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.



And we’re not just talking carrots and potatoes here (yes, we know potatoes are tubers), we’re talking parsnips, daikon radish, beets, fennel, turnips, rutabaga, etc. Mark Bittman, the NYTimes food columnist says, “Most contain starchy sugars, so they brown beautifully and become sweet after cooking. (Only carrots and beets are sweet raw.) All of this can be disclosed simply by substituting just about any root vegetable you like in your favorite potato recipe. The treatment won’t be identical (the more sugar, the quicker the browning), but it will be similar, and the results will almost always be startling and good.”

So if you’re looking for some easier ways to truly enjoy the flavors of winter, click here for 6 delicious root hosting recipes from the New York Times.

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.

Read the rest of the story here.

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.

Not sure what to do with okra, let this simple rosting recipe take care of the guessing work.

Ingredients:

1 pound okra

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Fresh thyme leaves to taste (optional)

Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the okra, and drain on a kitchen towel. The okra should be dry. Trim away the stem ends and the tips, just the very ends, and then place the okra in a large bowl. Salt to taste, and toss with the olive oil until coated.

2. Lift the okra from the bowl, leaving behind any excess oil. Place on a sheet pan in one layer. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes (large okra might take a little longer), shaking the pan every five minutes. The okra should be lightly browned and tender, with a nice seared aroma. If you don’t want it to brown as much, set the oven at 400 degrees.

3. Remove from the heat, toss with fresh thyme, if desired, and freshly ground pepper. Transfer to a platter. Serve hot.

Yield: Serves four.

Advance preparation: You can trim the okra several hours ahead, but this is a last-minute dish.

Nutritional information per serving (four servings): 95 calories; 1 gramsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligramscholesterol; 8 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 9 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 2 grams protein

Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”

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.

Click here for the recipe.