needs to reach about a foot in diameter before it can be safely tapped, which will take about 30-40 years.
A hole is drilled into the maple tree and a spile is hammered in. The sap drips out of the spile and into a collection bucket. Bigger maple operations than Whitney Farmstead will use a system of hoses to direct the sap directly to a collection tank. However, there are drawbacks. “The tube operations spend a ton of time fixing tubes where wildlife run through. Because they’re there year-round, there’s much more maintenance.”
A smaller operation involves daily collection while the weather permits. “We tap the trees as soon as the days get above freezing, below freezing at night. Once tapped, we wait for them to fill up, then collect.”
The Whitneys boil the sap with a wood-fired stove, creating an arguably more complex and delicious syrup. “In large operations, using reverse osmosis makes things very efficient. It cuts the boiling time down. We think [boiling fully with wood fire] makes the maple taste better. It boils longer and has more time to develop flavors.”
Typically, it takes 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup. The Whitneys will take the collected sap in their tank on their truck to a large holding tank outside their sugar shack. They’ll pump the sap into their first boiler as room permits. Once it reaches 80% syrup in the first boiler, they’ll move it to a finish pan with a filter, and then can it.
Syrup needs to reach 66% sugar on the BRIX scale cold to be considered maple syrup. The sugar content of the sap will decrease as the season progresses. It starts around 5% sugar, but it will decrease down to about 2% sugar at the end of the season, needing more boiling time to reach maple syrup.
whitney farmstead’s wood fired boiler in the sugar shack
With sap season directly related to the weather, rising temperatures impact farmers’ harvests and make the season more difficult to predict. Temperatures warming too quickly will cause the sap to gum up and change flavor, shortening the already short, annual maple season.
“Sometimes you’ll get fluke warm spells in January and it’s not worthwhile to tap then, because it might just be one day where you could get a run. There is a timeline from when you tap to when your spiles dry up and heal themselves. So, if you tap too early you’ll miss the later runs, and if you tap too late you’ll miss the early runs. You just have to find that sweet spot. Before mid February, we’re hesitant to tap. Maybe at some point that will change.
“[Rising temperatures] makes the decision more difficult. This year, we couldn’t have tapped any earlier because it would’ve been too cold, but if it continues to be this warm, the season is going to be over quickly. We need that fluctuation [of temperature]. It can’t get too hot, or it all gets cut off by bacteria that causes the sap to gum up, making the holes close up quicker. We don’t want crazy highs. The other day it was 35°, and the sap was still running.”
Considering how much sap it takes to make syrup, it’s clear how much thought and care go into the process.“100 gallons is our average. 2022 was slightly above average, 2023 was a record year, last year was below, this year we’ve got a long way to go.”
Malaika has said what they’re trying to do is “preserve traditions.” Sap season brings a special feeling and sharing that feeling with the community is a tradition they preserve.
“This is something our family’s always done. It’s the perfect balance between doing work outside and sitting in front of a cozy fire, and I think it’s just been an important cultural indicator that spring is coming; time to tap the trees. Because the yield is so variable in the season, it’s important for us to do community events around this time. It’s as much about sharing the magic of the season as it is actually producing syrup.”
Whitney Farmstead meets their customers and community through three main sales channels; the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, Argus Farm Stop, and their own farm stand. Matthew told us about the process of building those networks.
“It’s taken this many years to get experience, figure out markets, grow our business, and advertise. The key to our success has been our intense focus on direct marketing, building our brand, and getting a direct reputation through the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. Year-to-year, we try to have consistency in having good products, even though maybe not having enough at times. We can basically sell anything we produce now.
“I think that’s pretty rare in today's food system, for customers to meet the farmer and producers of food. We make a lot of public opportunities, not only through the farm stand, but through events, to come out to the farm. University of Michigan classes have come out. All of the Argus Farm Stop employees have come out at various times, when we first started.”
While the farmers market is a fantastic community space for farmers to sell their products, an on-stand farm stand provides a greater amount of context to the products. “[Customers] will see our sign and see our freezer, but there’s not much context, unless they’re willing to hear me ramble for 5-10 minutes about what we do. But if somebody’s out here, it paints a much clearer picture of what we do and provides clearer context.”
Malaika compared educational sales channels to grocery stores. “In the food system, we’ll never be able to compete with the marketing, convenience, or price point of any major grocery store, but we can offer something grocery stores can’t. It’s awesome to be able to sell directly or at places where it’s just as easy for people to say ‘Oh wow, this place is 10 minutes from here.’ It goes beyond any buzzword. We accept that we’ll never compete with Plum Market or Whole Foods. And we’re not trying to.”
With their farm stand and community events, Whitney Farmstead is a very communal place. They discussed keeping focus while engaging the community.
“In syrup season we have pancake pop-ups. We’d like to do more. It’s our home, so it’s always a fine line. It can feel overwhelming to host big events, but it’s important.”
“Because agritourism is such a ‘hot thing,’ it becomes important for us to put on events with the understanding that this isn’t all we do. This is a tiny piece of what we do, and it makes sense with the season, but we’re not set up to be a tourism farm or a petting zoo. We have to find that line between us first and foremost being farmers producing food and finding enough opportunities to share that in a way that feels good.
As Matthew notes, diversification is key to their success. “Maple syrup is just a part of what we do. It’s not our identity as a producer. Our emphasis is on small scale diversity. It’s what makes what we do viable and sustains us year round. If we have a bad syrup year, it’s a shorter winter, so more grass grows. Last year was one of our worst maple seasons, but one of our best hay seasons. It all evens out; we don’t put all of our eggs in one basket.
Part of what makes Whitney Farmstead so special is the incredible timber frame buildings they have on their farm. Matthew sourced timber completely from the farm and neighbors’ lands, milled them, and raised three buildings on the farm.
“Farmers have access to timber and wood, and part of being a small farm is the ability to diversify and be resilient—to build your own things. You gotta be crafty. Why buy lumber?”
The Sugar Shack was the first building they raised. It gives their wood-fired boiler a roof for the weather (and Alex and I a cozy place to sit for the interview). “My family’s been making maple syrup for a long time. We just never did it in a sugar house or sold the syrup. This would be in a barn, then we’d move it outside. Things were blowing over. One time a board blew over, hit the spout, and drained the whole pan overnight. It took Matthew one year of doing that before he was like, ‘Yeah, we gotta figure this out.’”
“It could be raining or snowing. You’re keeping the fire going, getting wet. I was looking for something to build and this seemed very natural.”
Sourcing the trees sustainably is a process for Whitney Farmstead. Matthew has an eye towards maintaining good and healthy trees on the farm, while using what can be used.
“When you walk through your woods, you see, here’s a tree that came down in a storm, here’s a tree that got struck by lightning. It’s still standing, but if not dead, dying. You cut it down and realize there were carpenter ants eating out the pith of the tree. If you had not cut it down, it would’ve had the value of firewood, if not nothing. It’s a necessity in managing a forest to go through it, letting the best trees be as healthy as they can and cutting others down.”
Whitney Farmstead’s main focus is on regenerative ranching of livestock. They use rotational grazing, moving the farm animals around different areas of the farm for grazing.
“We have 100% grass fed beef and lamb. Those are both heritage breeds. We do what’s called adaptive grazing—rotational grazing. We move them daily all over the farm, mimicking ruminant herds that have resided on grasslands all over the world. They are our bulk of managing 120 acres of grasslands, also making hay for those herds and flocks. The pigs and chickens are also pastured, but on a much smaller scale. Just enough to provide a diversity to what we offer, but we generally just raise chickens in the summer and a smaller number of pigs.”
There are many benefits to rotational grazing, especially on how it impacts the land.
“We’re managing our pastures as perennial polycultures. There’s diversity of plant, animal, insect, and microbiological life that thrives in rotational grazing. As they’re eating, and leaving, the land gets a full recovery. Pastures often have tree and shrub species, native grasses, wildflowers. They’re not a monocrop. We’re continuing the idea that you can raise nutrient-dense protein and support diverse, thriving ecosystems in a way that’s not possible with a crop or vegetable system. We’re giving back through inputs but we’re not buying in massive quantities of input to offset what we’re taking. It feels like a natural system; working with the land.”
the whitney fmaily in front of the sugar shack
The different livestock can serve different purposes, and the Whitney Farmstead uses their grazing to accomplish tasks the land needs.
“The sheep can go places where the cows can’t. The sheep are lighter, more portable, and eat different things than the cows do. Between all of those species, the cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, we utilize them where it makes sense on different parts of the farm. We use pigs as tillage in areas that are overgrown with invasive plants or poison ivy. Chickens are amazing at places that need a lot of nutrients quickly because they’re on a small area. It feels like a big orchestra. Everyone does their part. They’re always dancing around each other.”
Malaika and Matthew now have three kids in addition to their herds and maple trees.
“We’re finding the balance of farming well, while also being a family and being intentional about time spent. The farm isn’t everything. It’s what we do to sustain ourselves.”
“Having [building the house] off of our plate feels like a new leaf. We have energy to give to the farm that we haven’t been able to for the last few years. But, we’re not trying to grow a bigger customer base. We’re trying to take care of the customers we have.”
When asked “How do you think the farm has changed over the past ten years?” Malaika comedically responded “We’re much less productive” to laughs all around.
Whether you’re well acquainted with Whitney Farmstead or a stranger, Matthew and Malaika go out of their way to make you feel welcome. During our short time there, Alex and I had the chance to interact with Matthew and Malaika’s three children and their lab, Sebastian. Walking around the farm and observing their maple process, it’s easy to appreciate the effort and care they put into everything they produce. Their practices are organic, utilizing natural systems (like rotational grazing), and they carefully consider their farming methods to harmonize with the land while producing high quality food for their customers. Take the time to stop by their farm stand on Wednesdays or attend one of their community events. It is well worth the visit!
Written by Bella Martinez
Debbie Stabenow Visits Argus Farm Stop
Debbie Stabenow with the founders of Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Argus Farm Stop sells products for many farms interested in how the new Farm Bill can help represent them, and look forward to working with Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow to share information.
Argus Farm Stop Fundraiser
We have exciting news, Ann Arbor! We have an opportunity to expand to a second neighborhood location!
In under 3 years, we have demonstrated a new way to sell local food that benefits producers, consumers & the wider South-East Michigan community. We believe that the new location will allow us to double our impact and become one of the best local food communities in the country.
Help Argus grow our local food economy! Please consider supporting our mission with a donation of $100.
P.S. The 2nd location in Ann Arbor, to be located at 1200 Packard Road! Just on the other side of downtown.
Details on the project are in the link..... http://www.argusfarmstop.com/fundraiser/
Back 40 Bee Farm – From Happy Hives to Honey Lattes – Manchester, MI
If you've ever enjoyed a drink with honey at the Argus Farm Stop cafe, you know how sweet Back 40 Bee Farm can be. The honey Argus uses from Back 40 is raw, made in small batches, and bee-friendly, and the farmer, Mike Benedict, wouldn't have it any other way. “I put the bees first,” he explained, as we sat down to talk about the chemical-free practices he uses on his family bee farm.
Mike keeps thirty-five hives on his land in the southwest corner of Washtenaw County, where back roads wind along wetlands and horse farms. He has been keeping bees there since 2001, although he has been interested in beekeeping since he was a kid, when his grandfather kept hives of his own. Now Mike and his wife Kathryn live in an artsy, high-ceiling house they designed themselves, on a property that includes ponds hopping with frogs, gorgeous flowers, and a small vegetable garden. They also keep chickens and hogs as part of their drive toward self-sufficient living, although honey is the only product they sell. Mike also teaches art history and ceramics at Pioneer High School, a job which he seems to love as much as his bees.
Local, raw honey like Mike's is a much different product than the generic honey you might find elsewhere, as raw honey's lack of heating and processing leaves the vitamins, nutrients, and enzymes intact. There may also be evidence that local honey is good for seasonal allergies. (Raw honey is available in two forms, liquid or cream, which both offer health benefits. And if honey ever solidifies, it is easy to gently reheat the honey to a liquid form). Mike said he is glad that Argus customers are staying clear of non-local, generic honey, which often comes from overseas, and may not include much real honey in the product at all.
In contrast, Mike takes pride in knowing exactly what goes into his product. The bees can fly up to two miles in their search for flowers, but they don't have to fly that far on his land, which is rich with wildflowers. While he supports urban beekeeping – which is happily allowed in Ann Arbor – he likes knowing that his bees gather nectar far from pesticides and city air. He explained that the bees have taught him about the local flora, as they seek out different flowers depending on what is blooming at that point in the season. There was one year that the trees flowered early, and the honey from that nectar was crystal-clear. During some summers an abundance of lavender makes the honey especially flavorful, and later in the season, asters and goldenrod often turn the honey darker and richer. These variations are just another tasty advantage to local honey!
Mike seems to know everything there is to know about bees, but he learned the practice by making, as he put it, “lots of mistakes.” Now he is an advocate of raising strong bees, and doesn't use chemicals to save a weak hive, as those substances will end up in the honey and wax and ultimately weaken the bees' immune systems. Instead he prioritizes natural bee health, and aims to raise bees that don't require antibiotics or other medications, unlike many large bee farms.
Another part of Mike's method for healthy bees is breeding his own queens. When a hive loses its queen, due to old age or other factors, the lack of pheromones prompts the hives to feed some larvae royal jelly. Several queens are created, although the first queen to emerge usually kills the other larvae. Instead Mike removes the larvae and is able to harvest additional queens, meaning that he doesn't have to acquire queens from an unknown, outside source. Interestingly, Mike mentioned that many people don't realize that honeybees are a non-native, European species, and that many native bees actually exist, although they are mostly smaller and rarely noticed.
As an advocate for bees, Mike isn't a fan of corporate beekeeping, which involves chemicals, transporting hives, and limiting the gene pool – all practices which produce stressed, weaker bees. (In a rather elegant comparison, the art history teacher side of him likens this damaging “mass production” to Andy Warhol's screen prints, with their systematic reproduction of a single image.) Additionally, the bees used for agriculture have access to only one crop at a time, while a diversity of pollen and nectar makes for a healthier diet.
In Michigan, one major challenge of raising bees is the harsh winters. Bees will not defecate in their hive, so they need one day at least every two months over the winter when the temperature goes over 40 degrees. Then they leave for a “cleansing flight,” which looks, afterward, exactly how you might expect! But it's no laughing matter if the weather stays too cold. Two winters ago, the average hive lost in Michigan was at 90% due to persistent freezing temperatures, although Mike lost only 20% of his hives, thanks to the health of his bee stock.
Indeed, beekeeping is a lesson in ceding control to nature. This rainy summer, for example, hasn't been ideal for beekeeping, as the bees need sunshine for their “fly time.” In fact, they have already produced much less honey than by the same time last year. But Mike finds beekeeping rewarding nonetheless, and said that he has “learned so much about life” from the bees. For example, he talked about how the bees put the good of the hive above themselves, and will fly away if they are sick, not wanting to infect their sisters. The more you know, the more the complex workings of a hive seem nothing short of miraculous.
With his enthusiasm for bees, Mike hopes more people will explore backyard beekeeping. But he encourages them not to use chemicals, and to keep more than one hive, because failures are a normal part of beekeeping. He also suggests taking more caution than he does not to get stung – for instance, don't mess with the bees during weird weather or during the evening, and don't breathe on them! But even with a few stings, for the right person the rewards of beekeeping are worth the work.
Mike says he is “honored” that Argus uses his honey – so much honey, in fact, that it sometimes uses up his entire supply! But he isn't trying to make a living from his product, and in fact, he doesn't want to. Expansion would mean more costs, and less of a personal touch with his bees. Plus, he wants the product to be affordable for anyone who wants it, as he hopes more people will experience the health and flavor benefits, while supporting happy bees and pollinated ecosystems. “Local honey is worth the investment,” he said. Take it from someone who knows!
The Land Loom: A Fresh Approach to Salad
When I stopped by to visit Hannah Rose Weber, owner of The Land Loom at Tilian Farm Development Center, she had just put her lettuce into a washing machine – to dry it! She was hard at work filling bags for her CSA, which is better known as “The Salad Club,” and popular with customers looking for a weekly supply of delicious mixed greens, grown with organic practices. A bag might include a mix of lettuce, mustard, pac choi – even arugula or mizuna – and many customers follow the The Land Loom Newsletter, in which Hannah explains the harvest and details the joys and struggles of starting a farm.
Hannah has only lived in Ann Arbor for a couple of years, but she has already made a splash by establishing the only salad CSA in town. She got into the local farm business by working for Sunseed Farm – which used to grow at Tilian – and still works there a few days a week. But The Land Loom is now her main focus, a part-time plan that turned full-time as her business expanded, and now she sells to both individuals and restaurants, as well as at Argus Farm Stop.
While The Land Loom is a new farm, Hannah has been gaining farming experience for years. Much of what she learned came from a 9-month, intensive organic farming training at Michigan State University, where she also first heard about Tilian. Before that, she interned at the CSA where her parents had been members for twenty years, and took on volunteer farming experiences during her travels in Hawaii and Portugal. After her program she managed The Student Organic Farm at MSU, and with The Land Loom she is finally taking the plunge to farm on her own.
But like many young farmers, Hannah didn't take a straight path to farming. In college, she studied photography and creative nonfiction. But she finds that running her own business allows her to put her creative side to good use, and she still uses those skills in creating branding for The Land Loom. She enjoys sending out the weekly newsletter, plus photos, for anyone who would like to know more about what they're eating. It's all about keeping her customers informed, interested, and more connected to the farming process!
Along with a variety of salad greens, Hannah sometimes grows radishes, herbs, flowers, and even cucumbers for the Brinery. But she likes the “scale” of salad, as she is able to hand-manage her crops, working at a more detailed level and paying attention to the preferences of each variety. As she notes in her Newsletter, for example, she has learned that lettuce tastes better when harvested at dawn, and that the mustard plant only keeps getting spicier as it grows. Because she keeps her land organized, growing and quickly harvesting a neat succession of lettuce rows, she can experiment to see what farming practices work best. Farming is a constant learning process, but this can lead to happy surprises, as when she let her radishes over-grow and form radish pods, a crop more often seen in Indian cuisine. Argus Farm Stop was happy to feature this unusual pod, which had a subtle and gratifying spicy flavor. Such tasty experiments are definitely a benefit of individualized, local farms.
Overall, Hannah is grateful for her half-acre at Tilian, where she can farm with less financial risk, and be part of what she calls “a great community.” With Tilian's hoop houses, she is even able to farm during the winter months! While Tilian is an “awesome” arrangement at the moment, she would someday like to put down roots with land of her own, in order to expand her operation, possibly incorporating a farm-to-table restaurant of her own. For now, she is part of a farming community that lets her work toward her dreams. She also noted that she is “so appreciative” of what Argus Farm Stop does for the community. “It's awesome for beginning farmers who are just starting to sell,” she said, explaining that the Farm Stop allows farmers to make more connections in town. It's just one part of a supportive local food network that helps make Ann Arbor such a great place to farm.
Find Hannah's Salad Mix at Argus Farm Stop! Plus, if you're interested in joining her Salad Club, or reading her Newsletter, contact her by email ([email protected]) or find her on Facebook.
-- Post by Rose Miller
Radicle Roots Community Farm: Heirloom Veggies Delivered by Bicycle
When Ryan Padgett decided to return to Michigan to farm, he chose Ann Arbor, and Tilian Farm Development Center, for their placement in a strong local food network. Other farmers were quick to welcome him, and customers in the area didn't need to be educated on the benefits of organic food. Plus, as Tilian's only full-time farmer, he needed more land than he could find at other incubator sites. Since coming to Ann Arbor in March he has worked hard to build Radicle Roots, literally breaking sod in order to grow his crops.
Now his garden is a mix of heirloom veggies, which he grows and harvests himself, then delivers – by bicycle! – to Argus Farm Stop and the Ypsi Farmers Market. Among other crops, he pointed out kohlrabi, broccoli, pac choy, cabbage, kale, butterball potatoes, watermelon, ground cherries, and a kind of warted squash grown since before the Pilgrims arrived. He chooses specific varieties of each vegetable, prioritizing heirloom strains that are either over fifty years old, or types that have been growing in Michigan, and thus are suited to the climate. Often he looks for the beautiful, unusual varieties that no one else is growing – “dragon's tongue” waxbeans, anyone? – and almost all of his plants are heirloom or open-pollinated, meaning they are bred for flavor, rather than shipping hardiness.
“A lot of people would probably be embarrassed by this field,” Ryan said, standing barefoot in his garden, and gazing over all weeds he doesn't have time to pull. But he takes a certain a certain joy in seeing it all “just come together,” as if by magic. He revels in the messiness, which to him represents the diversity and health of his crops, all grown with organic practices. “There is a method to the madness,” he said, pointing out, for example, the nitrogen-fixing beans planted next to the squash. He explained companion-planting, gesturing toward pest-resistance groupings of plant “friends,” such as peppers, carrots, and tomatoes, or brassica, beans, and tomatoes. He also plants nasturtiums and marigolds at the end of the row, to deter rabbits. This mix of vegetables also provides backup if any one crop fails, although so far, it looks like his plants are coming in strong.
The field may have a disheveled charm, but don't be fooled: Ryan is an knowledgeable farmer, thanks to several years of experience working and managing farms in California. There he took volunteer and paid positions on everything from homesteads to huge monoculture farms, and his own gardening philosophies arose from those experiences. Now he wants to put the “community” back into “Community Support Agriculture,” by involving members in his farm. He said didn't realize that farming would also mean educating the public on healthy farming practices, and even teaching customers about unfamiliar vegetables. “I've met kids who didn't know tomatoes grow on a plant,” he said. He would love to have CSA members and volunteers visit the garden, which he believes would go a long way in fostering appreciation for local farms.
At the moment, Ryan is still growing his customer base, although his bicycle deliveries and carefully-labeled heirloom varieties have certainly caught some eyes. He is grateful for Argus Farm Stop, which he said is a major part of his current business. Unlike the hours spent at a farmer's market, at the Farm Stop he can “just deliver and go” (after buying some chocolate chip cookies). But at the moment he only has three CSA members, and is trying to stay hopeful that he can continue farming in the years to come. He works to feed the community, but it is hard to make a living doing it. “It's up to the community,” he said. “We need to change the perception of value for food.” He referenced government-subsidized corn, soybeans, and wheat – “Cheap food isn't really cheap!” – in contrast to the intensity of his own investment in his vegetables. He might easily work 10-12 hour days, 7 days a week, spending hours in each plant, including preparation, tilling, potting, seeds, and watering.
So why farm at all? “I have a passion for it,” he says. “I don't know what else I would be doing.” He spends his days outside, getting his hands dirty, and he loves it. “I'm never upset that I'm here.” With a little luck, and community investment, he will be able to farm at Tilian for years to come.
You can always find Ryan's produce at Argus Farm Stop! And if you're interested in joining Ryan's CSA, sign up on email ([email protected]), or Facebook, or just stop by the farm and say hi!
-- Post by Rose Miller