Other cycles of life, though, are bittersweet.

“As we’re planning for this fall and winter,” Lee says, “it’s the first time I’ve ever done it without my dad. This was always a special time for us, as we planned the future together—and now, after 50 years of farming, we’re now having to do it without him. It’s not easy.”


It’s not just planning which crops to plant that reminds Lee of his dad. “There’s not much that doesn’t remind us of him,” Lee shares. “He was grounded in the best of the past while always being forward thinking, so that covers the whole spectrum of our lives.”

Here’s something else that Bob Jones, Sr. loved: the farm’s R&D lab. “So,” Lee adds, “he’d be thrilled to hear about all we’re finding out now about nutrients and their density, and how that contributes to health and wellness. That is really Dad’s legacy.”

Lee is referring to tests being conducted at our new agricultural research lab. “It’s not new that fresh vegetables are packed with nutrition,” he says, “but it’s exciting to see how ours are being demonstrated to have three or four times the USDA average on minerals that contribute to good health.”

If thinking about food as medicine, Lee continues, it really comes down to eating what is regeneratively grown, eating it in season. “We just need to follow Mother Nature’s natural rhythms and follow her lead. We have different needs as the seasons change and nature’s menu knows just what to provide.”


This conversation, in turn, reminded Lee of something else his father was happy to see: the expansion of The Chef’s Garden’s home delivery boxes. “There’s one church that orders 300 or 400 boxes of fresh vegetables every three weeks,” Lee says, “while corporations who want to send something of quality to employees working at home have also been sending them our home delivery boxes to show how much they care.”

The cycles of Mother Nature are also in transit, with summer’s fast-growing lush crops giving way to the hardy ones of autumn. “The very best crops,” Lee says, “tend to be those grown very early in a particular season and ones growing very late in one. They have, in my opinion, the best flavor, color, body, and texture. When we test crops grown in cooler temperatures with our refractometer, they’re incredibly sweet. They have a natural resilience that shines through.”

Best of the Season: Farm-Fresh Vegetables
You can enjoy the freshest, most delicious and nutritious regeneratively farmed vegetables, having them delivered directly to your home. Here are our current home delivery options, including the Best of the Season Vegetable Box.

Plus, here is more information about our Corporate Giving Program where you can let others know how much you appreciate them—and here’s how to get gift cards from The Chef’s Garden that never expire.