He also showed us the vegetables he planted within the last few weeks that will be making an appearance in our shares in the near future, like the beets and kale in the photos below, and also broccoli, swiss chard, spinach, and cabbage.
Another stop on our tour was the farm's greenhouse, where Sergio is storing onions, winter squash, potatoes, and pumpkins that will pop up in our shares in the coming weeks.
Sergio and his wife Paz are also drying hot peppers in the greenhouse. He told us that one of their goals for the future is to rent commercial kitchen space where they can produce their own bottled salsas (made from tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos from the farm) to sell at his markets.
Following the tour and lunch, some CSA members volunteered to help cut parsley for Sergio to bring to market.
Sergio also explained a lot about the financial side of his farm. In some ways, farming organically helps him save money, as he doesn't purchase any chemicals to apply to his crops. Sergio does use a spray made from seaweed to repel insects, but of course does not buy any pesticides.Farming organically does create some extra costs, though. For example, Sergio has to purchase hand tools to weed his fields, like the $400 handtiller in the photo below. Seeds are also a big expense - Sergio estimates he spends about $6,000 on seeds each year.
(In this photo Sergio is simply resting the handles of the tool around his waist - the tiller does not attach to the worker using it like that!)After visiting with Sergio, we climbed back onto the bus and headed to Pochuck Valley Farms in Glenwood, NJ to go apple picking.
All in all, it was a great day - if you didn't make it to the farm this time, we hope you'll join us for next year's trip!
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