Our Crops

Much of our produce stores best in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. There are a few important exceptions, though! Tomatoes, peppers, squash, green beans, eggplant, okra and cucumbers should stay on the countertop, out of the fridge. These items can be harmed by low temperatures. Basil should stay in its plastic bag on the countertop, with the bag left partially open. Potatoes can stay out, but should be in a bag or a dark cupboard to avoid being exposed to light.

We generally harvest 1-2 days before we bring the corn to market. We harvest the corn before dawn, at the coolest point of the day. We then cool it down as fast as possible, and keep it chilled until it comes to market. We always taste the corn before we bring it to market, and we never bring corn that doesn't pass the test! We guarantee that our corn will still be delicious when you take it home from market, and it will still be good for several days after that!

That worm, called the Corn Earworm, is a pest, but it is harmless. Over the years, we've gotten quite good at eliminating this pest from our corn fields, so hopefully you won't find many ears with the worm. If you happen upon an ear with a worm, just break off the tip of the ear. The rest of the ear is fine to eat!

Check out our market page.

We accept credit and debit cards at all of our markets. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. However, we prefer cash or check, both of which help us keep our (and by extension your) costs low! We accept EBT cards at the Dupont Circle FRESHFARM market in the form of market tokens (plus matching dollars!).

Our chickens are free-range and anti-biotic free. They live in a house with access to a large outside pasture through a door. The door is always open, and we encourage the chickens to be outside daily. Their feed is primarily corn and soy from a local mill and is GMO free. It is not certified organic feed. However, we also feed the chickens our leftover greens, such as lettuce, kale, and spinach, and they eat the bugs from the yard. We believe our chickens are happy and healthy, and treated very well.

Yes! Our friends at Blue Rooster Farm come and sell at our Sheridan School Market on the second Saturday of each month. Every Saturday in the wintertime, at both our Sheridan School and Chevy Chase markets, we sell frozen chickens from our neighbor Mick.

We are located in south-central PA, about 45 minutes from the Maryland border. We are tucked into a hollow between two ridges. A stream runs along our property. It is very beautiful! From our farm to our markets in DC, the 120 mile trip takes about 2.5 hours.

We always want our prices to be competitive and reasonable. We regularly check out the Whole Foods Markets in DC to ensure that our prices are on track. We believe that our prices are extremely affordable, considering that we are organic AND local! Some prices may change as the seasons change. If you have questions about our prices, please speak to a market manager.

As a certified organic farm, we do not use synthetic pesticides. In fact, we did not use synthetic pesticides even before there was an organic certification program! We do not believe that synthetic pesticides are good for anyone--for people to eat, or for the environment. Instead of pesticides, we release beneficial insects that eat or parasitize the pest insects. If we use pesticides, it is as a last resort, and we only use pesticides which already occur in nature.

Each season, we hire apprentices to manage the farm, the markets, and anything else that needs doing! We now employ 12 apprentices per season. We also hire many folks who live in the surrounding area, and we have 3 Jamaican H2A workers who come for the season. Many apprentices and local workers go to markets throughout the season. Ask around at market, and you will find out who lives on the farm. However, in the summer, most of the market workers live in DC. If you are interested in working at our markets, contact Jim or the market manager.

We encourage our customers to come and visit when they are in the area. But please, call us first! We are a working farm, and we are very busy! We want to accommodate you but we need advance notice. We hold a harvest fest in October of the odd number years (so you'll have to wait til October 2021 for the next one!) Note: we do not have any lodging, so make arrangements in a nearby town.

KOHLRABI