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Bass Root Farm Mission - We aim to nourish our local community by producing nutrient dense food while striving to be good stewards of the land using sustainable and regenerative farming methods. We want our farm to be a site for learning, sharing, and cultivating wellness, an ideal place that provides a rich quality of life for all living things.
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Notes from the Farm, Issue 19
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Please note: This newsletter is best viewed in a browser, instead of an email application.
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Spring Update. With the warmer weather and longer days, the farm is in full swing. Almost every day we are seeding trays for eventual transplanting into the garden. Our nursery is full and the greenhouse is filling up with plants ready to go into the ground. (Are you looking for plants for your garden? Be sure to check out our Plant Sale.) The high tunnel houses some of our overwintered crops (spinach, large onions, carrots) and new ones (salad mix, Swiss chard, head lettuce, snap peas, kohlrabi). Tomato plants and basil will be the next! The other two tunnels will have some of these crops as well as peppers, eggplant, celery, leeks, and sweet potatoes.
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Some of you may have seen our recent Instagram post. We share it again here: It’s hard to believe - this year marks our fourth season as a farm. If you told us five years ago that we would be changing careers and running a produce farm, we’d laugh and exclaim: Say what?! We were nowhere near the idea of farming at that time, but had a feeling that some type of change was in the offing. After months of introspection, discussion, and frequent trips to Michigan, we decided on purchasing property to realize our newly discovered dream of starting a farm and growing food for the community.
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What drew us to small-scale farming were opportunities for growth, learning, and also renewal. We had experienced growing food for others and the joy it brought us in filling a critical need. We also wanted to learn how to grow food as naturally as possible to maximize nutrient-density and flavor. Not only would this be healthier for people, it would be healthy for the environment. We wanted our kids to grow up knowing where their food comes from and how to grow it. And finally, we wanted to re-connect with nature. It is such a pleasure to be able to work outside! Being outdoors renews the senses, keeping us in touch or at least bringing greater awareness to the rhythms of the natural world.
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Once we began our new journey, we wanted guidance and third-party accountability for how to operate as a farm. After conducting some research into the possibilities, we chose to pursue Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) certification. This wonderful, grassroots organization focuses on supporting farmers who are dedicated to growing food naturally, free from synthetic inputs, while being good stewards of the land. We recently received our renewal as a CNG farm.
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In addition to our CNG certification, we worked on becoming verified as part of the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP). Working with a MAEAP technician in the areas of Cropping, Farmstead System, and Livestock, we identified ways to improve our farm operation. This included safety measures on the farm, how to manage manure piles, and record-keeping of things like inputs and irrigation. A representative from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) visited and verified that we had completed all the steps in our action plan.
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So in a few short years, a lot has happened on this little farm! It has been a lot of work to get here, but these have been some of the most rewarding years of our lives. Onward!
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Online Store. We are excited to announce the launch of our online store! Here you will find what we have available and in season throughout the year. Customers can make their selections online by Wednesday at noon, pay via credit card or COD, and then come pick it up on the farm Thursday (5:00-6:00 PM) or Friday (9:00-9:30 AM). We have lots of fresh farm eggs available right now and will have more items in the next few weeks!
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Holly Market Update. We will not be returning to the Holly Market this year. We want to thank all our customers who visited our booth at the Holly Farmers Market over the past three years. This was the market that helped us get our start, and we grew from a small table of produce offerings to four tables and a double tent last year. Due to our children’s sports schedules and our focus on our CSA program, we have made the decision not to return. If you have been a loyal customer of ours - THANK YOU; we encourage you to shop from our online store and consider joining our CSA. We would love to continue serving you with a wide variety of Certified Naturally Grown produce this season.
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Spring Plant Sale. Are you looking for tomato, pepper, cucumber, herbs, and other types of plants for your own garden this year? We will be hosting our first ever Bass Root Farm Plant Sale on Saturday, May 18 from 9:00-3:00 PM. All plants are started from organic seed and are grown using the same Certified Naturally Grown practices we use on the farm. Please consider purchasing your transplants from us this year!
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Pre-orders can be placed via our online store beginning May 1st.
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CSA Begins May 2nd! Our full season (6 months) CSA is set to begin in two weeks. If you are interested in a weekly supply of fresh vegetables during the growing season, we invite you to join our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. We have small and large shares that are 3 or 6 months in length. Our full season (6 months) share will close on April 25th. We will continue to have some openings for our summer share (3 months) until June 5th. To find out more information about the CSA and how to join, please visit our CSA page.
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Help Wanted! Are you interested in working at Bass Root Farm? Or do you know of someone who would? We are looking to hire someone part-time from May through October. Our team member will help in all aspects of the farm including seed starting/propogation, bed prep, planting, weeding, mulching, pruning, harvesting, washing and packing. No experience is necessary - we will teach you! A desire to work outdoors is a must. Team members earn $15/hour and a share of produce each week. To learn more about this opportunity, please view the link below.
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Keep in Touch! Thanks for reading this newsletter. If you would like to keep up with us on a more frequent basis, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@bassrootfarm).
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