2019 Season

Enrollment for the 2019 season is now open.

Our vegetables are grown without the use of pesticides, fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). We believe in sustainable agriculture and maintaining healthy soil with natural means so that we don't deplete the soil that we rely on to grow our food. We purchase our seed from the most reputable sources available. All our seed has not been chemically treated. As parents with young children we know how important it is to provide safe and healthy food options.

Our seed is not chemically treated. Treated seeds can contain small amounts of pesticides. Soil insects and insects that attack the seedlings as they are emerging can be controlled or deterred this way. Most of our seeds are germinated in a controlled environment and transplanted after a few weeks.

New this year: micro-greens! From time to time this season we will be including micro-greens at no extra cost.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Consumers sign up to purchase a seasonal plan in advance, and in turn receive fresh, healthy produce every week or bi-weekly. Which will be delivered to your door. Due to the nature of the business, members of the farm can only get produce the farmer can successfully grow.

Delivery for the upcoming season has yet to be worked out. Once September hits, we might have to change the delivery days/times.

We offer weekly delivery from mid-June till late October. We do offer some flexibility. Going to be away for a week? That's fine just give us 48hrs notice that you will not require a basket that week. You will not be charged for that week.

LET US GROW FOR YOU!

Sign up early and let us know what you like and don't. When you sign up add a note/message letting us know the vegetables you would prefer to have each week and what you wouldn't and we'll do our best to see you get what you want.  


WHAT COULD I EXPECT TO RECEIVE EACH WEEK?

Here is a season by season break down:


Spring: Lettuce, Swiss chard, mixed kale, spinach, rhubarb, kohlrabi, radish, leek, turnip, beets, peas, spring onions, and more.

Summer: Cabbage, green beans, beets, carrots, turnips, kohlrabi, radish, lettuce, Swiss chard, herbs, zucchini, parsley, tomatoes, sweet corn, and more.

Fall: Green peppers, hot peppers, sweet peppers, tomatoes, carrots, leeks, potatoes, winter squash, carrots, beets, zucchini and more.

Limited spaces are still available.


For more information please contact us at darlingvegfarm@gmail.com


PACKAGE AND PRICE FOR THE 2019 SEASON.

Our main season package is 18 weeks in length, and runs from the week of June 18 until October 15. If you are away a week and don’t want the basket for that week, please let us know ahead of time, so we will not deliver it to you. The length of the season will be determined by mother nature.

HOW MANY CAN I FEED WITH A BASKET?

It all depends on each household’s eating habits. We will strive to provide at least 5-7 different items each week, depending on the season. Vegetarians may find that the basket will only last two to three days.For most the feedback we have received is that it takes a while to eat everything and how well the vegetables keep..

Vegetables are picked fresh for delivery.

HOW DO I PAY?

Weekly/bi-weekly basket are $25 a week. Delivery/pickup can be weekly or bi-weekly. Cash payment is due on delivery.

Time To Get Dirty!

Over the past few weeks we have been enjoying some amazing weather on the farm and it has allowed us to get the tiller out and play in the dirt!

 Our Richmond Site

 Our Main Farm

May is always a big month of planting. We do direct seeding as well as transplants. Some transplants have been living in my basement since February and have never seen the light of day.

For these we have started the hardening off process. Each day I will expose these plants to the outdoor elements. Day by day I will increase the amount of direct sunlight. Rushing them will cause the plants to burn up and die. Some plants are more cold hardy and can go out before the danger of frost has past. Our onions and leeks have been transplanted already. For these the process was started early April. Our peppers and tomatoes will have to wait till the risk of frost has passed.

Over the coming weeks we will do other succession of direct planting. More seeded beets, carrots, peas, leaf lettuce, radishes and spinach will need to be planted.

A very busy time and some longer days but come late July will be truly worth it!

Genetically modified organisms

Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are any living thing that has had its genetic material altered in some way through human scientific interference. GM plants, have had foreign genes forced into their DNA. The inserted genes come from species, such as bacteria and viruses, which have never been in the human food supply. Cells undergo a form of gene therapy under lab conditions whereby segments of DNA are spliced, rearranged or removed altogether. You may have been eating genetically modified food for years and not even know it.

GMOs have been introduced into our grocery aisles largely without much study into their long-term health effects on our bodies. Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with genetically modified (GM) food, including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. What does this mean for us? Below are four potential health impacts:

1. Allergies

Perhaps the number one health concern over GM technology is its capacity to create new allergens in our food supply. Allergic reactions typically are brought on by proteins. Bt-toxin which we have been told is harmless to mammals may actually be pooling in our intestines. What makes this so harmful? The Bt toxin dissolve in the high pH insect gut and become active. The toxins then attack the gut cells of the insect, punching holes in the lining. The Bt spores spills out of the gut causing death within a couple days. This is now believed to be happening to human. BT is causing small holes in our intestines. When the hole is large enough larger pieces of food are escaping into our bloodstream. The body sees this as a foreign object and attacks it. This then causes an immune response in the future. The result has been brand new allergens we’ve never before known.

2. Antibiotic Resistance

Genetic engineers rely heavily on antibiotics to guide experiments. It works like this: Not all host cells will take up foreign genes, so engineers attach a trait for a particular type of antibiotic resistance to the gene they introduce into host cells. After they’ve introduced the gene into the cells, they douse all the cells with the antibiotic to see which ones survive. The surviving cells are antibiotic-resistant, and therefore engineers know they have taken up the foreign gene.

Overuse of antibiotics can potentially cause the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Several health organizations, including the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association, have spoken out about the need for the use of these antibiotics to be phased out of the process of making GM foods. Food Patriot Sam Spitz’ harrowing story provides a scary, precautionary warning of how antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” can affect your health.

3. Pesticide Exposure

The majority of GM crops in cultivation are engineered to contain a gene for pesticide resistance. Most are “Roundup Ready,” meaning they can be sprayed with Monsanto’s glyphosate herbicide Roundup without being harmed. The idea is that if the crop itself is immune to Roundup, you can spray it to kill any weeds endangering the plant without worrying about harming your crop. Sound like a good thing? Only if increased human exposure to pesticides is a good thing. Glyphosate has been linked to numerous health problems in animal studies, among them birth defects, reproductive damage, cancer and endocrine disruption.

4. Unpredictability and the Unknown

Foreign genetic material in a host can cause other genetic material in that host to behave erratically. Genes can be suppressed or over expressed, causing a wide variety of results. One consequence of over expression, for example, can be cancer. Nutritional problems can also result from the transfer. In one example, cows that ate Roundup Ready soybeans produced milk with more fat in it. In another example, milk from cows injected with a genetically engineered growth hormone was found by a number of researchers, including those published in the journal Lancet, to have substantially higher levels of a compound known as insulin-like growth factor-1, which is linked to human breast, colon and prostate cancers. The milk also has higher levels of bovine growth hormones in it, along with pus and sometimes antibiotics. GM crops have been linked to health problems as diverse as reproductive damage, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. Concerned scientists have been outspoken about these risks.

DNA is complex, and we have yet to understand all the potential complex interactions. The potential hazards are difficult to predict and identify immediately. Additionally, the United States regulatory system is set up to deal with problems occurring with GM foods only after they occur. But what if, instead, we invoked the precautionary principle, an international agreement that calls for intelligent caution when it comes to new science and technologies? Thankfully, you can protect yourself and your family by taking action against GMO foods. Choose organic foods wherever possible (this app can help you determine which foods to avoid), support farms that refuse to grow GMO foods, and pressure your lawmakers to force agriculture companies to label GMOs.  The right to know is one we must be outspoken to protect.