Washing carrots before putting them out for share pickup. Photo
by Fred Delventhal All of the vegetables and fruits we grow are
certified organic. We encourage a wide diversity of animals,
insects, and microbial life throughout the fields and forest on
the farm. We do not use petroleum-based pesticides or
fertilizers, we do not plant genetically-modified seed, and we
closely manage our fertility and tillage to prevent erosion of
nutrients and soil. By using very little fertilizer, we have
lower yields, but it eliminates the chance of high nitrates in
our produce, which is especially a concern for anyone making
baby food. We have never known of an incidence of illness from
E. coli or other dangerous pathogens on our produce. However, it
would be sensible to follow the same practice of washing or
cooking our produce that one would follow for any other fresh
farm product. We do have cattle on the farm, but we do not use
their manure on our vegetable fields, nor do we feed them grain,
which is what makes cattle p