April is Earth Month, a time to raise awareness and encourage people to take action when it comes to environmental issues. A local family farm that sells its produce around the United States is focused on making sure the farm is here for generations to come through regenerative agriculture.
Farmer Lee Jones and his family started The Chef’s Garden. He says the focus is about providing healthy food and keeping the soil it’s grown in, healthy as well.
The family farm in Huron grows hundreds of varieties of vegetables, microgreens and herbs that are served in homes and restaurants all over the country.
The farm is quietly tucked away on about 400 acres in Huron, several miles from the shores of lake Erie.
“Lake Erie provides us with an amazing micro-climate so this area was huge for vegetable production long before we came along,” Farmer Lee Jones said. “In the 1930s there were more than 300 vegetable growers in the area. Today, that number is down to about half a dozen.”
The focus here is simple.
“It’s Earth Day every day at the farm. It is a way of life, it’s the way we think. We have to take care of the environment.”
The Chef’s Garden uses regenerative farming methods. That includes regenerating the soil, promoting biodiversity and creating a closed-loop system that minimizes waste and helps conserve resources.
“The nutritional value in vegetables has gone down between 1920-2020 by 50-80%, and it continues to go down. The good news is there’s hope. You can rebuild that number and take care of the environment.”
What’s grown here is served on tables around the country by big name professional chefs and at-home chefs.
“We grow about 700 different vegetables. Everything from carrots and beets to heirloom lettuce and tomatoes.”
The growing is done both outside and inside. What’s grown inside is planted.
Source: 13abc.com
Photo Credit: The Chef's Garden
Categories: Ohio, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables