We just got in a ton of locally-grown, organic starter veggies from Richmond’s own Tricycle Gardens! Tricycle Gardens is a grassroots, environmental nonprofit organization focused on bringing agriculture, nutrition education and healthy food access to the urban core of Richmond, Virginia.  Founded in 2002 by three architects living in Church Hill who believed community gardens, and the simple act of growing food, were the fastest ways to transform the overall health of their community – both for the residents and the environment.

These starter herbs are available now for just $3.99 for a 6-pack. They’re a great way to start your summer harvest off right! Nothing’s better than a fresh, summer salad with locally grown greens! Come get ‘em!

Give us a brief update on Victory Farms and the current state of the farm.

As you may have heard, Victory Farms experienced an ownership transition in October of 2011. The previous owners–Charlie and Gina Collins–created a sound and vibrant organic farming operation, which continues today. As the new owners, my fiance–Rebecca–and I are committed to the same values of sustainability and ethics that the Collins’ introduced.

The farm is still operated on leased land in Hanover, with six acres currently under production. We continue to produce a wide variety of naturally grown vegetables throughout the year. We’ve added an additional green house to increase our capacity & to extend the growing season, as well as to provide fresh leafy greens to clients like Ellwood Thompson’s! We managed to keep several cold-tolerant crops throughout the winter, and are busy seeding new crops for this season. To date, we have planted four varieties of onions and three varieties of potatoes.

We are most fortunate to have an engaged community-supported agriculture program, with a generous membership. We look forward to this growing season, and making sure that families in Richmond can continue to access fresh, local, and unconventional produce! We have room for several more CSA memberships for the 2012 season & invite those interested in joining to contact us at 804.559.8833, or email alistar@victoryfarmsinc.com.

What is your background before Victory Farms?

It is said that farmers are tinkerers. I am not a great tinkerer, but I have always been very good with my hands. I grew up in a farming region in South Africa, and my family has always grown food in our backyard whenever possible. I must credit my mother, however, for inspiring my love of plants and growing food. I came to farming with a background in horticulture, landscape, and garden design, as well as outdoor, environmental, and leadership education. That being said, it was my work in environmental education with small scale farmers in Cape Town that solidified my interest in sustainable farming; a short farming internship at a wonderful, small-scale farm in Colorado is what ultimately propelled me into growing food on a full-time basis. I honed my growing and bio-intensive production skills with Charlie Collins at Victory Farms for a full year before taking over as its owner. Charlie has been a phenomenal teacher & mentor, and continues to be a consultant and guide to me as I become accustomed to the ins & outs of operating a farm.

What farming/growing methods do you use that set you apart from large-scale commercial farmers?

As a small-scale sustainable farm, we have limited land availability, which demands of us to be as creative with the land as possible. Our sustainable farming methods include (but are not limited to): on-site compost building & natural soil fertility management, soil erosion control, continuous crop rotation, growing a wide variety of vegetables with no mono-cropping, growing flowers as a natural insectary for beneficial insects, natural pest control methods, hand weeding, hand harvesting, low-impact produce processing, biodegradable mulching, the use of organic seeds and seedlings, selling directly to our customers at farmers markets, and paying attention to the larger ecological processes to produce the freshest, most nutritious vegetables. Most of these practices are in direct contrast to large-scale conventional farming.

How long have you been Certified Naturally Grown? What does Certified Naturally Grown mean? How does it compare to Certified Organic?

Victory farms has been Certified Naturally Grown since 2008. Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) means that we do not use any synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or GMO seeds, just like organic farms. We are part of a worldwide, independent, peer-reviewed and inspected network, which encourages collaboration, transparency and community involvement. The Naturally Grown organization is not part of the National Organic Program, but all of the Naturally Grown certified farms are required to follow the USDA certified organic regulations for food production. Click here for a list of the requirements. Attached is also a list of the CNG produce standards.

What does the future look like for Victory Farms?

We are: committed to the values of growing food that is fresh, local, and unconventional; in the process of reviewing past grown crops, as well as new varieties that our members and customers might be interested in; ALWAYS working on building healthy soil, and great compost on our farm; healthy relationships with our suppliers and clients are of the utmost importance to us; and we are excited about increasing our knowledge of local food systems, and looking at new ways of distributing our produce to reach a larger demographic within Richmond.

How important is sustainability to you?

Sustainability is at the very heart of what we do. We define sustainability as improving the quality of human life, while living within the capacity of our supporting ecosystems. Sustainability is also a call to action, which is rooted in a respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. At Victory Farms, we grow food to nurture the improvement of good health and diet, whilst improving the ecosystem on our six acres of land. Doing so is our call to action to those living in Richmond to support small farms, respect nature, and work towards economic justice for us all. We believe in a providing a local source of food security, and a vibrant agriculture-supported community within the Richmond area. Sustainability also means that we foster beneficial relationships with our staff, volunteers, clients, CSA members, and suppliers…all the while ensuring that our business operates in a responsible manner.

Victory Farms produce is currently available at Ellwood Thompson’s along with availability through their CSA program. Their 2012 CSA still has available shares left at $500 and $350 share options Their 22-week season starts from the 4^th of May until the 29^th of September. Anyone interested can read more about our CSA here, and sign up online here for a share. The benefits of our CSA program are numerous. Some of them include:

1. Supporting a local, sustainable family farm.
2. A flexible debit system.
3. Getting to know your farmer and knowing where your produce is grown.
4. High quality and wide variety of hard to find vegetables such as Heirloom varieties.
5. An invitation to their annual Farm Party!
6. 20% or 10% discount post season on all purchases.
7. Bulk buying options.
8. Access to limited items and priority purchasing on all items. Weekly produce availability by emails.



Gail Hobbs Page is the owner and  cheese maker at Caromont Farm. Her cheeses enjoy a  local as well as a regional following, and are sold at Specialty Cheese Shops, Farmers Markets, and Fine Restaurants  throughout the Southeast. Caromont  holds true to  the  basic farmstead principles of cheese making– they source no outside milk, use no frozen curd, and all cheeses are hand ladled. They continually strive to develop the  terroir of Esmont  in their  cheeses through improving their soil fertility while practicing  holistic herd  practices.

We’re currently stocked with:

Caromont’s Esmontonian: A hard, raw goat cheese, full of flavor and the perfect amount of salt. The curd is poured into an Italian Basket mold. As the cheese drains, the baskets are constantly rotated and flipped creating a dense semi-pressed texture. As it ages in their exterior cave, the “Esmo” is literally bathed in a B. linens and viognier vinegar combo, which the vinegar is made by Va. Vinegar Works (Old hippies that couldn’t stand to see good Virginia wine thrown away, so they founded a vinegar Company).

Caromont’s Bloomsbury: A pasteurized cow’s milk cheese, and a Caromont original. Caromont wanted to make a local bloomy rind cheese that would ripen nicely, express the beauty of Mr. Albert’s Brown Swiss milk, and yet have that wonderful cheesecake texture of a chaource. This cheese can be enjoyed young, but we urge you to let it mature to its ultimate lusciousness. Why? Because you will not be able to stop eating it. Please refrain from putting this on a cracker, because it is over the top with chutney, honey, or ripe fruit.

Last week we had a little visit from WRIC TV8 where they asked us a simple question, “How do you save money on organics?” Here’s what we had to say:

1. Buy foods that are local and in season: When you purchase local and in season foods, you’re getting these items at their peak freshness and seasonal availability. Prices on foods that are in season tend to be much cheaper than buying foods out of season. When you add in the local factor, you end up not having to pay extra for transportation costs and you’re keeping money in your local economy.

2. Buy in bulk: Buying in bulk saves you money because you have the ability to get the exact amount you need. You’re also not paying the extra costs of packaging which saves much more than money. Buying in bulk creates far less waste than packaged foods, keeping plastics and materials out of the landfill. We also give a 10-cent container credit when you bring in your own empty container for bulk purchases.

3. Shop sale prices and use coupons: Our buyers work hard to provide you with competitive prices throughout our store. Look for the big yellow sale tags that indicate specials on delicious, organic items. We also offer money-saving coupons available at our registers. Most companies also offer printable coupons online on their websites.

Until then, come by the store for some of Virginia’s finest apples from Crown Orchard, Fred Glaize Farm and more. We have some beautiful local Red and Golden Delicious apples on sale $4.99 for a 5lb bag.

Why not line streets with almond and avocado trees, he asks, or replace shrubbery with cabbage and currants? Golf courses could plant their roughs with kale and corn. Lawns—where they must exist—could be edged with chives and herbs.

Read the rest of this article here.

Our friends over at Plantation Woods just brought over a large shipment of locally-grown tomatoes including these big, yellow Brandywines!

The Greenhorns is a documentary about the courage and struggle of the current wave of young farmers in America. It’s about young people growing plants and raising animals for a living and breaking the mold of a corporate society. They’re taking risks and investing their own money into land, soil and safe, organic food production. The film was completed after almost 3 years in production. For more information on the film, visit The Greenhorn’s Website.

Local, fresh Victory Farms Basil is in season right now. Stop by the store to get your fix – at just $2.99 a bunch, you definitely don’t want to miss out! If you would like to buy in bulk, we will also be taking special orders at customer service with a 10% discount, so don’t hesitate to ask.

“Basil, originally from India, is best known as a culinary herb prominently featured in Italian cuisine, and also plays a major role in the Northeast Asian cuisine of Taiwan and the Southeast Asian cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.” We recommend making a big batch of pesto, freezing it in an ice cube tray and saving it for later! Click here for a fresh, quick recipe.

Rick Hood (owner) & wife, Molly Hood in NY.

This past weekend, our owner, Rick Hood and his wife, Molly, took a trip to Pocantico Hills, New York to visit the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. From the owner:

“It was an inspiring experience to spend the weekend at Stone’s Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and  dine at their award winning Blue Hill restaurant.  Blue Hill, owned by Dan and David Barber, is built around a local, seasonal food reputation (a shared philosophy with their original restaurant, located in Manhattan).  All courses were grown and/or raised on the farm.   A large portion of the experience was educating the diner about the farm to fork food concept.  The unique presentation of individual, seasonal vegetables (such as asparagus spears, young carrots and radishes)  served to increase our appetite for the upcoming dishes.”

Saturday morning we were given an insider’s tour by the livestock manager that was very educational. The chickens, sheep, pigs and beef cattle were all raised sustainably, often moved from field to maintain the health of the pastures and happiness of the animals. The 5 acres of vegetables was grown without chemicals and pesticides, to “beyond organic” standard. A 20,000 square foot greenhouse had been constructed using soil (often created from their on site composting operation) as the nutrient base and with automatic roof panels that adjust to allow the correct amount of rain.

The highlight of the weekend was a presentation, with question and answer session, by Michael Pollan, author of several books including “Omnivores Dilemma”.  The interviewer was Dan Barber, owner of Blue Hill restaurants. Some of the takeaways for me included the following:

• Food information and labeling will become more important to educated customers, in order to feed their demand for transparency.

• The “powerful influence” that has the most potential to drive acceptance of the sustainable food movement, will be health care companies  that recognize  the need for their subscribers to be pro-active and prevent diabetes and heart disease by changing their diets.  These changes could reflect a potential savings of $400,000 per person (over a lifetime) for these health care organizations.

• Industrial food companies who claim the world must buy their subsidized, GMO products to “feed the world” and “avoid starvation” are wrong in the following ways:

1)    By subsidizing food in the United States, these companies’ lower prices end up making other countries unable to produce or sell food because they can’t compete. Countries end up buying our low cost grains and food.  Then, often due to distribution problems, people who need the food the most don’t get it.

2)    One half of food grown today goes to feed animals. This dynamic is increasingly diverting food away from those who need it.

3)    Subsidies for ethanol divert more crops in the production of ethanol.

4)    A huge amount of food goes to waste in developed countries.

5)    There is not any conclusive proof of increased yield of GMO products.  It’s all hype.

If you’re interested in sustainable food and agriculture, I highly recommend visiting Stone Barns in Tarrytown, NY  - or check out their website at www.stonebarnscenter.org