In this special In Season post we'll get to meet another one of the Valley's farmers, Rebecca Kidwell from My Farmyard.
Located in Arcadia, this backyard farm can help you handle your very own personal quest in creating an urban farming oasis. They'll consult in helping you design and implement produce, chickens, composting and even maintenance after. Holy cow! This is a full service farming. Rebecca Kidwell is one of the farmer/owners and here's more about this food loving gardener.How did you end up farming?
I have been gardening since I was a child. My family lived at 120th St. & Shea Blvd. when it was a two lane dirt road, and the garden was an important part of our family's diet. Urban farming and helping people grow their own food was not a planned career! My background is in the food industry having an owned a catering company, wedding cake business, and teaching at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. So there has always been a close connection with food. So, throughout the time I spent in various kitchens, I saw what the difference between the produce I was growing and what was coming in the backdoor at the commercial kitchen, and decided to jump in to the mission of helping people understand what produce should really taste like, and helping them learn how to grow their own garden to become more self-sustainable.
The farm is best known for:
How much we can produce on a 1/4 acre lot in the city, and our food-filled front yard farm! We also install edible gardens for our clients and teach them how to grow their own vegetables and fruits successfully here in the desert.
What do you look forward to growing the most every year? Wow, there are so many things! I would have to say our French Breakfast Radishes (we eat them raw with a little butter and sea salt at happy hour time!) and Broccoli, just because the taste is COMPLETELY different than what you get in the grocery store, in the fall. In the summer, fresh cucumbers and of course, lots of tomatoes!
What would you like people to know about farming/local food that they might not know? We are fortunate here in Arizona that we can grow 12 months out of the year. To get a great sampling of what is available, join a CSA! CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Where you purchase a "share" in the farm's bounty, and each week receive a harvest of what's in season. It is a great way to introduce your family to eating with the seasons, and trying new varieties of produce that may not be available at the store. It doesn't get any fresher, and your family gets the opportunity to directly support a local farmer!Do you have any junk food guilty pleasures?
Nope! I have sworn off fast food, as I think about what I am eating and the companies I am supporting and I lose all desire. I would have to say, it's certainly NOT junk food by any stretch of the imagination!, but it is a guilty pleasure for sure - the sliced apple, cheddar, and ham crepes from Truckin' Good Food is a Saturday morning are an ABSOLUTE MUST at the Old Town Scottsdale Farmer's Market. LOVE THEM!
Any fun plans for the future we should know about?
We are planning our 4th Arcadia Edible Garden Tour of our urban farm and 8 other properties this year on December 4th. This is an opportunity for guests to check out how we do what we do, talk with us about how we can help YOU convert a portion of your property to growing your own food, and also get to view other lovely properties that have large edible gardens, fruit orchards, chickens, and grey water systems in the area. Check us out at www.ediblegardentour.com!
Finally, where can we get your food?
We sell our food through our CSA subscriptions only. We love being our client's "personal farmers"! We are currently accepting new customers for a November 1st, 2011 start date. We offer free delivery to our client's homes if they are within a 5 mile driving radius from our main location at 44th St. & Indian School.
