Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Michigan Strawberries at Slow Farm

As someone who was raised in a hot, arid environment, I can’t say the term “local strawberries” had previously been a part of my vocabulary. I only ate strawberries that my family bought from the few major grocery stores in my area. These strawberries were produced at mass scales year-round, most likely thousands of miles away in California, and were practically flavorless. I didn’t understand the hype around the fruit until I moved to Southeast Michigan and had my first local strawberry. There is no strawberry quite as sweet or special as one that is grown locally in its short June season. I have since resorted to only purchasing the fruit during these few weeks out of the year, not only to enjoy their uniquely delicious flavor and aroma, but also because of the opportunity to support farmers in my area, like Kim Bayer of Slow Farm Organic. Alex Blume of Argus Farm Stop recently spoke with Kim about her farm and her strawberry growing practices.

Before getting into their interview, it is important to understand basic elements of the strawberry plant and how it is grown in other areas—namely California. The strawberry plant is extremely complex. It has eight sets of chromosomes, making it difficult for farmers to genetically replicate and modify the berry so that it can be disease-resistant. Strawberries are prone to wilt, a type of disease caused by fungi in the soil. To combat wilt, industrial farmers have resorted to the use of chemicals that effectively kill anything in the soil that can cause damage to the plant. The two chemicals used—methyl bromide and chloropicrin—unfortunately also have the effect of killing everything in the soil, thus causing potential environmental harm and killing anything potentially beneficial for the plant. In 2015, industrial farmers were no longer allowed to use methyl bromide to fumigate the soil, and as a result, resorted to using only chloropicrin. Other farms do not fumigate the soil at all, but (often unknowingly) buy their baby strawberry plants from nurseries that still use methyl bromide. (Graber and Twilley, 2019)

The benefit of purchasing strawberries from farms like Kim’s is being able to know exactly where and how the berries are grown. Kim prioritizes creating healthy, nutrient-dense soil for her crops to grow in, and thus does not use soil fumigation. She has ensured that Slow Farm is both USDA certified organic and Real Organic Project certified. Kim dove into what it means to have both certifications, and why it is important to her:

“Strawberries people get from us are certified organic. I don't know if that makes them taste better, but I feel like that makes them taste better. 

“You have to be USDA certified to be able to be Real Organic certified. I know that there's some controversy around what the rules are around [USDA] organic certification. I think the Real Organic Project got started when things that are not touching the soil started being certified organic, like CAFOs, aquaponics, or things growing in plastic buckets. I feel like continuing to raise those issues—that those do not fit with the principles and values of organic growing—is one reason I got Real Organic certified. They're trying to differentiate between industrial organic and real organic. Real Organic means that the health of the soil is the basis for what you're doing, and that your plants are touching the soil. 

“The [USDA] organic certification is important because it is a shorthand for people. It’s kind of backwards that I pay $1,700 a year to have the privilege of not spraying poisons, while some farms pay nothing for spraying whatever they want to, growing a monoculture, and doing things that degrade the environment, our health, and our community. I do feel like it's important for people to have a choice and know there is something different than that to choose from. That’s why being certified organic is important to me. I want people to understand what the difference is and [for us] to be a model for that.”

Compared to other crops, strawberries are far more complicated to grow on a large scale while also guaranteeing great flavor, quality, and high resistance to wilt. Since Slow Farm is a small scale farm located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, they do not have to worry about some of the same problems that pop up at large scale farms in California. Here, the soil, environment, and the overall practices Kim uses are different. However, Kim still faces two major problems when growing strawberries: weeds and extreme weather fluctuation.

“One of the hardest things about growing strawberries is weeds. That is a battle I still have not conquered. A lot of people solve it by putting down rows of plastic and growing the strawberries through it, and I’m not willing to do that because of the plastic waste. I just don’t think that it’s right.”

Regarding weather events in recent years, she says:

“Two years ago there was a 6 or 8 week drought from May through June, and I think we got half an inch of rain that whole time. We basically didn’t have strawberries because the plants didn’t get enough rain. We’ve also had years where there's been a frost that comes at the end of May when the flowers are forming. The center of the flower is what turns into the strawberry, so if that freezes, it just falls off and no berry forms. I think strawberries are emblematic of farming in general. Some years are great, and some are not.”

Despite how challenging it is to grow strawberries, it is also something Kim enjoys, and it is probably what Slow Farm is most known for. Slow Farm is a U-Pick farm, meaning they provide the opportunity for people in the community to visit the farm and harvest their own fruits and vegetables. Slow Farm is unique in that they provide U-Pick options for almost everything.”

“We’re gonna have U-Pick garlic in a few weeks. The garlic scapes are ready to harvest, so we’ll probably start with that. We have U-Pick snap peas; kids really love the sugar snap peas. We have U-Pick tomatoes and U-Pick flowers. We just finished up our asparagus season. We had U-Pick asparagus. Most people haven’t seen how asparagus grows, so when they see it they’re really shocked and amazed that it sticks up out of the ground like a finger. It’s a really surprising plant. It’s got a really interesting life cycle. Parents love bringing their kids to show them how asparagus grows.

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They are also the only U-Pick farm in Southeast Michigan that is certified organic. Kim noted that “there are other strawberry and blueberry U-Pick places around here, but they spray chemicals.”

Besides the U-Pick fruits and veggies, another great reason to support smaller scale, local farms like Slow Farm is because of their labor practices. Kim notes:

“We really focus on paying our employees as much as we can and treating them as well as we possibly can. The whole reason the farm exists is because we have people that are willing to learn and do this difficult labor day after day. They’re creative problem solvers who enjoy being outside in any kind of conditions. I think that a lot of strawberries that come from other places—California, Florida, other countries—not only do they use plastic and chemicals in growing their berries, but they also use unfair labor practices and grow on a huge scale that makes it really hard for folks that work in those kinds of conditions. The farms around here for the most part are small scale and for us, having healthy happy employees is one of our main priorities.”

Kim Bayer and the team at Slow Farm

Kim prioritizes farming in a way that benefits the community and the environment. However, these values date back to long before she became a farmer. Before taking up farming, Kim was involved with a number of food and farm-related matters, including Slow Food, which she describes as “an international nonprofit that tries to think about the needs of farmers, eaters, and the planet, and balancing those. They’re very passionate about preserving indigenous cultures, promoting and preserving biodiversity, and getting kids involved in school gardens.” These are all things that resonated with Kim, and she has been in charge of the local Slow Food chapter in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a long time. 

Kim’s first encounter with any kind of farming or gardening was when she was a child, learning to garden with her grandparents.

“When I was a kid, my sister and I spent summers with my grandparents, and that was the first time I had tasted real food. I mostly grew up on bologna sandwiches, Campbell’s soup, and SpaghettiO’s as a little kid. Spending summers with my grandmother was my first time ever tasting beets straight out of the ground, or just harvested lettuce, or a really excellent tomato. Those memories are very inspiring to me. They’ve both passed away, but I know they would just be in heaven. They’re in heaven hopefully looking down thinking, ‘I’m glad I taught you how to weed those beans.’” Kim notes that, while strawberries are what Slow Farm is most known for, heirloom tomatoes are what she enjoys growing the most, and she has her grandparents to thank for that.

Kim also took some time to talk about how grateful she’s been for Argus Farm Stop. Kim has been selling with us since 2018, when her farm was certified organic, three years after buying the land in 2015. Kim lives in the neighborhood surrounding our Liberty St. location. She talked about what Argus Farm Stop means to her as a farmer and neighbor:

“The first time I ever saw Bill and Kathy was when they were sitting in their car parked on the street counting the amount of people walking by. I was like what are those people doing? One time I was walking by and I finally just asked them. They were doing market research. 

“It’s amazing to have [Argus Farm Stop] in the neighborhood and to see what a transformation it’s been. I’ve lived in that neighborhood 25 years now, and that place was an eyesore-slash-danger until Bill and Kathy took it over. They’ve really contributed to building a feeling of wanting to be in that neighborhood, for the people that live there and all of the people that come. To be able to sell my produce there—I can drop off on my way home from work and pick up the bins on my way into work. It’s also my main grocery store.”

Strawberries are one of the most popular fruits in the United States, but the vast majority of them are grown at the detriment to our soul health. One solution to the problem of mass production is for consumers to change the way they consume by purchasing produce in season from local farmers. In doing so, we guarantee that we are eating fruits and vegetables while they are most flavorful and nutritious. Perhaps more importantly, we are presented with the opportunity to get to know our farmers and how they grow food.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

By providing U-Pick produce, being both USDA certified organic and Real Organic certified, and by simply being invested in Southeast Michigan’s community and environment, Kim and the other farmers at Slow Farm are working hard to provide local food options. Slow Farm is just a fifteen minute drive from my house, and I feel lucky to know I can easily visit to pick my own fruits and veggies there and gain an understanding of what it takes to grow them, whether it be the temperamental strawberry with its short summer season, or the peculiar asparagus that “sticks out of the ground like a finger.” There are very few joys in life that compare to the smell and taste of a ripe, local June strawberry, and for that, we have farmers like Kim to thank.

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Enjoy a unique Strawberry Garlic Scape Salsa recipe thanks to our Farm Stop Dietitian Mary Balog!

strawberry garlic scape salsa

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup strawberries, hulled, chopped

• 4 garlic scapes, finely chopped

• 1 bunch green onion bottoms, sliced

• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

• ¼ cup fresh orange juice

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 tsp jalapeno, seeded and diced

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash and chop strawberries, garlic scapes and onion, and place in a mixing bowl.

2. Combine orange juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, jalapeno pepper, salt and pepper.

3. Pour over strawberries.

4. If your strawberries are nice and juicy, you can serve immediately with chips. You can also let it sit to marinate for more juice, about 30 minutes. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Did you know? Garlic scapes are the top of the sprouting garlic bulb, and are harvested to use as a yummy item on their own. The entire scape can be used. Raw garlic scapes are perfectly edible, with a sharp garlicky-green flavor. You can also slice and sauté them in a stir fry or other vegetable dish, pickle them, mix into a summer pasta recipe, or make pesto.

Citations:

Graber and Twilley (Hosts). (August 27, 2019). Running On Fumes: Strawberry’s Dirty Secret [Audio Podcast]. Gastropod.

https://gastropod.com/running-on-fumes-strawberrys-dirty-secret/