How do we get the most nutrient dense produce? We say we biomimic patterns in nature on our farm. One key aspect we always find apparent in nature is diversity. In nature, you will not find a field of corn or a pasture of constant herbivores. Herbivores migrate through the land and the plant life is diverse, not to mention the life under the surface of the soil. It is a balance of animals, plants, bacteria & fungus all in this dance of cycling nutrients. So how do we capture that on our farm? First, our gardens are not one species of crop. We have a variety growing together so they are not competing. They are complimenting each other. Some extract different nutrients from the soil (not competing for the same), some may attract predatory insects that feast on the pests. They all in some way benefit each other by being neighbors. But it does not stop there.

Our farm is divided between 4 plots. Each year, one of the plots will be used for a garden. The other 3 plots then have a rotation of herbivores (horses), then omnivores that scratch the soil surface (chickens) and followed by a period of rest. This cycle continues through the season, laying down nutrients and naturally pruning the landscape. The following year, the garden area will be moved to a plot where the animals rotated through for the past 2 to 3 years. The animals will now visit where the gardens were, replacing the nutrients the garden extracted.

Going back to our first question we asked; How do we get the most nutrient dense produce? Many of the nutrients in the produce you eat come from the soil. When the soil is depleted, so is the food. Both of nutrition and flavor. So when you bite into a rich carrot, that is the result of this system. The same system you see in nature and the way we were always meant to eat.