The Holiday Spirit of Strong Relationships, Hard Work and Mother Nature Wow! What a year. Twelve months ago we were gearing up for the holidays. And here we are again, on the brink of our busiest season here on the farm.

Mother (Nature) Knows Best Winter weather has arrived at the farm. On this particular day, a wintry mix of sleet and rain is crusting our windshields with sheets of ice as smooth as glass. The bare field rows, relieved of their summer duties, are parallel streams of muddied soil and rainwater. The last few stragglers of fall foliage are holding on, but not for long.

Yes, this year, the team at The Chef’s Garden and the Culinary Vegetable Institute, led by Farmer Lee Jones and Chef Jamie Simpson, have officially declared the year 2019 to be the one of mixed carrots. Why carrots, you might ask – and, if carrots, why the “mixed” ones?

It Just Makes Sense If you’ve listened to Farmer Lee Jones for very long, you’ve heard him say that “people eat with their eyes first.” And, he’s right. To a point. In truth, it’s not until all five senses engage that we truly experience the fullness of what it means to taste.

At our 2018 Roots culinary conference, the theme was cultivation – and panelists, attendees and keynote speaker Andrew Zimmern each provided a wealth of insights. People who gathered together at Roots were warm, transparent and genuine, willing to openly discuss their challenges, share insights and ideas, and propose solutions.

You know that old movie cliché where the inmates use a file hidden inside a cake to saw through the cell bars then make a break for it? What if they flipped the script? What if, instead, the inmate baked a cake, and found his freedom that way