Lettuce Patch Gardens

Local Food for Real People
The best of local food and gardening on the web
Cheryl Spencer, Owner & Gardener
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Lettuce Patch Gardens is committed to our community, local economy, sustainable agriculture and fresh, healthy and locally grown food!
We are currently reworking our website, so please excuse our dust while we're getting everything ready. We expect it to be up and running in March or early April, 2009.
We are no longer able to offer a CSA, but if you're interested in local food and learning how to grow your own (the most local food of all!) then please sign up for our newsletter.

Virtual Garden Tour

We are located in the Cheyenne Cañon area of Colorado Springs.

Our garden is small, but abundant. Our garden sits on our .2 acre city lot. We have no lawn, only vegetables and ornamentals.
We grow food year-round and grow mainly herbs and vegetables, since fruit tends to attract the neighborhood bears.

Once they are big enough, they are transplanted into the beds:

When the weather gets cool, these beds will be protected with mini-greenhouses:
In the winter, the plants are further protected with an inner cover that holds in the heat.

Our garden is fed with kitchen scraps, leaves and garden waste. This is the foundation of sustainable agriculture:

Unfinished compost:

3-6 months later we get:

The tools we use for gardening are all human-powered:
(We don't even use a roto-tiller)
Spades for digging; and forks for loosening the soil:

Earth is here so kind,
that just tickle her with a hoe
and she laughs with a harvest
~Douglas Terrold

How We Grow Our Produce

We grow our produce using biointensive methods.

Biointensive growing uses organic methods (no chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used), and focuses on sustainable growing techniques. We go beyond jus feeding plants and focus on building good soil that feeds the plants we grow.

The biointensive methods we use feed the soil, the plants and ultimately our customers in a way that significantly minimizes our impact on the environment.

Sustainable is a popular word these days, and it can mean many different things. Sustainable agriculture, to us, means using the least amount of land, water and commercial fertilizer to grow the most amount of food possible. We also believe that limiting our use of fossil fuels to grow and transport food is vital to sustainability.

We grow what we know best - heirloom vegetable varieties that have performed well for us. We are always trying new varieties, especially ones that are popular in European cuisine.

We also practice season extension, so that we can grow fresh food year round. We grow in mini-greenhouses that allow us to grow and harvest all year.

We have a passion for food and gardening, and have started a local Colorado Springs CSA. If you would be interested in a weekly home-delivery of our fresh produce visit our Community Supported Agriculture page to learn more about it. You can also purchase our produce at a local Colorado Springs health food store.

Cheryl, our head gardener, would like to teach others her methods, and work to expand urban market-gardening in and around Colorado Springs.

Urban gardening and urban agriculture are ideas that are becoming increasingly important as our world becomes more urbanized and developers transform agriculturally fertile lands and open spaces into sprawling suburbs. We and other urban growers are part of the solution to our current environmental problems.

We invite you to take a virtual tour of our gardens to see how we grow all this great produce.

This Week's Available Organic Produce - January 30, 2020

Organic vegetables in listed in green are available this week.

Lettuce & Salad Mixes, Scallions, Baby Leeks, Parsley, Cutting-Celery, Radishes, Swiss Chard

Paris Market Mix (Organic)
Salad & Lettuce Recipes
This organic salad mix is typical of what you might find in a Paris farmer's market - A colorful mix of tender heirloom lettuce and baby spinach. Very tender and sweet! A great lettuce mix for kids. Sample of varieties in mix: Flame, Red Deer Tongue, Cracoveinsis-leaf and butter lettuces. (Varieties change with the seasons).
Provence Mix (Organic)
Salad & Lettuce Recipes
Named after the food-loving region in the south of France, this is a colorful mix of organic tender heirloom-lettuce, baby spinach, arugula and baby chard. The arugula adds a peppery flavor and the chard adds substance since it is a "meatier" green. Sample of varieties in mix: Flame, Red Deer Tongue, Cracoveinsis-leaf and butter lettuces; American, Bloomsdale and Giant Noble spinach; Bright Lights Chard and Arugula. (Varieties change with the seasons).
Romaine Trio Mix (Organic)
Salad & Lettuce Recipes
A mix of three different kinds of organic Romaine lettuce: Red, Green and Speckled. It is a beautiful mix for Caesar salads and is wonderful on sandwiches. See our lettuce and salad recipes for more ideas on how to use this great tasting mix. Sample of varieties in mix: Freckles, Brune D'Hiver, Rouge D'Hiver, Paris Island and Little Gems Romaine. (Varieties change with the seasons).
Scallions-Green Onions (Organic)
Scallion Recipes
Organic green onions, also known as scallions are sold in bunches of 6-8. They are a great addition to salads and soups. Varieties grown: Tokyo Long, Evergreen Bunching.
Scallions-Red (Organic)
Scallion Recipes
Organic Red scallions are very similar to green scallions, but have a sweeter taste, which is similar to the sweetness of a red onion. They are a sweet and colorful addition to salads and soups. Varieties grown: Deep Purple, Crimson Forest.
Parsley (Organic)
Parsley Recipes
Organic flat-leaf Italian Parsley and Curly Parsley Varieties grown: Italian Flat-Leafed and Moss-Curled.
Cutting-Celery (Organic)
Cutting-Celery Recipes
Organic Cutting-Celery Varieties grown: Apium graveolens
Radishes (Organic)
Radish Recipes
Organic Radishes, sold in bunches of 8-10 Varieties grown: Small Round Red, French Breakfast, D'Avignon, Pink Beauty.
Baby Leeks (Organic)
Baby Leek Recipes
Organic Baby Leeks, sold in bunches of 8-10 Varieties grown: Lincoln.
Swiss Chard (Organic)
Swiss Chard Recipes

Sold in bunches, approximately 1/2 pound each. Varieties grown: Ruby Red, Lipstick, Bright Lights, White Chard.

Recipes using our organic produce

See a list of our Favorite Cookbooks

Choose from the following list of produce to be taken to recipes using that ingredient
All produce is available through our CSA. Most, but not all is available through our retail outlet.
Arugula
Asian Greens
Basil
Beets
Chinese Cabbage
Cutting Celery
Parsley
Radishes
Rosemary
Salad Greens
Spinach
Scallions
Summer Squash
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Our Favorite Cookbooks

At Lettuce Patch Gardens, we not only like to grow great food, we like to eat great food! We are constantly testing different varieties of our produce to bring you the best tasting vegetables. The best way to test new foods is to rely on trusted sources for great recipes.
We have compiled a list of our favorite cookbooks. The following cookbooks either celebrate seasonal cooking and have wonderful recipes for using fresh produce.

Shopping > Books: Cookbooks | Sustainable Agriculture | Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers | Kitchen Tools

Cook's Illustrated provides readers with recipes, cooking techniques, and product and food recommendations exhaustively developed in our extensive Test Kitchen facility - the same kitchen featured on their PBS cooking show, America's Test Kitchen. Included are best ways to prepare favorite American dishes -- from pot roast and chocolate chip cookies to grilled salmon and fruit cobbler. Best (and worst) cooking equipment -- from chef's knives to cookie sheets. Best brands -- from canned tomatoes to baking chocolate. Best cooking techniques - from brining shrimp to baking ham. And all of this is provided without a single page of advertising - just 100% cooking information.

Cooks Illustrated is like no other cooking magazine we have ever read. It's a sort of Consumers Reports for cooking, aimed at the beginning gourmand. The magazine includes recipes, tips sent in by readers, standard methods for important cooking procedures, reviews of gadgets or food items, and reviews of cookbooks. All of these are accompanied by beautiful black-and-white illustrations and photos of the foods and techniques used (which explains the "Illustrated" part of the magazine title).

Our favorite articles are those that delve into the development of the recipe featured. These articles all provide a standard format of describing the "perfect" representation of the items and then the authors explain their process for creating their final recipes and the method by which to read and make the recipes. While this sounds scientific (and indeed, it is), the writing is delightful and down-to-earth, not dry or esoteric as other gourmet magazines. In addition, sidebar articles explore choosing particular ingredients or comparisons of different brands or gadgets relating to the recipe shown and give clear direction where the more elusive ingredients and gadgets can be purchased. Buy It Now

The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles offers a comprehensive introduction to the world's pasta, from spaghetti, couscous, and spaetzle to ramen, udon, rice sticks, and more. Compiled from the pages of Cook's Illustrated, the magazine of culinary investigation, the book is a trove of illustrated step-by-step instructions (on rolling pasta dough, for example), hundreds of pasta and related recipes, tips on buying and storage, and other useful data. In chapters such as "Dried Semolina Pasta and Chinese Wheat Noodles," the book explores a particular pasta type and then provides useful supplementary information. Included, for example, are pasta-tasting results, a "gallery" of pasta shapes, and material on matching pasta shapes to sauces. Offered also are comprehensive saucing chapters that cover such pasta accompaniments as olive oil, butter, cheese, bread crumbs, canned and fresh tomatoes, and seafood, among many others. The recipes themselves are exhaustive and, as one might expect, models of accuracy and good taste. Included are the likes of Macaroni with Spinach and Gorgonzola, Lasagna with Shrimps and Scallops, Potato Gnocchi with Butter, Sage, and Parmesan Cheese, and Cellophane Noodle Salad with Charred Beef and Snow Peas. With master recipes for many of the basic pasta types and more than 300 illustrations, the book should enlighten pasta lovers while whetting their appetite for its many satisfactions. Buy It Now

Taste Pure and Simple: Irresistible Recipes for Good Food and Good Health by Michel Nischan
(2004 James Beard Award Winner for Healthy Focus & Vegetarian)

Acclaimed chef Michel Nischan knows that eating well is all about balance, and his beautiful cookbook proves that robust meals can be both healthy and flavorful. Avoiding the high-fat dairy products prevalent in so many cookbooks, he uses vegetable juices and olive oil to achieve the same luscious flavors. Who knew that sweet potatoes make a rich sauce that's fabulous drizzled over coriander-seasoned duck? Or that creamy white bean dip spread on crusty bread could make you forget about butter? And after eating a healthful dinner, it's okay to indulge in a dessert like Flourless Hazelnut Cake. A chapter on basics provides a solid foundation of stocks and sauces, while the glossary describes how to find and use unusual ingredients. For the good home cook who craves something new and delicious and particularly those who want to eat well while maintaining a heart-healthy diet, it's simply a matter of Taste Pure and Simple. Buy It Now

Internationally known as one of the most magnificent farmers' markets in the world, the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market has inspired this gorgeous illustrated market companion. The perfect guide and cookbook -- no matter where you live -- each page celebrates the abundant seasonal produce grown by local organic and specialty-crop farmers along with more than 100 fresh, remarkably easy-to-assemble recipes. Organized by season, the book details the availability of products at the market and offers advice on choosing, storing, preparing, and freezing items. A foreword by Alice Waters, the history of the market, and vivid color photos throughout bring this farm fresh market guide to life. Buy It Now

In Learning to Cook, 150 recipes and 100 color photos are woven through 11 chapters with tempting titles like "Soup for Supper," "Easy Fish," "Meals Without Meat," and "Thank Goodness for Chicken." Cunningham's recipes are clearly written--free from hard-to-decipher cooking terms and elaborate preparations. Directions for preparing items such as vegetables are included in the recipes, so readers can prepare them as they cook, without perpetually referring to the ingredients list. Many of the recipes are meal-in-one suppers. Buy It Now

Celebrity Chef and author Barbara Pool Fenzl reveals secrets and insights gained from her impressive culinary career and 36 years of Southwest living. In this beautiful compilation, she presents more than 150 original recipes that burst with the colors, textures, and flavors of the region—truly a masterpiece that pays homage to her Southwest Home. As a bonus, Fenzl offers complete seasonal menus to give entertainers ideas for serving sensational meals to groups of two to twenty. Share these elegantly simple meals with friends and family and enjoy all of the Southwest’s seasons. Buy It Now

The author's "ecological kitchen" serves low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian food, made without dairy products or eggs, with an emphasis on organic seasonal produce, fuel-efficient cooking, and minimal waste. Her approach to such a diet is more accessible than most, and her recipes are more appealing than the standard collections of vegan dishes. A useful glossary of ingredients is appended. This should appeal to fans of the Moosewood cookbooks as well as to the growing numbers of newer converts to a plant-based diet. Buy It Now

Stein and Hinds's Peerless Restaurant in Oregon's Rogue Valley is becoming one of the compulsory stops for foodies making West Coast pilgrimages to places like Chez Panisse and French Laundry. Now the restaurant's executive chefs present the philosophy and recipes that inform their cooking from seasonal Northwest ingredients. Eating is political for the authors, and they make a strong case for home cooks as well as restaurant chefs to support local farmers and purveyors to "encourage a regional food supply and a strong local economy, maintain a sense of community, encourage earth stewardship, and protect the future of small to medium-size family farms." Sprinkled between elegant recipes for Sweet Corn and Shiitake Mushroom Custard and Pan-Seared Alaskan Sablefish with Green Garlic, Fiddlehead Ferns and Soft Polenta are profiles of farmers and fishermen, as well as concise, non-preachy explanations of the environmental consequences of different production methods, in order to help readers make responsible and sustainable choices. The emphasis is firmly on Pacific Northwest products, especially fish and seafood, but each recipe offers substitutions to encourage cooks to use sources from close to home. The first step to a good meal is quality ingredients, and for Stein and Hinds that starts with knowing where your food comes from. Buy It Now

For vegetarians and food enthusiasts weary of soggy carrots, smelly cabbage or lumpy mashed potatoes, the editors of Cook's Illustrated present a tome devoted to vegetable perfection from artichokes to zucchini. Carefully researched and thoroughly tested, each section (organized alphabetically by vegetable) includes an informative history and interesting food facts; tips on how to select the freshest vegetable at the market; and detailed approaches to cooking and serving. The volume answers oft-asked questions about preparing and storing foods, and includes both basic recipes ("master recipes") and tastier dishes (Green Beans with Sautéed Shallots and Vermouth, Mashed Potatoes with Brie and Tarragon and Glazed Carrots with Currants and Almonds) for each veggie. Step-by-step illustrations on preparation help the home cook master technique: detailed lessons, for example, are provided for preparing artichokes for braising and corn for grilling, dicing an avocado and segmenting an orange. There's a section on why chopping onions can make you cry, as well as suggestions to stop the flow of tears. (Light a candle or wear swimming goggles.) "Best of" segments are peppered throughout the book, offering the reader results of taste and equipment tests from the Cook's Illustrated staff. Buy It Now

Grilling and barbecuing have become a distinctly American passion as more and more grills and smokers appear in our backyards. Too often however, that juicy ribeye or succulent tenderloin roast becomes something more fit to use as footgear than to appear on the dinner table. Once again, the authors at Cook's Illustrated have scored a huge success with their latest book on the subject of grilling and barbecuing. You will learn what to look for in equipment, the basic principles of both grilling and barbecuing and a thorough examination of preparing burgers, steaks, poultry, kebabs, fish and shellfish, veggies, pork and of course, ribs. Rubs, sauces and salsa recipes are also provided. But the main reason to purchase this book is for the techniques and recipes. Each and every technique and recipe is the culmination of exhaustive testing by the authors. You will be hailed as a grilling guru or pitmaster every time your family or guests experience the pleasure of tasting your fare. You will use this book often and one word of caution: Don't let anyone borrow it or it will be the last time you see it! Buy It Now

"This is a cookbook for vegetable lovers--and vegetable haters," says Andrea Chesman in The Roasted Vegetable. Her argument is that roasting veggies brings out their "hidden sweet, nutty flavors," making them irresistible to carrot-hating kids and vegan adults alike. She supports this theory with 150 tantalizing recipes, starting with a sizeable serving of side dishes, then broadening to include salsas, soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, tofu, granola, and more. Beyond obvious inclusions like roasted peppers, French fries, and chestnuts, there's Garlic Puree ("like a basic black dress, it goes with almost anything") and Roasted Kohlrabi, which "looks like a spaceship that has sprouted leaves." Another standout is the Roasted Tomato Sauce, for which tomatoes are roasted up to one and a half hours until they've broken down to form a thick sauce; the recipe also has variations for pasta, enchiladas, and Middle Eastern dishes. In addition, the book covers basic techniques and equipment and has a handy roasting chart--all aimed to help your roasted vegetables come out perfectly "tender-crisp." Buy It Now

We know that there is life beyond broccoli and iceberg lettuce, but what is one to do with the odd-looking green things with exotic names that increasingly line the produce shelves? Albi (who recently died) and Walthers (formerly food editor for Natural Health) take a careful look at greens from arugula and dandelion to kale and mesclun and other salad greens. The authors explain their subjects' virtues and shortcomings (steamed broccoli rabe served solo can be unpleasant); how to choose them; how and how long to keep them; how to clean them; and, in more than 140 recipes, how to cook them. Greens need a little help, they say, and many of the recipes lean on a smattering of olive oil, garlic or raisins to bring out the flavor: Kale with Raisins and Toasted Pine Nuts; Chinese Bok Choy, Shitake and Tofu; Garlic Escarole Soup with Rice. Carrots or red peppers can add color as well as flavor Broccoli Rabe Vegetable Pasta with yellow summer squash and freshly grated Parmesan or Romano is an exceptionally pretty and tasty dish. Interspersed are informational chapters on nutrition (most greens are high in vitamins, minerals and beta-carotene), the best cooking methods, and home gardening tips. Buy It Now

By now just about everybody whose interest in eating runs deeper than fast food knows about Alice Waters. The creator of Chez Panisse, the legendary restaurant in Berkeley, California, that helped create a modern American cuisine based on fresh ingredients, she is also equally well-known as a teacher and cookbook author. Chez Panisse Vegetables is one of the best new cookbooks of the season; it's as useful for its information about vegetables and how to use and handle them as it is for its irresistible recipes, which lead to complex and interesting dishes built from simple ingredients and simple techniques. But It Now

A Celebration of Herbs is a cookbook that pairs herbs with the right foods in the most tantalizing ways. Compiled by long-time herb enthusiast Shirley Kerins from recipes submitted by the staff of the world-famous Huntington Gardens, this high-quality book enriches our souls as well as our palates by offering us interesting and pertinent information on the herbs we are cooking with. Especially helpful for beginning herb users is the chapter on "Learning to Use Herbs in Cooking." In this chapter, Ms. Kerins has outlined her "Eight-Step Program for Learning to Cook With Herbs" that is sure to make cooking with herbs a snap! Buy It Now

Forget about the word vegetarian in the title, and don't think inspired is just hype. The Vegetarian Grill features a host of unexpected dishes that should interest almost everyone. Have you ever thought, for example, of grilling quesadillas or falafel; of making lasagna laced with grilled, chopped vegetables; or of using grilled vegetables to infuse a meatless split-pea soup with deep flavor? Although she lives in Vermont, she grills even in the dead of winter, and she offers lots of recipes for Fire-Up Flatbreads and Pizzas, Kabobs and other compelling combinations, Grilled Desserts, and more. Chesman has an engaging style, and she offers lots of handy tips with her appealing recipes. Buy It Now

Elizabeth Schneider creates a compelling guide to 350 common and exotic vegetables. This seed-to-table exploration does more, however. In addition to its usefulness as a reference work (vegetables are, for example, listed by their market, botanical, and common names), the book offers 500 up-to-the-minute recipes--such as Shredded Yellow Squash with Garlic Chives and Baked Sweet Potato-Apple Puree with Horseradish--valuable advice on seasonality and selection, multiple-method cooking instructions, and color photos of all the entries that make market identification a breeze. Buy It Now

All the recipes in this book reflect the themes of seasonality, simplicity, and freshness. This is garden-style cooking, and it makes being in the kitchen a joy rather than a chore. Time spent preparing dishes is minimal and the rewards are great. Even home cooks who are unable to keep the hardiest of plants alive or who live in tiny, dark apartments will be enchanted by La Place's description of her bountiful garden. La Place's insistence on relying on her garden's bounty alone to supply dishes for each course and every season spurs her to great creativity, as exemplified by the "Caprese" salad that morphs through the year from the summer classic to a winter version with radicchio, orange zest and hazelnuts. Though cooks without a garden will not have quite the experience that La Place describes, just the idea of concentrating on a few fresh ingredients will remind them of just how extraordinary vegetables can be. Buy It Now

The book offers chapters deftly arranged by fruit and vegetable families as they appear in the markets, such as "The Vegetable Fruits of Summer: Eggplants, Tomatoes, and Peppers" and "A Cool Weather Miscellany," which includes recipes such as Sautéed Artichokes with Potatoes and Garlic Chives and a marvelous "essence-of" soup, Elixir of Fresh Peas. Madison also treats unfamiliar fruits and vegetables, presenting the likes of lamb quarters in a soup made with Sonoma Teleme cheese, and sugar loaf chicory simply grilled and dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Recipes for delightful salads like Melon Salad with Thai Basil also appear, as do a selection of pastas and risotto, such as Winter Squash Risotto with Seared Radicchio, and sweets like White Peaches in Lemon Verbena Syrup and Date, Dried Cherry, and Chocolate Nut Torte. With sidebars like Atlanta's All-Organic Market: Late October and color photos throughout of vendors, produce, and many of the dishes, the book offers the perfect match of Madison and the markets. Buy It Now

Gourmet editors review the best restaurants from around the world and provide expert travel advice for those in search of the ultimate epicurean experience. Each issue features refreshing, easy-to-prepare and delicious recipes that come complete with top recommended wines. You'll get low fat alternatives, Quick Kitchen recipes, 5 ingredient feasts, drink tips and great seasonal dishes. Buy It Now

Spring's approach brings the promise of planting and another season of garden produce. Ellen Ecker Ogden has written From the Cook's Garden as a guide for those seeking some new ways to use up their garden bounty. Ogden's own immense Vermont garden provides the basis for these recipes, and they reflect thoughtful and tasty ways to produce appealing dishes from the freshest ingredients. Although most recipes offer ease of preparation, Ogden's cold creamy red beet soup with pistachio mousse calls for a base of cider, wine, and cinnamon and tops each bowlful with dollops of whipped ricotta, pistachios, and green herbs. Many of the book's recipes are vegetarian, but a few have fish or meat as prominent flavors. Because gardens often produce more than can be consumed during the harvest months, Ogden closes her book with a section on preserving, both in cans and in the freezer. Buy It Now

Not so long ago most fresh food on North American tables came from home gardens and local farmers markets. Today, the average item of food travels more than a thousand miles before it lands on our tables. It’s a remarkable technological accomplishment, but has not proven to be healthy for our communities, our land or us. Through stories and simple "whole foods" recipes, Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert explore how the food we put on our tables impacts our local and global neighbors. They show the importance of eating local, seasonal food—and fairly traded food—and invite readers to make choices that offer security and health for our communities, for the land, for body and spirit. Buy It Now

The noodle reigns supreme in this fun but singularly focused collection of recipes. Drawing from decades of experience, the James Beard Award–winning owners of Al Forno in Providence, R.I., and coauthors of Cucina Simpatica explore their favorite recipes at home and in the restaurant, including their favorite after-work treat, Midnight Spaghetti. The chapter Pasta Tips offers useful tidbits of information such as how to heat serving bowls and when and how to add grated cheese. The remainder of the book consists of the recipes, which are split up into sections by type, such as with vegetables, tomato sauce or seafood; there are also sections on fresh and various baked pasta dishes. The majority are quick and simple and feature the usual saucy suspects like capers, red pepper flakes and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Yet the authors cover a wide expanse of Italian culinary traditions, and there are some intriguing surprises, like George's Spaghetti with Raw Cucumber and Basil, and Pappardelle and Saffron-Scented Milk-Braised Chicken. Throughout, the directions are straightforward and consistent. Each dish is followed by suggestions for rounding out the meal and using leftovers—though most of these creations are unlikely to leave any behind. Buy It Now

Natural, nutritious, and flavorsome food for all the seasons of the year. Reawaken your tastebuds with the flavors and textures of the natural and nutritious ingredients used in the Organic Cookbook's delicious, satisfying recipes. Delicious, nutrient-packed meals result from the use of natural ingredients at their absolute seasonal best. To guide you through seasonal shopping, Organic Cookbook's comprehensive, at-a-glance fruit and vegetable calendar shows you the best time of the year to buy food at its freshest and most nutritious. In addition to this advice on what to look for in fresh produce and how to buy what is best on the day, Renee Elliot and Eric Treuille offer invaluable advice on effective storing methods to seal in the natural goodness inherent in organic produce. With simple meals that require minimal effort and are easy to prepare, the recipes in this collection ensure that every ingredient counts -- the aim is always to enhance, not disguise. Each recipe combines fresh ingredients to bring out the essential aromas, flavors, and nutrients to produce fresh-tasting, delicious meals every time. Buy It Now

"Conscious cuisine" is what Neff calls the food he cooks at Miraval Spa near Tucson, AZ, among the top spa resorts in the country. Here he presents dozens of recipes for the sophisticated but healthful food he serves-one of the major reasons for the spa's popularity. Those who love good foods can keep "Conscious Cuisine" on the shelf for a long-time to come. There is lots of variety, and most of the savoring dishes and sauce recipes are low in sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar. Worth noting, is that this is not for the quick throw-together at-home food enthusiasts. It's a step up into a little more planning and stocking. But the results will give you 5-star dishes such as Saffron-chive sauce, Carrot Mousse, Layered Spinach, Wild Mushroom, are a few of the many high-end cuisine you can create in your own kitchen. Buy It Now

In The Best International Recipe, the test kitchen travels father afield to bring you the best and most exciting cooking from around the world. The more than 300 recipes have been tested dozens of times to ensure success in the kitchen.

Throughout The Best International Recipe, you'll find features that make this collection especially home cook friendly: Pantry spotlights offer clear explanations of ingredients and what to look for, and in some cases, what you can substitute without compromising flavor. Specialty equipment (and substitutions) are highlighted as well, so you won't waste money on equipment you don't really need (hint: You don't need a paella pan to make paella). Core techniques highlighted throughout the book explain essential methods that you can apply to all of your cooking, such as getting the most from spices and a method for making buttery tart dough that won't leave you feeling frustrated.

Whether you want to make spicy pork tacos to rival those found on the tables of Mexico or learn how to make chicken as juicy as the French, The Best International Recipe is your essential guide to the best cooking from around the world. Buy It Now

When we see land as a community to which we belong we may begin to use it with love and respect.
There is no other way for land to survive the impact of mechanized man...
The objective is a more enduring civilization.

~ Aldo Leopold

Eating with the Seasons & the Slow Food Movement

The things most worth waiting for are not available everywhere all the time.

~Alice Waters

Fresh spring lettuce, succulent fruits in summer, autumn's squash and wild rice and root vegetables in winter. Eating fresh seasonal produce not only is delicious, it is a good way to connect with the rhythms of the natural world.

Learn more about Slow Food

Brian Halweil discusses Local Food on the Restaurant Guys Radio show
See a list of Lettuce Patch Garden's favorite slow food cookbooks

Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Groups who are working on preserving and promoting local and endangered foods are:

Slow Food is an international organization whose aim is to protect the pleasures of the table from the homogenization of modern fast food and life.

The Slow Food movement was founded in 1986 in Italy, and has spread around the word. Through a variety of initiatives, it promotes gastronomic culture, develops taste education, conserves agricultural biodiversity and protects traditional foods at risk of extinction. It now boasts over 80,000 members in over 100 countries.

Recognizing that the enjoyment of wholesome food is essential to the pursuit of happiness, Slow Food U.S.A. is an educational organization dedicated to promoting stewardship of the land and ecologically sound food production; reviving the kitchen and the table as the centers of pleasure, culture, and community; invigorating and proliferating regional, seasonal culinary traditions; creating a collaborative, ecologically-oriented, and virtuous globalization; and living a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life.

The Chef's collaborative is a national network of more than 1,000 members of the food community who promote sustainable cuisine by celebrating the joys of local, seasonal, and artisanal cooking. Check out their website to find restaurants in your area who are members and support sustainable agriculture.

100 Mile-Diet A typical ingredient in a modern meal has traveled 1,500 miles or more from farm to plate. The 100-mile diet is a local-eating experiment you can try for yourself--and a way to reconnect with the place you call home.

Locavores are a group of concerned culinary adventurers who are making an effort to eat only foods grown or harvested within a 100 mile radius of San Francisco for an entire month. They recognize that the choices we make about what foods we choose to eat are important politically, environmentally, economically, and healthfully. In 2005, they challenged people from the bay area (and all over the world) to eat within a 100 mile radius of their home for the month of August.
EatLocalChallenge.com is a group blog written by authors who are interested in the benefits of eating food grown and produced in their local foodshed.

Renewing America's Food Traditions (RAFT) wants to revive the production and use of endangered foods in North America. It is a coalition of seven of the most prominent non-profit food, agriculture, conservation, and educational organizations dedicated to rescuing America’s diverse foods and food traditions.

Heritage foods are foods derived from rare breeds of American livestock and crops with strong genetic authenticity and well-defined production protocols. Heritage Foods USA brings hard to find heritage foods with superior taste directly to American homes for holidays and special occasions. Because of their rarity and strict production protocols, heritage foods are currently produced only during certain periods of the year and in limited quantities. So you must pre-order to assure you get our products! America's top chefs and food writers swear by the superior tastes of heritage foods.

100-mile Diet Local eating for global change. This site encourages people to use ingredients acquired from within 100 miles of home. Like the idea? Their web site has some great ideas and inspirational stories from people who are trying it. Bon appetit!

FoodRoutes Where does your food come from? How can you help support your local farmer? Where can you find Local Food? What is Community Supported Agriculture? Read more on how to buy local. Find out about the FoodRoutes' "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" Toolbox and take the Buy Local Challenge.

Local Grain Initiative The philosophy of the local grain initiative goes much deeper than simply encouraging the small scale growing and production of grain. By using a grain experiment like this as an example in 'reclaiming', it's hope is to address issues of regional food security which are inseparably linked to issues of ecological balance, bioregional self-sufficiency, and re-defining our 'use value' notions of resources. The local grain initiative is for healthy ecosystems.

Oldways is a widely respected nonprofit food issues advocacy group praised for translating the complex details of nutrition science into the familiar language of food. Oldways programs are focused on the simple triangle of principles: nutrition (health, science), tradition (pleasure, joy, history) and sustainability (environment, organic). Oldways develops and carries out education programs and events to help consumers make wise choices about eating, drinking, and lifestyle, emphasizing the traditional pleasures of the table.

The trumpet of a prophecy?
O Wind,
If winter comes,
can spring be far behind?

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

Sustainable Agriculture

When farms and market-gardens are run sustainably, the gardens and other resources are managed as naturally as possible and provide a good living for the grower.

Growers are able to provide their customers with the best possible vegetables, harvested at the peak of flavor and nutrition.

Produce grown with synthetic pesticides and herbicides cannot be grown sustainably.

The consumption of fossil fuels, extensive loss of topsoil and pollution of our water is at the heart of "conventional" agriculture. Here is an excellent comparison of conventional agriculture and sustainable agriculture.

At Lettuce Patch Gardens we embrace sustainable agriculture. We fertilize our crops naturally. Straw, leaves, weeds and spent vegetable plants from the gardens are composted and nourish the soil. Our soil stewardship practices allow us to minimize the amount of off-site fertilizers that we purchase. Mulching and vigilant hand-pulling helps keep the weeds under control instead of spraying herbicides. We don't have much of a need for pesticides, and the ones we do use on occasion are no more harmful than soap. Because the soil is fed well and bacterial activity in the soil is high, the soil is healthy enough to feed healthy plants without the need for chemical fertilizers. Our gardens a source for truly local and truly seasonal food. Our produce, grown and eaten when it is "in season" is the freshest and best tasting you can find.

Sustainable agriculture also contributes to our community. Food is purchased locally and this keeps money in our community.

When food is grown locally consumption of polluting fossil fuels is significantly reduced. As fuel prices rise and oil becomes more scarce, the cost of food will also rise.

The David Suzuki Foundation estimates that much of our food travels over 2,400 kilometers just to get to our dinner table. What's even more astounding is that the production of the food needed to feed a family of four, including packaging and distribution, releases up to eight tons of carbon dioxide annually. Due to "conventional" agricultural practices, 15 metric tons of soil are lost annually to feed each US resident because our large-scale agricultural practices erode soil. This amounts to 2 billion tons of soil a year. Almost 40 percent of the world's agricultural land is seriously degraded. Modern agriculture causes about one quarter of the risk of climate change.

Sustainably grown produce, on the other hand, results in the growth of new topsoil. By adding substantial organic matter to the soil, we can actually remove excess CO2 from the atmosphere by turning it into carbon.

Learn more about sustainable agriculture at the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture

Hydroponically-grown Lettuce

Why hydroponic lettuce is NOT "better than organic" and is not sustainable:

Sustainable is defined as "a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged."

Many hydroponic growers will tell you that their methods are better than growing in soil because they use "cutting edge" technology to grow plants. But what they don't tell you is that the nutrient solutions they use are typically derived from petrochemicals, and are not organic. Even if they are derived from organic sources they have to be highly processed, which generally requires the consumption of fossil fuels. Hydroponic growing requires that the greenhouse is heated even in the depths of winter. Heated greenhouses require large amounts of fossil fuels to heat, light, pump nutrient solutions and control the mass of equipment that runs them 24 hours per day. This is not sustainable.

Some of these same arguments can be made about large-scale organic agriculture that relies on the conventional factory farm model but uses organic fertilizers and pesticides. Large farms also use fossil fuels to run their large-farm machinery, and they transport food long distance, again using more fossil fuels. Again, this is an issue of sustainability. That is why we support a vision of truly local, small-scale agriculture.

Whether or not organically grown food is better depends on how it is grown. At Lettuce Patch Gardens we don't use any petrochemicals and we use the smallest amount of outside fertilizer possible. We also keep a lot of leaves, coffee grounds and other food waste out of landfills by composting. The biggest difference between heated greenhouses and our gardens is that we rely on a pollution-free heat source-the sun. It may not be "cutting-edge" but it has worked for thousands of years.

Remember - Sustainable is "a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged." What can we find in the heated greenhouses that does not deplete resources? The fertilizers? The CO2 units, fans, heaters, water pumps and lights? None of these things returns anything to the earth to nourish it and grow more food. They consume large amounts of fossil fuels and petrochemicals that pollute our air and water. They do not compost, because they have no need for it. Nothing about heated greenhouses, especially ones that use soil-less growing methods is sustainable.

So, the next time you hear that food grown in a heated greenhouse is "better" or "cleaner" than organic, ask yourself -- is it really?

The contrast between actual sustainable agriculture and heated greenhouse growing is stark-

Lettuce Patch Gardens

Hydroponics

Recycles garden or farm waste by composting

Yes

No

Uses fossil fuels to heat greenhouse

No

Yes

Uses organic fertilizers

Yes

Usually not

Uses fossil fuels to circulate nutrients

No

Yes

Uses CO2 pumps to artificially promote plant growth

No

Yes

For help finding local and organic food options go to our list of Colorado small farms and market-gardens

Organic Consumers Union is a grassroots non-profit public interest organization which deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, corporate accountability, and environmental sustainability.

Check out The Meatrix to see a clever flash movie about the meat industry.

Most of us need to be reminded that food

is the generous result of a collaboration

between our species

and the rest of nature,

not just simply another product of industrial collaboration

~ Joan Dye Gussow

What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the total genetic variation in the world's living organisms. Genetic variables are crucial to nature's ability to build resilience and adapt to particular environmental conditions. Lettuce Patch Gardens is committed to biodiversity. We use only organically grown seeds and prefer to use heirloom seeds whenever possible.

What are Heirloom seeds and varieties?

Heirloom plants are the gift of our genetic heritage. They have been passed down through the generations. Most heirloom varieties are of European descent, brought here by immigrants and saved diligently by each generation. Unfortunately, modern agricultural practices have caused us to lose 97% of the vegetable varieties that were available in the U.S. in 1900.1 Each of the remaining heirloom varieties is therefore a precious commodity. They are all treasures that have endured the test of time and have unique characteristics, including wonderful flavor, hardiness and resistance to disease and drought.

Articles of Interest:

What will we eat as the oil runs out?

Then I say the earth belongs to each generation during its course, fully and in its own right, no generation can contract debts greater than may be paid during the course of its own existence.

~Thomas Jefferson

Our Commitment to the Environment

Once you get that your food comes from the environment, you never want to do anything but take care of the world.

~Alice Waters

At Lettuce Patch Gardens, we take our commitment to the environment very seriously. We recycle all packaging, paper, garden waste and kitchen scraps. We also seek outside sources for our compost. Leaves, cardboard and un-salable produce that would otherwise end up in a landfill go into our compost piles. We are a member of Colorado Springs green power. This is a program that allows utility customers to purchase wind power in place of dirtier coal power.

As growers of sustainably grown, organic produce, we consider ourselves to be stewards of the environment, and would never knowingly do anything to harm our air, water or soil.

The very act of growing and selling local produce is environmentally friendly.

Our produce never travels more than 10-20 minutes to get to you. This not only allows you to buy very fresh vegetables, but it saves tremendous amounts of fuel as well. As Joan Dye Gussow, author of This Organic Life noted, a calorie is a unit of energy. It takes 435 fossil fuel calories to fly a 5-calorie strawberry from California to New York. Since strawberries are about 90% water, this is a pretty careless waste of a precious resource. When you think about it, all fruits and vegetables are mostly made up of water.

Ultimately, our nation uses a lot of fuel to transport water from one place to another. Locally produced food significantly reduces the use of fossil fuels in our food system.

We also contribute a portion of our profits to organizations that support local, organic and sustainable agricultural practices:

One is constantly reminded of the infinite lavishness and fertility of Nature--inexhaustible abundance amid what seems enormous waste.

And yet when we look into any of her operations that lie within the reach of our minds, we learn that no particle of her material is wasted or worn out.

It is eternally flowing from use to use, beauty to yet higher beauty; and we soon cease to lament waste and death, and rather rejoice and exult in the imperishable, unspendable wealth of the universe, and faithfully watch and wait the reappearance of everything that melts and fades and dies about us, feeling sure that its next appearance will be better and more beautiful than the last.

~ John Muir

Resources for Small-Scale Organic Growers and Market Gardeners
This page is devoted to helping people who want to start marketing produce, but need some guidance and resources to get started.

Our emphasis is on sustainable, local and small-scale agriculture. All of the resources listed are geared toward this way of growing and will help you on your journey of making a living doing what you love.

If you have a suggestion for a resource or website to add to our list, please contact us.

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." ~ Rumi

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Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers> Biointensive Resources | Books | DVDs | Websites | Listservs & Newsletters | Organic Seeds & Supplies | Soil Testing | Small Farm & Market Garden Links

Biointensive Resources

This is esential for learning how to grow organically/biointensivelydenotes resources that we consider to be essential for learning how to grow organically and/or biointensively.

This is a less technical version of Jeavons's best-selling book on biointensive gardening: How to Grow More Vegetables .Esential for learning how to grow organically/biointensively Written for both the beginner and the experienced gardener, this book is a great introduction to biointensive gardening theory, and includes information on preparing garden beds, composting, starting seeds, growing crops, and collecting seeds. They offer detailed instructions and equations showing how to calculate how many seeds to plant to get the necessary seedlings to fill the suggested garden plans and suggest ways to customize garden plots. Recommended especially for experienced gardeners interested in biointensive gardening.

This is an invaluable tool for anyone interested in growing food organically, and sustainably. This is the book we use to determine plant spacing, yields and planning our planting and harvesting schedules. A must-have for all organic growers! Note that the calculations and numerous charts may intimidate the beginner, who may also need more information on general gardening techniques. See The Sustainable Vegetable Garden for an overview treatment of biointensive techniques.

These are the basic books for learning the BIOINTENSIVE method; the results of thirty years of research and experience. All you need to know to raise your own food and care for your soil sustainably is here in these books, information sheets and pamphlets, written by John Jeavons, staff, and apprentices.

This video shows how to prepare your soil better and much more easily by following the techniques John Jeavons has developed while double digging all over the world for the last quarter of a century. Learn directly from the master. These techniques will improve your garden, and its soil, wherever you live. Double-digging should not be viewed as intimidating or drudgery, and Jeavons' video is the best way (next to a biointensive workshop) to see first-hand how the techniques are applied, and how easy double-digging really is. Have fun digging!

Biointensive Workshops and Ecology Action WorkshopsEsential for learning how to grow organically/biointensively

with John Jeavons. These workshops are invaluable for gaining a real-world understanding of the biointensive growing techniques. At the workshops you will learn, observe and participate in all aspects of biointensive growing, from planning your garden beds, to starting seeds, transplanting, harvesting and creating your own compost.

The Backyard Homestead Esential for learning how to grow organically/biointensively(Mini Farm and Garden Log Book)
For those who want to develop more self-reliance, are considering earning an income from market gardening, or just want to learn how to become more effective food growers. This companion book to How to Grow More Vegetables is the result of ten years of practical garden research and covers such subjects as food from your backyard, beginning to mini-farm, tools you can make (including the U-Bar), plans to build mini-greenhouses, crop profiles and tests, calendars, essential bookkeeping, and much more. This book includes plans for the mini-greenhouses that we use for growing throughout the winter.

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Books
Here is a list of our favorite books on sustainable agriculture and organic growing. Some of these are more inspirational than practical, but all of these books will help you gain the knowledge necessary to be a successful market gardener.

We own and have used all of these books. They are divided into the following sections:
Growing-General, Business & Marketing and Inspiration.

Growing-General

Bio-gardening combines the resources of science and nature to produce yield after yield of safe, abundant and nutritious crops. Noted agriculturist Lee Fryer tells the home gardener how to build perpetual soil fertility by: providing a comfortable home for the organisms that extract vital nutrients from the soil and supply them to the plants; growing fertilizer right in the garden by encouraging the mechanisms that capture nitrogen from the air; analyzing specific soil needs, then mixing and applying a well-balanced diet; borrowing the best, most productive organic farming and agribusiness methods; controlling pests with healthy plants - not with pesticides. The book also includes an A-to-Z vegetable growing guide.

Biological farming focuses on ways to reduce input costs and to increase profits while improving soil conditions. Skilled biological farmers learn how to take care of soil life they nurture it, feed it a balanced diet, and use tillage tools and methods to enhance soil life. Learn how to fertilize. Biological farmers learn proper fertilizer uses to correct mineral and nutrient imbalances and to feed plants and soil life. This is the farming consultant's bible. It schools the interested grower in methods of maintaining a balanced, healthy soil that promises greater productivity at lower costs, and it covers some of the pitfalls of conventional farming practices. Zimmer knows how to make responsible, sustainable farming practices work. His extensive knowledge of biological farming and consulting experience come through in this complete, practical guide to making farming fun and profitable.

Covers 220 important weeds with illustrations, maps, botanical information, plant lore for each. Over 225 illustrations.

This book is full of valuable information on how to harvest fresh vegetables and salad ingredients literally year-round--yet without an expensive greenhouse or indoor light garden set-up. Coleman combines succession planting (small sowings three or more times, rather than one big endeavor) with cold-frame growing in the winter months. He includes how-tos for building simple cold-frames. The book concludes with an extensive chapter on the vegetables that he grows using these methods and charts for when to plant each type of vegetable. We use this book in conjunction with How to Grow More Vegetables and our mini-greenhouses to develop our planting successions for each season.

This is simply a gem of a book. Illustrated with beautiful color photos, many by the author, this is the ultimate guide to every conceivable insect or other arthropod you might find in your backyard. It also tells you what to expect from each of these creatures, and controls for each type. It is well written and authoritative (the author is a respected entomologist at Colorado State University) and very well illustrated.

This book explains all possible weather phenomena with basic descriptions and asides and then applies this information to gardens and to determining your own garden's microclimate. Chapters include: Weather Climate and Seasons, Developing Weather Sense, Reading the Sky, Reading the Night Sky, Winds Fronts and Storms, Rain Ice and Snow, Spring Weather, Summer Weather, Fall Weather, Winter Weather, Animal Clues to Weather, Birds Bugs and Butterflies.

The author takes the mystery out of this business, filling a near vacuum with this reference, but at the same time presents the potential hazards and attention required. This is a great book if you are considering growing herbs, or are considering putting in a greenhouse. We have had this book for several seasons and have used its recommendations for herbs with great success.

For more than a decade, gardeners have been turning to a beautiful little hardcover book called Gardener's Latin, by Bill Neal. Neal understood that as Latin terms began appearing with increasing frequency in gardening catalogs, gardeners would need help. So he weeded through the Latin words that describe and distinguish among plants and flowers and compiled a volume of select, brief, clear definitions.

The low-cost alternative to the greenhouse has arrived, and it’s between these covers. Learn all the practical information you’ll need about the construction or purchase of polytunnels and cloches, methods of cultivation, plant care, propagation, and problems from pests that might occur beneath the plastic. If you have room and the right conditions for a hoop house or solar greenhouse, this is a great book. If you do not, see The Backyard Homestead above for information on how to build the mini-greenhouses that we use.

Microfarms—or small acreage farms—are gaining popularity across the country for their astoundingly high yields and great tasting produce, as well as their profitability. This handbook reveals the secrets of successful micro eco-farming and explains what eco-farmers need to know to start their own small agribusiness. Questions such as What can be grown? How do farmers reach their markets? and What sustainable production methods can be used? are answered in detail and supported be hundreds of real-life examples. A variety of unusual uses for crops are also provided, including producing organic spa products, building an urban greenhouse, creating a heritage rose farm, or cultivating a connoisseur apple orchard.

Coleman's personable work draws together the experience and wisdom of his 25 years as a vegetable gardener in Maine. It includes information on soil structure, mobile greenhouses, tools and growing methods that expand the growing season.

This book focuses on the various ingredients of the contemporary salad bowl. Gardening basics are followed by specific information on the cultivation, harvesting, and recommended varieties of the traditional lettuce and tomato as well as such trendy ingredients as radicchio and arugula.

Inspired by French intensive gardening techniques that originally utilized bell-shaped glass jars called cloches to protect tender plants and extend the growing season, the authors have developed solar gardening "appliances," including the Solar Cone, the Solar Pod, and the Pod Extenders. Use of these mini-greenhouses, combined with other gardening techniques such as intercropping, crop rotation, and careful site and soil preparation, can make it possible to harvest fresh vegetables year-round.

Includes descriptions of the major soil types, nutrient cycles and physical properties of soil, as well as lessons on composting and cover cropping. This book gives us the tools we need to understand the complex interactions that take place below our feet.

This book covers the basics of what you need to know about organic soil preparation. The information in the book ranges from producing good general soil with humus and compost to strategies of soil chemistry and fertility, as well as covering particular issues of "problem" soils and the special needs of vegetables, flowers, lawns, trees and potted plants. The book brings together some fascinating and practical material--about soil mixtures that will heighten color and aroma in flowers and increase production in plants bearing fruit, nuts and berries; a listing of the amazing arrays of manures and what they can accomplish; and the surprising materials that can serve as compost. Also, the charts and illustrations are wonderfully useful, and may alone be worth the price of the book.

This book, although out of print and fairly expensive is full of extremely useful information on a wide variety of vegetables.

Most gardeners and small growers don't think of growing garlic, because it is so plentiful and inexpensive at the local grocery store. The problem is that there is generally one kind of garlic available at most grocery stores and markets! There are over 72 different cultivated varieties of garlic! Each variety has its own distinct aroma, flavor, and level of spiciness. This book is an indispensable introduction to, and guide for growing garlic, and it even has some places listed where you can get the different cultivars of garlic.

The book is arranged into 3 parts. The introduction deals with the natural history of garlic. The second part deals with the different varieties, and the difference between the hardneck and softneck varieties. It also deals with the history of cultivated garlic. Examples of different garlic include Korean Red, which is a hot garlic, Spanish Roja, Polish, German Red, Inchilium Purple, Silver Skin (the variety usually found in stores), Montana Giant, etc. Each one has its own characteristics and each one has different storage time, growing time, and harvest time. This is the most comprehensive guide to growing garlic out there.

"Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours." ~ John Locke

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Business/Marketing

The book describes all aspects of a small commercial garden from growing transplants to marketing at a local farmers market. Information is provided on designing and building a high-tech intensively spaced commercial garden. The authors use raised beds, drip irrigation, and trellises to grow over $16,000 on 1/2 acre in Bismarck, North Dakota. Special emphasis is placed on the most profitable produce: tomatoes and cucumbers. They use cages and high hoops to increase tomato production, and cloches and trellises for cucumbers. Other crops included beans, cabbage, carrots, onions, peas, peppers, and zucchini. The book is profusely illustrated with over 150 pictures, and over 25 helpful charts and drawings

Discover how easy and profitable it is to grow and sell vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs and small livestock from your own backyard market garden. Learn how to: earn top dollar, with minimum effort and maximum profits; buy or build tools that speed your work and increase profits; enjoy a guaranteed salary from community supported agriculture or a membership garden.

Offers charts covering planting times, spaces, profits, and deductible expenses. He offers tips on harvesting to keep quality and profit high. There are even sample conversations to show how to deal with buyers. This book builds on the planting principles discussed in Square Foot Gardening.

Interesting book for those who would like to be more self-sufficient and gain economic independence. It was written at a time when it was more feasible to be totally self-sufficient by going back to the land. Some of it is quite detailed and it has good ideas and most of the projects are easy to follow.

This book not only covers how to grow herbs for market, but also how to market them and contact potential customers.

This innovative, hands-on guide demystifies the start-up process and puts small-business power in your hands. It offers cutting-edge strategies and proven formulas for taking a business idea from inception to launch to profitability. This book is filled with inspirational stories from real entrepreneurs, time-tested tools, and out-of-the-box techniques. It will offer you the encouragement—and equip you with the know-how— to transform your dream business into a reality.

Like most small business owners, you probably can't afford to hire a lawyer to draft the legal documents you need in the course of your day-to-day business. Now there's an affordable solution -- Legal Forms for Starting & Running a Small Business, which provides you with over 60 legal forms and documents and all the step-by-step instructions you need to use them. This collection of essential legal and business documents helps you: create contracts to buy, sell, rent or store goods, hire employees and independent contractors, borrow and lend money, buy a business, lease commercial space, prepare corporate bylaws, record minutes of meetings, buy real estate and much more. The 3rd edition is completely updated with the latest legal documents, contracts and other forms, and includes a new checklist to help you through the start-up process.

This book is designed for the market gardener to help create a marketplace for what they produce. It covers virtually every area that produce can be sold from direct marketing, farmers markets, CSA's, and restaurant sales. He lists the advantages and disadvantages of most plans in detail. There is also an excellent resource section that lists a multitude of organizations for additional information.

Making Your Small Farm Profitable

arrosage automatique

Successful Small-Scale Farming introduces anyone owning (or planning to own) a small farm to both the harsh realities and the real potential involved in making a full- or part-time living on the land. Karl Schwenke's clear-eyed approach to the best farming methods covers a wide range of proven techniques and practical advice, including:

How to improve, conserve, and enrich your soil organically, to ensure the highest (and healthiest) yields.
What machinery you'll need and how to use it.
The best "cash crops" and specialty crops to grow for profit and how to raise them.
How to use innovative strategies to find or create a market "niche" for your farm's crops or services.
A concise overview of essential farmstead skills, such as haying, fencing, and managing a woodlot.
Numerous charts and tables that put useful calculations at your fingertips.

With today's increased concern for the quality of the food we eat and the health of our environment, Successful Small-Scale Farming offers a unique and invaluable perspective on the future of agriculture. Karl Schwenke's message -- that small-scale farms can be cleaner, smarter, and more efficient than corporate agribusiness -- has never been so relevant as it is today.

Selling Produce to Restaurants (A Marketing Guide for Small Acreage Growers)
Selling Produce to Restaurants is the definitive guide for anyone considering expanding his or her marketing techniques. More than ever, restaurants and consumers are turning to local small acreage growers for farm fresh produce. This publication was written by a small acreage farmer who has been selling herbs, flowers and specialty produce to restaurants for over a decade. Diane Green shares some of her personal strategies that have helped her be successful. This was one of the first books we purchased when starting our market garden. It is full of useful tips you won't find anywhere else.

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Books that will inspire you to grow

Although this isn't a book about farming or market gardening, it is still an enjoyable read for anyone who loves to grow. When garden writer Simon failed to find a communication outlet for her extensive interest in gardening, she decided to express her thoughts through letters. And what better recipient than the historical gardening enthusiast Thomas Jefferson? These engaging "letters," written during the course of a year from Simon's Nantucket garden, range from such topics as the demise of the kitchen garden in America to a fascinating account of the evolution of the seed catalog. Simon is also effective in using Jefferson's own writings to discuss how things have changed since his day. Whether extolling the benefits of manure or praising asparagus, Simon clearly shows a passion for gardening. Gardening fans will really love this book.

How and why has agriculture, an endeavor that for millennia involved intimate knowledge of and profound respect for nature and place, become so industrialized that it's wreaking havoc all around the world? And what can people do about it? Seminal thinkers such as Wendell Berry, Wes Jackson, and Ron Kroese make the distinction between agrarian and industrial agriculture, assess the treacherous divide between them, and chronicle the catastrophic unintended consequences of monoculture farming, genetically engineered seeds, and the massive use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers. Kimbrell and company not only testify to the myriad ill effects of agriculture based solely on profit rather than the well-being of people and the planet, they also discuss alternative farming practices and the prospect for a new agrarianism and a brighter future.

Gardeners who have learned to work with rather than against nature include Bill Mollison, an Australian devotee of permaculture, and John Jeavons, who discusses how to create good soil, the most important element of gardening. Wes Jackson advocates perennial polyculture to increase produce yield without using toxic chemical fertilizers that upset nature's balance, while Carol Deppe explains how to save seeds for breeding to create disease-resistant plants. The authors stress the critical need for restoring earth that has been badly damaged by current agricultural practices.

A dramatic pair of pictures opens this book: aerial shots of Fairview Gardens Farm, near Goleta, California, first in 1954, then in 1998. Once part of thousands of acres of farmland, Fairview Gardens is now entirely surrounded by tract homes, strip malls, and all the conveniences of modern suburban life. This 12.5-acre oasis exists only because Michael Ableman has steadfastly refused to let it be gobbled up by the relentless bulldozers. His story is funny, fierce, inspiring, and infuriating. His success, tempered by ample setbacks, will be of practical use to anybody seeking to preserve farmland from suburban sprawl.

Two decades ago, when author Gussow was giving fiery speeches about the importance of eating locally and seasonally, she realized that it was time to put her convictions into practice. In this combination memoir, polemic, and gardening manual, she discusses the joys and challenges of growing organic produce in her own New York garden. Initially, Gussow had planned to write about her misadventures in buying a 150-year-old house on a Hudson River floodplain. That story was incorporated into this book, but many of the boring remodeling details should have been omitted. Interesting points include a description of establishing her new garden, tips on making compost and on growing fruits and vegetables successfully in a northern climate, and various recipes using the garden bounty. Throughout, Gussow stresses the need to live responsibly "in a society where thoughtless consumption is the norm."

An engaging, informative, and often quite personal account of the founding and beginning years of Seeds of Change, a new company that sells organically grown seeds to gardeners. Much more than a narrative of a seed company and its founders, this is really a story about biodiversity. The author passionately believes that individual gardeners can play a vital role in saving uncommon yet meritorious varieties of fruits and vegetables, grains, flowers, and herbs.

In 1995, lured by a friend's enthusiasm for the pleasures of market gardening and his tales of the money to be made selling produce at greenmarkets, the authors, who lived in Brooklyn, decided to buy 30 acres of land in upstate New York. Schaye, who was an editorial writer for the New York Daily News, got herself reassigned as a reporter in the paper's Albany bureau so she could be close to the farm, and Losee gave up his failing construction business.

In lively alternating essays, husband and wife tell the story of their venture. He recounts the details of building a house, tilling the land, constructing a deer fence; she, bemused at her husband's grandiose plans and his unfailing confidence, goes along with everything, including spending the first winter with thousands of tomato and pepper seedlings growing in the bedroom of their temporary apartment in Albany. Increasingly dissatisfied with her job covering the static New York State government, Schaye finally gave it up and entered wholeheartedly into farm work. After the first summer, they sold their house in Brooklyn, took part-time jobs, and through backbreaking labor, made their farm work. Now they have a successful business selling flowers and fresh produce at greenmarkets. Without playing down the hardships of the endeavor-the authors have written an engaging and unfailingly optimistic book.

A compendium of the award winning columns Ward wrote for the Washington Post. He wrote about the joys and sorrows of producing organic food for body--and soul--at Flickerville Mountain Farm & Groundhog Ranch. "A little bit of all of us, and a lot of some of us, dream of doing something close to what Ward Sinclair and Cass Peterson did--pack it up, quit the big city, and fool around with the earth. These columns are fantastic..." Ben Bradlee, The Washington Post. If you are a farmer read this book and realize you are not alone, then give this to all your friends who think you are crazy. If you are a wannabe farmer and you read this and it makes your heart pound with anticipation you are bound to be a great success. If you don't get it, find another line of work.

This book looks deeply into the American food system and closely examines the need for change in the way food is grown and distributed in the United States. It is composed of twelve interviews with dynamic women who work on issues surrounding modern agriculture. These women are producers, academicians, advocates and activists. Some work in agricultural law and policy. All are devoted to changing the current system.

Within a framework that offers brief overviews of the development of U.S. agriculture, the interviews allow the reader to hear firsthand what has gone wrong and what we can do about it. Part One focuses on concepts of traditional agriculture, organic growing and market viability. Part Two discusses pioneering agriculture and the process of restoring our farms to thriving habitats of biodiversity with clean water and healthy soil. Part Three considers the issues of industrial agriculture, exploring the controversy of genetically modified foods, farm foreclosures, and the 2002 Farm Bill. Part Four returns us to sustainable agriculture and how we can make sustainability work for us. It includes discussions of farmers’ markets, co-ops, and local food systems.

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DVDs

Dig It-(John Jeavons Double-Digging Video) This video shows how to prepare your soil better and much more easily by following the techniques John Jeavons has developed while double digging all over the world for the last quarter of a century. Learn directly from the master. These techniques will improve your garden, and its soil, wherever you live. Have fun digging! This is esential for learning how to grow organically/biointensively

Salad Gardening for Profit Revisited- A new down-to-earth instructional video and manual explaining step-by-step commercial organic salad gardening using a corner of your garden and an unheated greenhouse. The video gives you all the details of a successful one-person operation, earning $500 or more a week for nine months each year. The many marketing ideas will inspire you, including the new national Farm-to-Cafeteria movement. In the instruction manual, Susan encourages people to contact her for help and support in growing their own business. Help provide low fat, high nutrition food for people and get paid well for doing it. Video and manual. Seventy minutes.This is esential for learning how to grow organically/biointensively

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Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers> Biointensive Resources | Books | DVDs | Websites | Listservs & Newsletters | Organic Seeds & Supplies | Soil Testing | Small Farm & Market Garden Links

Websites

Boulder County New Farmer Program Colorado State University Extension in Boulder County is excited to offer this series of 8 evening classes designed to help New Farmers explore farming as a business and Intermediate and Experienced Farmers refine their business, production, and marketing skills. This Market Farm track will explore farms producing vegetables, fruits, flowers, eggs, herbs, etc. for sale at farmers' markets, community supported agriculture, produce stands, restaurants and wholesale. Please visit the Colorado Small Farms page for more details.

ATTRA One of the best sites on the web for resources on organic growing. There are many fact sheets and lists of additional resources at this site. It is so large, that you just have to look through it to see for yourself what a wealth of information that it is.

Certified Naturally Grown When USDA's Organic program was implemented in 2002, organic farms earning more than $5,000 per year were forced to make a choice that for many was difficult: either pay high certification fees and complete mounds of paperwork to become Certified Organic, or else give up using the word "organic" to describe their produce and/or livestock.

Cooperative Extension Websites This site will help you find your nearest Cooperative Extension office.

New Farm Works with people worldwide to achieve a regenerative food system that renews and improves environmental and human health, working with the philosophy that "Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People.” This is a HUGE site with lots of information for organic growers.

Grow Organic Is a grower's catalog that carries almost everything you need for organic gardening and growing. A very comprehensive source for organic fertilizers, insect control, tools and equipment you may have trouble finding locally.

In the Tractor Seat: Women Farmers Take the Steering Wheel-The Mainstream Media Project (MMP) has produced a radio program focusing on women in agriculture. During the program, titled “A World of Possibilities,” listeners can “hear women farmers tell their stories of success and ingenuity in the face of the daunting challenges of sustaining small farms in an age of industrial agriculture.” The program runs for 55 minutes and can be accessed online at the link above.

Market Gardening Concepts for inspiration and practical information on urban market-gardening.

The Organic Agriculture Information Access is an electronic collection of historic United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) publications related to organic agriculture. In this collection, there are almost 200 documents published before 1942 (before synthetic chemicals became widely used) that contain state-of-the-art information and data that is still very pertinent for today's agriculture. Access to this data is intended to provide growers with new ideas on crop production without chemicals, as well as help researchers conserve scarce resources by avoiding unintended duplication.

SARE Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has helped advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a nationwide research and education grants program. The site offers cutting-edge sustainable farming and ranching technologies, useful contacts, and funding sources for research and education initiatives. Learn how to get a grant, search the SARE projects database, post or browse upcoming events, order books and bulletins or find SARE contacts and regions. You can also browse a variety of subjects including animal and crop production, economics and marketing. The site is sorted by audience, giving farmers and ranchers, consumers, researchers and educators each a fast track to the information that’s most useful to them.

National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture is a diverse nationwide partnership of individuals and organizations cultivating grass roots efforts to engage in policy development processes that result in food and agricultural systems and rural communities that are healthy, environmentally sound, profitable, humane and just.

OMRI- The Organic Materials Review Institute was started in 1997 by organic certification agencies. Its mission is to provide professional, independent, and transparent review of materials allowed to produce, process, and handle organic food and fiber. A complete and up-to-date version of the OMRI Brand Name Products List is available for viewing and free downloading from the organization’s web site.

Women, Food & Agriculture Network Their self-described mission is to link and empower women to build food systems and communities that are healthy, just, and sustainable, and that promote environmental integrity.

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Shopping > Books: Cookbooks | Sustainable Agriculture | Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers | Kitchen Tools

Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers> Biointensive Resources | Books | DVDs | Websites | Listservs & Newsletters | Organic Seeds & Supplies | Soil Testing | Small Farm & Market Garden Links

Listservs & Newsletters

Listservs (e-mail discussion groups)

Market Farming provides the small-scale farmer a way to network with other farmers, to discuss appropriate scale production methods, equipment, marketing, profitability, cropping sequences, diversification, sustainability, working with extension agents, private consultants and fellow farmers, and anything else involved in making a living and providing food and fiber from your small acreage farm. To subscribe, visit

Small Farms in Colorado This listserv is intended to connect, support, and promote small farms in Colorado with news, educational outreach, and production and marketing related info. Subscribe to the Small Farms listserv at CSU select "Small_Farms" from the list and fill out the form.

Small-Scale Farming This list is open to anyone interested in or involved in small-scale farming. Equipment, fruit, grain, hay, livestock, marketing, non-organic, organic, vegetables, and whatever else is related to farming or market gardening are open for discussion. Sign up for free at Yahoo Groups.

Sustainable Agriculture (different than above list) A meeting place for farmers, consumers and others who are interested in sustainable farming. Candid, honest looks into the lives of farmers. Open to small and large sustainable commercial farmers. This is not a homesteading list. Sign up for free at Yahoo Groups.

Newsletters

ATTRA's Weekly Harvest Newsletter Sign up at their home page. Read archived issues.

The New Farm Sign up at their home page. Read archived issues.

Women, Food & Agriculture Network Newsletters

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Shopping > Books: Cookbooks | Sustainable Agriculture | Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers | Kitchen Tools

Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers> Biointensive Resources | Books | DVDs | Websites | Listservs & Newsletters | Organic Seeds & Supplies | Soil Testing | Small Farm & Market Garden Links

Seeds and Supplies
We have ordered from all the seed companies listed below
and have had great experiences with all of them.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Preserving the finest in heirloom vegetables, flowers and herbs. We offer pure heritage seed varieties that are selected for flavor and nutrition. Non-Treated, Non-Hybrid and Non-GMO. Our catalog lists 1000 heirloom seeds from over 50 countries.

Bountiful Gardens Heirloom, untreated open-pollinated varieties for sustainable agriculture. Request a free catalog.

The Garlic Store We are Colorado Department of Agriculture Certified Organic handlers. We believe in the small family farm and the stewardship to the land, saving as much as possible for the native species of plants and animals. Peaceful coexistence with the flora and the fauna on the 98% of the land we don't farm or inhabit is important to us. The Garlic Store carries a huge variety of garlic, and their site is loaded with tons of information on growing and using garlic.

Gourmet Seed International Gourmet Seed International welcomes both the Professional Market Grower and the Gourmet Home Gardener! Here you'll find Certified Organic Seed, Heirloom Seed and Gourmet Seed from the United States, Italy, Germany, France, China, Japan and all over the world. We are proud to offer you one of the finest selections of seed anywhere.

Grow Organic Is a grower's catalog that carries almost everything you need for organic gardening and growing. A very comprehensive source for organic fertilizers, insect control, seeds, tools and equipment you may have trouble finding locally. Request a free catalog.

Organic Seed Database Not a seed catalog, OMRI is a database service for growers and certifiers. They provide independent verification of organic certification of organic seed. Each supplier provides them with certification information which they verify before that item is shown. They also allow the supplier to update the availability of seed varieties, allowing you to check the availability from many suppliers at once.

Seed Savers Exchange We are a member of the exchange, and can personally tell you that the selection of seeds available is astounding. You can shop from the exchange's limited commercial catalog offerings, or become a member of the exchange and choose from thousands of seeds from around the country.

Seeds Trust is a 22 year old family operation dedicated to delicious home gardens, stunning native landscapes and saving seeds. We like their catalog's High Altitude offerings. They have been the resource since 1984 for thousands of extreme gardeners looking for exceptional flavor and trusted reliability. The have seeds from around the world for the coldest climates and shortest seasons.

Turtle Tree Seeds Turtle Tree Seed Offers 350 Varieties of Biodynamic Vegetable, Flower and Herb Seeds. Turtle Tree Seed operates as a workshop in a unique intentional community in upstate New York where people with special needs and volunteers live and work together.

Underwood Gardens Heirloom seeds, open pollinated and rare seeds. Browse their extensive collection of endangered and heirloom seeds, fine garden supplies and helpful books and videos.

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Shopping > Books: Cookbooks | Sustainable Agriculture | Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers | Kitchen Tools

Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers> Biointensive Resources | Books | DVDs | Websites | Listservs & Newsletters | Organic Seeds & Supplies | Soil Testing | Small Farm & Market Garden Links
Soil Testing

We use Timberleaf Soil Testing for our biointensive soil. Their unique program goes a step further than most – it takes into consideration the whole-plant environment by testing soil elements plus closely examining cultivation practices. They provide a thorough soil analysis with extensive suggestions on how to improve your soil. We highly recommend them.

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Shopping > Books: Cookbooks | Sustainable Agriculture | Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers | Kitchen Tools

Books for Market Gardeners and Small Farmers> Biointensive Resources | Books | DVDs | Websites | Listservs & Newsletters | Organic Seeds & Supplies | Soil Testing | Small Farm & Market Garden Links

Adams Farm is a working sixth-generation farm in southern Vermont. Offering year round public activities such as Vermont Sleigh Rides, Fudge Fondue Nights, Evening Hayrides and Bonfire Parties, Halloween Bonfire Parties, Corn Maze Fun, plus interactive agricultural experiences for the whole family.

Boulder Belt Eco-Farm is a small farm near Eaton, OH is committed to growing our food sustainably and locally because food grown sustainably and locally is healthier for both us and the planet. Check out their blog for more news about the farm and their lives as full time eco-farmers.

Catnip Farm is a 14 acre organic farmstead in western Iowa County, owned by Rich and Ericka Dana since the fall of 1996. Now in their ninth season, they provide their CSA members & farm customers with fresh multi-colored eggs, organically grown vegetables, culinary herbs, cut flowers, fruit, bedding plants, honey, fresh & dried catnip, handmade kitty toys and fine crafts (Wildgirl ceramics, jewelry, mosaics & ornaments).

Cornerstone Garlic Farm is a small family farm that specializes in garlic. We practice sustainable agriculture and though we are not certified organic we use organic practices. Besides garlic, shallots and mushrooms we grow a wide variety of fresh vegetables, blackberries and herbs. Our produce is available at local markets from March - December. Fresh homemade Garlic Powder is one of several value added products we take to local markets as well. We usually end our garlic season by selling at the Virginia Wine and Garlic Festival.

Deck Family Farm and Oregon Natural Meats Their goal is to produce the healthiest and most nutritious meat possible, and on the farm it begins with animal health and welfare. Their animals have access to pasture 365 days a year. They strive to grow all of their animals there on the ranch from start to finish which means babies are nursed until an appropriate age of weaning and finished on the same pasture where they were born. They do not use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, hormones or antibiotics on the farm. They feel a low stress chemical-free environment produces healthy and happy animals.

Greentree Naturals is a small certified organic farm nestled between the Cabinet and Selkirk mountain ranges in rural northern Idaho. They produce a wide assortment of specialty produce, herbs, fresh & dried flowers and berries. Expanding from a farmer's market to supplying upscale restaurants, Greentree Naturals has also become a center for summer farm tours, workshops, a grower's collective, a fresh flower subscription service as well as a small CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). They teach on-farm workshops related to all aspects of Organic production and Market Gardening and offer a consulting service of the same. They also have an active apprenticeship program for aspiring farmers, and are presently involved in designing a curriculum for University of Idaho and Washington State University to establish a credited curriculum for on-farm student-apprenticeship program.

Medicine Hill promotes local producers everywhere as well as growing your own for food and herbal uses. We grow for the local community as well as offering select herbal seed groups with guides for cultivation and use. Largo Creek Farm at Medicine Hill is situated in a cool, high desert region of New Mexico with clean air and water and intense sun, growing without chemicals or wildcrafting. Medicine Hill honors the old ways and those who have passed on and those who remain to teach us.

Seven Springs Farm is a 125 acre organic farm in Floyd County, Virginia, USA. Our philosophy is to be stewards of the land in the most ecological way possible. We use farming methods that build the fertility of the soil, such as organic fertilizers and biodynamically made compost. Pest management is achieved through cultural practices and biological and botanically-based materials.

Quillisascut Cheese Company is a small family farm in Northeastern Washington State, owned by Rick and Lora Lea Misterly. Their 36 acre farm is located at the base of the Huckleberry Mountain range, just off the Columbia River. The cheese production grew out of a love for country living and desire for homemade cheese. Lora Lea was raised on a farm in central Washington where her family had a small dairy and her mother made farm style cheese and butter. That cheese was the inspiration behind the cheese now being made at Quillisascut.

If you would like to add your small farm, farmers' market or market garden to our list, please contact us.