Orange County Review inSIDEr, August 25, 2011 in Some vegetable stands do not sell locally watermelons! Seriously, the Chinese are inject- Plant, till, harvest, sell, buy, eat grown produce. They buy it from wholesalers, ing watermelons with some sort of growth sub- and they are not listed in the guide. Wiley stance that makes some of them explode. You says, with these sellers, just ask; they'll tell you will not find one exploding watermelon at The

where the produce comes from. And keep an Garden Patch. None of the pork coming out of SIDE eye out for dead giveaways, "products out of Retreat Farm is toxic. You will not get food poi- LOCAL season," such as tomatoes in April. soning from eating Tree and Leaf's leafy greens. There are a lot of enduring reasons to buy Are we self-sufficient locally? Molly Visosky We've seen the bumper fresh, buy local. One of them is travel distance. says we have the potential to be. She started stickers. We've opened our According to the Leopold Center for Sustainable the first locally grown gourmet produce distribu- mailbox to find the Buy Agriulture at Iowa State, locally produced food torship in this area three years ago, known as Fresh, Buy Local annual travels an average of 56 miles before it reaches Fresh Link. The name says it all. She's the link guide. New local pick-your- the consumer. Non locally produced food trav- between producers in Orange, Madison, and own outlets have sprouted els 1,494 miles or 27 times further. Culpeper Counties and more than 50 gourmet well, not like weeds, but you That number might go down if we could chefs in the Washington, D.C. area. get the idea. And thanks to train ourselves to eat seasonally. Take a fresh Her job is a balancing act. "We do the physi- There are about 75 breeding karakul ewes at Retreat Farm. The letters to the editor and the garden salad, for example. Here it is, the cal distribution and sales of the product, and operation supplies several area high end restaurants with meat and depths of August. The tomato belongs in that everything is done in 24 hours." Producers efforts of the Orange produce. Although it is not 'certified' organic, the Gillans practice Downtown Alliance, the organic and sustainable techniques. salad. Maybe the cucumber does too. But the deliver to her at Bending River Farm on lettuce? It got burned up in the first of those Mondays and Thursdays. She trucks and deliv- Saturday morning Orange County Farmer's Market is

heat waves two months ago. It's coming from ers their harvest to D.C. restaurants on r God knows where, maybe California. Likewise Tuesdays and Fridays. "We have to be very showing signs of life. An for the tomato; in that same salad this past good at buying and selling. We buy at the same Insider on all of this is way May; the lettuce could have been grown locally, time we sell." overdue. but the tomato came from Florida. And let's The people who buy from her, the gourmet But the first thing we've not even mention apples from New Zealand, chefs (she has one who charges a $165 per per- learned is there's no way we apricots from Spain, bananas from South son prix fixe dinner) are notoriously picky. can feature all of the deserv- America… "They are extremely critical." You can almost ing producers; there're just One of the most frequently heard complaints hear her exasperated eye-roll over the phone. too many of them. We can't at a farmer's market is that locally produced But that is also testimony to the high quality of go down every little farm food costs more than in the supermarket. such Orange County producers as Retreat lane with a hand-painted 5 reasons to buy There are a lot of reasons for this, not the least Farm, Gold Hill Blueberry Farm, The Maples, "Tomatoes 4 sale" sign. It of which is that for the most part, government and Rounton. would take us months. subsidies are geared toward agribusiness and When we talked to Molly in July, she moved Besides, if we tried to list your food locally huge monocultures, not family farms. Keeping 20,000 pounds of tomatoes, a ton of melons, them all, we'd probably miss From the www.buylocalvirginia.org web site the price of mass-produced food artificially low 400-600 pints of blueberries in one week. And one or two. Jim Darnell and his son Zach ham it up at their Caroline Street veg- makes good political sense. Labor costs are all of it had to be top-notch restaurant quality. Local food is fresher and tastes better than food etable stand. Zack gave up a career as a golf pro to become the third higher for small producers who cannot take She even has producers doing specialty prod- Instead, we picked a rep- generation of Darnells in the produce business. resentative three: The shipped long distances from other states or coun- advantage of the economies of scale. ucts, like Paul Gallis with his leeks and beets tries. Local farmers can offer produce varieties bred But at the real heart of the matter is the and hot peppers. As she terms it "This is not an Garden Patch, Retreat Farm and Tree and Leaf Farm. for taste and freshness rather than for shipping and importance that we Americans attach to fresh, exact science. You have to know the personali- long shelf life. Phil Audibert nutritious food. In terms of the portion of our ties of your growers. What is their plan… We One is a traditional vegetable  Buying local food keeps your dollars circulating August 25, 2011 disposable income that we set aside for buying are big on the relationship...We want them to stand with roots going back in your community. Getting to know the farmers food, we are the world's cheapskates. be really proud of their food." to 1975 and before. Another who grow your food builds relationships based on According to the USDA, we Americans spend 9 Asked again the are-we-self-sufficient ques- has been here a dozen understanding and trust, the foundation of strong percent of our income on food. Compare that tion, Molly responds, "If we cook at home and years or so and has found its communities. to 11 percent in the United Kingdom, 17 per- didn't eat out every day, could we be sustain- special niche as a CSA,  There's never been a more critical time to sup- cent in Japan, 27 percent in South Africa, and able? Yeah. And I think our farmers here could (Community Supported port your farming neighbors. With each local food 53 percent in India. Food, as a percentage of support us. But could they support the large Agriculture), a kind of fresh purchase, you ensure that more of your money By disposable income, is cheapest right here in the cities? No." She pauses a moment and adds, produce club. And, the last is spent on food goes to the farmer. US of A. What do we buy with the other 91 "We could be self-sustaining in our own bubble, Knowing where your food comes from and how a massive undertaking that it is grown or raised enables you to choose safe percent of our money? What's more important? yeah, absolutely." produces fresh veggies year Housing; sure. Clothing; okay. Transportation; We're lucky people. Here in Orange County, food from farmers who avoid or reduce their use of round and sells them in chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or that's a biggie. Medical; hoo boy. if the Great Recession turns into a Greater Washington, DC. All three genetically modified seed in their operations. Entertainment and useless made-in-China gee Depression, if the terrorists pull off another 9- have a different approach to  Local food doesn't have to travel far. This gaws; yup, them too. 11, if the oceans rise or a madman pushes the planting, tilling, harvesting, reduces carbon dioxide emissions and packing Speaking of China, how about those food button, we have a better chance than most of Zach Lester and Georgia O'Neal are out early in the morning har- and selling locally grown materials. Buying local food also helps to make vesting before they go to weekend farmer's markets in the related scandals? The tainted milk, the poisio- surviving. Why? Because we can plant, till, har- food. farming more profitable and selling farmland for Washington, D.C. area. nous dog food, the toxic pork, the exploding vest, sell, buy and eat our food locally. development less attractive. Orange County Review inSIDEr, August 25, 2011 Orange County Review inSIDEr, August 25, 2011

The localvore movement has been around this area for quite awhile, but the Frank Gillan brand, Buy Fresh, Buy Local started here explains that just in 2007. Organized nationally by a the Retreat group called Food Routes, individual chap- Farm CSA is ters are tailored to their communities. Jim Darnell like a fresh Around these parts, the Piedmont shows off his food club, Environmental Council administers the pumpkin where patch on his members Zach Lester program. river bottom pay a of Tree and PEC's special projects director, Melissa farm. For monthly fee Leaf Farm Wiley says it started in Charlottesville and some of to come treats his was immediately "embraced with incredible these giant and help soil as if it enthusiasm." Now it has spread to the pumpkins, themselves were a living other counties in PEC's domain, including the seed cost to everything organism. Orange. 60-cents from fresh The idea behind the program is "to pro- apiece. eggs to vide marketing support," for local farmers, veggies from freeing them to do what they do best, the yellow which is grow fresh wholesome food. To bins in the that end, every year in March, a Buy Fresh, cooler. Buy Local guide is mailed to 70,000 house- holds in the PEC area. According to that guide, 13 Orange County producers (Liberty Mills Farm,  fact that not one but two tractors broke down at the  Gabriel's. "The thing with organics is you really  there it is, psychologically, 'I really need some of Miller Farms, Shady Oaks, Doug Harris, The Garden Patch same time, has been a headache. Still, he says, Retreat Farm have to stay on top of the insects, because once Tree and Leaf Farm that food.' So that's a cool experience," nods Gold Hill Blueberry Farm, Skyline "I love it. It's in my blood. It's fun and it's magi- this has been a magnificent growing season. Frank Gillan of Retreat Farm in Rapidan poses they get out of hand, you'll never get them It's 7 a.m. on this July Friday, one of the hottest Zach zen-like. Premium Meats, Honey Hill Orchard, Hill- cal." Jim Darnell can still say that even though he A regular at the Orange County Farmer's the same question, as he tells a story about when back...You have to be proactive because reactive days of the year and already Georgia O'Neal and Not that they're doing so badly in summer. n-Dale, Everona Dairy Cheeses, Marshall has been doing this since his dad encouraged him Market, Jim Darnell says "I wish the community they were growing zinnias and selling them for 50- doesn't help," says Gillan. He actually goes up and Zach Lester are dripping with sweat. She's pick- Since the third week of June, Tree and Leaf has Farms, The Garden Patch, Retreat Farm to sell veggies during summer vacation back in would support it more." Of the low attendance, he cents a bloom. People would buy them by the down the rows and squishes by hand individual ing exotic long asian beans; he is pulling summer been moving heirloom tomatoes with names like and Tree and Leaf Farm) have signed up to 1975. Twenty six years ago, he established The says, "I'm thinking for the summer time, either 10 dozen and then complain about a 50-cent tomato. egg masses on the undersides of leaves. carrots. Their young son, Eoin, which is how the Black Prince, Green Zebra, Cherokee Purple, be part of the program. Also, five restau- Garden Patch, and over the years, bought "and or 20 percent of the community is on vacation Retreat Farm was started in 1999 when the With that kind of labor intensity, prices at Irish spell Owen, is still abed asleep. Striped Roman. At this time of year, in two days rants and caterers (Beggars Banquet, paid for," two truck farms, one in Montford, the every week." owners brought in Frank and Cindy Gillan to Retreat Farm are certainly higher than Food Lion. Things are busy around here at Tree and Leaf, he'll sell 1,400 pounds of tomatoes at $5 a Elmwood at Sparks, Real Food, The Light other on the Robinson River bottom. Now, a third Believe it or not, fresh locally grown produce is establish a diverse and sustainable truck farm. That's also because they are so diverse; they can't down in the lower end of the county, about pound, "and I feel it's justified in terms of the work take advantage of economies of scale. He points Well and Palladio), and the Saturday generation of Darnells is involved. not the Garden Patch's bread and butter. Bedding Over the years, they turned an old horse pasture halfway between Danton and Gold Dale. that we put into them." Whatever's left over they'll to a grocery store tomato that was picked green, morning Orange County Farmer's Market Zack Darnell has made some changes to this plants and vegetable sets are. Why do customers into a pristine five-acre garden with four 100-foot Tomorrow is Saturday and they will load up the drop off at a long established CSA in Vienna gassed to ripeness and shipped 1,000 miles here. are listed. classic traditional veggie stand, with the old pick- travel 20 miles or more to the Garden Patch for square rotational beds for annual veggies, 1,000 truck and head for Falls Church where they will before rolling for home. What tomatoes he does- "It looks the same as mine, but really mine ripened But the Locust Grove Sunday market is up truck display and accidentally-on-purpose mis- plants they could easily buy for less at Wal-Mart or asparagus crowns, raspberries, fruit trees and sell their produce at the farmer's market near the n't sell, he saves for seed. on the vine and is at the maximum flavor…People not; nor are several other local producers. pelled sign, turning The Garden Patch into a Lowe's? "Because they know we have the best other perennials. Later they added sheep, cattle, courthouse. Sunday they'll do the same at Tree and Leaf came to this 45-acre tract a year plants," answers Jim without a moment's hesita- who are on a budget and people who can't afford ago Christmas, after farming on leased land in Melissa Wiley says she tries to update the down-home haven from the madness of modern laying chickens, and now pigs. "There's a lot that DuPont Circle. tion. "Again it comes down to genetics, especially to make that change to organic or locally grown or Northern Virginia for a dozen years. Already they list yearly, but some slip through the day living. happens here," understates Frank. The two markets are as different as night and our vegetable plants…Our vegetable plants, we're sustainable agriculture, my comment to them is, have 10 acres under intense cultivation, all of it cracks, particularly those who do not sign His Dad, Jim can barely conceal his pride. Although they sell directly to most of the area day; one with lots of seniors and families with using some super seeds…I have excellent vari- 'well you just do it where you can.'" pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide free. They use up. She urges producers, CSAs, retailers, "He's done some things that I couldn't or wouldn't high end restaurants, Retreat Farm is primarily a kids, the other brimming with what Zach terms eties and the customers have grown accustomed He suggests starting with the "dirty dozen," a a wide variety of techniques, including ridge till, restaurants, and farmers markets to go to do. So, he's added a fresh new perspective to CSA. Frank Gillan translates. "You give a farmer a "hipsters and poseurs, Phds and celebrities." to that and know that." list of fruits and vegetables with the highest pesti- no till, living mulch, compost, drip irrigation, crop www.buylocalvirginia.org to become listed things." Growing veggies really is in the Darnell certain amount of dollars for a season which then Georgia rolls her eyes. "I think the urban people His prices are pretty competitive too. In late entitles you to a certain amount of vegetables or cide residues. This year, the following are on that rotation, legume cover crops, companion plant- in the Buy Fresh, Buy Local guide. blood. think they know a lot more about food," she says July, the Garden Patch was selling tomatoes for fruits each week through the growing season." It's list: apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, ing; the list goes on. Asked what are the sprayers About the only requirement is "that the "It's all genetics," says Jim of the perfect pep- of their DuPont Circle customers, which includes $2.49 a pound. That same week, they were $2.69 like a membership in a club. Retreat Farm has 40 spinach, imported nectarines, imported grapes, for and Zach launches into an impassioned dis- products are grown on local land and that pers and tomatoes and squash and eggplant and several restaurants. It's been an educational at Food Lion, and $3.00 at the City Market in members (there's a waiting list), who pay a $50 sweet bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce, course about pro-biotic soil dynamics and foliar they sell directly to consumers." She adds cucumbers and melons coming off his farms every challenge for them to explain "the ebbs and flows, Charlottesville. "What I tell people is we have a deposit at the beginning of the season and then and kale/collard greens. Frank Gillan says eating feeding that sails right over this poor scribe's that although sustainable agricultural prac- day. "Seeds and variety means everything. I'd the seasonality, the labor issue." price on our produce and our quality and fresh- $100 a month May through September. They his food will not prevent disease, but it will help you But every Saturday and Sunday these guys head. tices are encouraged, they are not required. rather have a $1,000 in good seed than a $1,000 in cash anytime." He puts his money where his ness is free…You can't duplicate that quality any- come to the farm once a week with their shopping fight disease. "Look at it as an insurance policy," are there. And they are there every other For Zach Lester it is all about the soil. He "For some people it's not a priority to have mouth is. The giant pumpkins, the ones that come where. Sometimes you can come by the Garden bag and help themselves from the bins in the he says of locally grown food. "The healthier you Saturday and Sunday during the depths of winter, treats it as a living organism, and the problem he organic produce," points out Wiley. "That's due in October and weigh in at 120+ pounds, cost Patch and the stuff is minutes old. And that's what walk-in cooler at the Barnyard store. This week are, the stronger you're going to be to fight illness. because they are still growing stuff, lettuce most- has here in the lower end of the county is "getting not our place to come in…Our first and 60 cents per seed! But he adds with a sly wink, we're selling; we're selling freshness…For the you can take six tomatoes, two eggplants, a pint of And then your doctor bills, your medical bills and ly and root vegetables and "massive areas of the soil to digest. I've got this stagnant gut here, foremost priority is to support local farms." "They usually stop traffic pretty nicely." quality, you can't beat it at any price." raspberries etc. all that sort of stuff theoretically should be less." kale and collards and brussel sprouts," much of it this soil." It's got something to do with calcium She adds that if organically or sustainable Regarding his farming techniques, Darnell As we drive back to town from the river farm, Although Retreat Farm is not 'certified' organic Every week, the overage at Retreat Farm and in long plastic-covered tunnels. exchange and low phosphorus. "So I'm reviving agricultural practices are important to you says "I'm a minimalist," when it comes to spraying; Jim points out his "favorite pickup truck." There it (too many hoops), it practices all the principles of the Garden Patch goes to the Food Pantry. The winter markets are almost better than the this with organic matter, the enzymes in the soil, as a consumer, ask the producer; go visit "little or none." He uses composted leaves to sits, loaded to the gills with extras, a 2008 model sustainable agriculture. They use compost instead Deliciously ironic, isn't it, that folks the least likely summer ones. There's less competition. People digestive principles." In the meantime, "to move the farm. enrich his soil and weeding is done by tillage, for $39,995. Jim Darnell sums it all up. "Can you of fertilizer and they spray "with organically to afford this nutritious locally grown food can reap stand in line in the rain and cold and "when they forward with the farm, I have to work with the  Continued, back page which this year, because of all the rainfall and the complain about the price of food?" approved stuff," from Orange County's own St. its benefits. see the food and they’ve made it into the tent and plants and their leaves."