Tonopah Rob's Vegetable Farm

Pictured above is an immature Red Iceberg Lettuce head.  You’ve got to see them in person to really ooh and aah over its beauty.

Twas the first Saturday of March and it was exciting, really wet and at times very muddy.  The rain clouds silently moved in over the farm and without warning poured Texas sized drops, then drizzled and stopped.  For a few hours we had very little rain and then all the gates from heaven opened up and WOW!  But you know what?  It was fun and the farm stand was fairly busy.  We saw many new customers, scores of CSA members and repeat supporters.  Like one fun gal said, “it’s only rain, I’m not gonna melt!” She was right and I liked her goodness, it made the plants grow taller. I also liked how the rain kept the veggies on the tables hydrated and I don’t have to irrigate for several days…..I love it!

I enjoyed the new folks who drove out to the farm they were a hoot!  There is something about rain in Arizona people love.  I’m not sure why or what it is but us year round and part-time residents love the water in the desert.  Even folks who live in the northwest who don’t like the rain in Seattle love the rain in Arizona.  So, when you mix rain, desert and all sorts of folks together under the farm stand it makes for an exciting day in the hood!

Pictured here are some of the peach trees in bloom on the farm.

For all of you folks whom have not seen the farm this winter, I suggest you come take a tour and see the beautiful winter crops of lettuce. This year, I’ve planted about 20 different varieties and some of them are my very own crosses. They are so beautiful, they look fake.   The Red Iceberg is amongst the favorite of the peeps.  The large dark red leaves surround a lime green crisp head. You’ve got to see them to believe them. The beautiful Back 40 plot is bursting with Brassica’s and lettuce.  Really, you should come out and see how I grow these gorgeous leafy beauties.  After next week, most of them will be on the tables…..and while I’m thinking about it, St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and green cabbage will be ready for your corned beef.

Also, many thanks to the vendors for their support of my monthly farm-vendor market.  The vendors themselves bring fantastic products, they fit nicely with the nature grown vegetables.  Judy brought her home-made relishes that compliment the Alaskan salmon, grass-fed beef and Lidia’s home-made bread.  If you are coming out to the farm stand, be prepared to shop.  My vendors have delicious products.  What more can a person ask for?  Fresh Eggs, gorgeous vegetables, bread, relishes, meats, organic sprouts/micro greens from Zheka and soothing bath and skin care products from Danielle and Paul’s Smiling Goat Farm.  Danielle’s patchouli scented bath bars are awesome for the skin.  Mark your calendar on April 5, 2014 all of the vendors will return with their wares to the farm stand for the next farm-vendor market.

As many of you know, Jerry and I flew to Wisconsin last Monday.  It was so cold in Madison, WI.  Most days never made it above freezing or above zero. We had an extremely busy three days of meetings and medical evaluations.  Now, Jerry is waiting for a call to find out his results and placement on the lung transplant list. Both Jerry and myself want to thank all of you for the prayers and well wishes.  We are back on the farm and ready to clean more beets and top carrots.  All valley market are up and running as usual. Thank you again for your support, care and prayers.

Market Schedule for March 8, 2014:

• St. Joseph’s Hospital Farmers Market – Friday 8 to 12:30
• Farm Stand Market, Tonopah – Saturday 8 to noon (farm tours begin at 9, 10 and 11 a.m.  If you come for the later tour, usually Tonopah Rob has more time for questions and a longer tour.)
• Goodyear Community Park Market – Saturday 8 to noon
• Stock Shop Market – Sunday 9 to 1 p.m. in Glendale, AZ
• Creative Living Fellowship Market – Sunday 10 to 1 p.m.
• Anthem Farmers Market – Anthem, AZ  Sunday 9 to 1 p.m.

Here’s the veggie list:

•  Assorted Beets
• Carrots
• Salad Sweeties
• Radishes
• Onions
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Fennel
• Lettuce Heads
• Cilantro
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Spinach
• Kohlrabi
• Parsley
• Corn Salad
• Turnips
• Juicing Carrots
• Watermelon Radishes
• Salad Mix
• Fresh Eggs
• Baby Red Cabbage
• maybe green garlic
• a few old worn out tires
• a surprise or two
• check out the new tab more recipes from the farm

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Hey folks,   we are open today.  Come rain or shine!!  It’s a nice day on the farm and the vendors are here waiting for you to come out and shop!!

The above picture is of Jerry sporting one of Tonopah Rob’s T-Shirt’s.

Jerry, Jerster, Jer Bear and hey you are some of the well-known names my best friend and silent business partner responds to when called upon.  Many of you have known Jerry for over 10 years which is almost as long as Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm has been in business.

Nearly 17 years ago, I retired from the business world and moved to Arizona.  After a few years of retirement I became bored with life…..a long story short to fit these pages, I’m now farming.  As my farm grew more by land mass and by popularity I needed more help so I called Jerry to see if he could fly down to Phoenix and give me a hand.   Several times a season he would spend four or five of his vacation days to work on the farm.  He helped me pull weeds, make new plots, increase smaller plots and pull more weeds.  When entering my first farmers market he was there to assist me with my harvest and sell to customers.

Jerry doesn’t like his picture taken, he says every picture takes a part of his soul.

As the years flew by, many customers have come to know Jerry as a perennial fixture of the farm, his roots have grown deep into the farms soil.  His jovial smile and infectious personality has made many friends of the farm feel at home.

At one time is his life, Jerry was a very heavy smoker.  One cigarette in the ash tray, one in his hand and one dangling from his lips all lit at the same time.  Back in the day, it was funny to see all the fireworks simultaneously smoking.  Now it’s not so funny, at times it has been very scary.  Over the past two years Jerry health has deteriorated to the point of him needing to be on oxygen full-time.  A few months prior to his full-time oxygen use my family moved him out of his house and into ours.  I’m now his 24/7 care giver.

Thousands of miles later for doctor’s appointments, transplant classes and hospital stays, it’s now Jerry’s time to fly back to Madison, WI for the final lung transplant evaluation.  Both Jerry and I will be gone this Monday and will return on Friday.  Upon our return, there will only be time to harvest for two markets, one being the Farm-Vendor Market and the other is Anthem’s Market.

Please say a prayer for Jerry, although if he knew I asked you to say a prayer he would tell me to stop but Jerry needs all the encouragement, prayers and well wishes from all of you.  This is the beginning of a long journey, one that will require many pauses and deep breaths.  Thank you for your understanding.

FARM-VENDOR MARKET MARCH 1, 2014

It’s time for the monthly farm-vendor market at the farm stand in Tonopah.  The March Vendor list is as follows:

• Joe the Fish Man will have his Alaskan Salmon
• Relish This will have many different home-made relishes and sauces
• Grinning Goat Farm will have their goat milk products. I like her bars of bath soap!
• Pierre’s Prime Beef is bringing all kinds of grass-fed beef cuts of roasts and steaks.
• Tupperware will be selling an assortment of storage containers for the kitchen and pantry
• Tonopah Rob’s Nature Grown Vegetable Farm and Poultry will be available.
• Mom & Pops Bagel & Bakery. They have the best home-made breads, bagels and pastries.
• Zheka owns Sky Hi Sprouts and will be to the farm selling his organic sprouts, he produces them in Sedona.
• and maybe one or two other vendors. Come on out and support your local small business owners

Here are the selling locations March 1 & 2, 2014.

• Farm Stand in Tonopah- Farm-Vendor Market March 1, 2014 8 to noon
• Anthem Farmers Market- March 2, 2014 9 to 1 p.m.
• All market locations will resume the follow week.

The farm stand will be filled with veggies on Saturday as well as the Anthem market.

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Beets
• Turnips
• Watermelon Radishes
• Salad Radishes
• Soup and Stew Hens
• Kohlrabi
• Spinach
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Salad Mix
• Green Cabbage
• Brussels Sprouts
• A few asparagus bunches
• Assorted Lettuce Heads
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Parsley
• Fennel
• Onions
• Carrots
• Fresh Eggs
• and more!!!

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This picture shows off the beautiful colors of the Purple and Cheddar Cauliflower.  Purple Cauliflower was on the tables last weekend at the farm stand and the flavor is yummilicious!

This past weekend brought several new customers to my farm because their doctors told them they need to eat produce as all natural as possible.  Talking with one of my new farm supporters, the words “all natural” was discussed.  For years, all natural are two words that have been badly misused.  The stigma of what the general public is being taught by the government and big business is a down right lie.  My definition of “All Natural” means just that, it’s all naturally grown without the use of any sprays, bacterias, pesticides, chemicals or any other weird concoction but the words all natural has a very loose definition when it comes to advertising products like all natural ingredients in ketchup or all natural farm raised chickens when in fact those products are not all natural.  The all natural label allows pesticides, herbicides and GMO’s within their products and in organic produce production farmers have the choice to use over 700 different types of chemicals, sprays and pesticides.

Isn’t this a cool picture. Tonopah Rob placed over 500 Praying Mantid egg cases around the farm to help fight “bug warfare”.  This egg casing hatched over 350 hungry babies.

Consumers must educate themselves and ask questions about what the farmer feeds those chickens.  Are those chickens fed a certified organic feed that has no genetically modified grains like soy and corn? Fresh egg producers who use the words all natural can feed their hens genetically modified feed.  How does the consumer get what they are paying for? Education! Know all the questions to ask.  Go beyond the simple questions.  Ask about fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones, types of feed used to raise animals.  Genetically modified alfalfa? GMO corn and soy?  Ask about the location source of the feed and how its grown?

There is an organization within the United States called Certified Naturally Grown.  There are hundreds of agricultural producers involved in the program.  This program allows certain synthetic substances, soaps and many other soft chemical sprays so why it’s called naturally grown is beyond me.

Over the next year I will be introducing a new phrase for my farming practices.  I am going to leave the phrase  all natural by the wayside and incorporate the term  “Nature Grown”.

My definition of Nature Grown is as follows: Fruits and vegetables that are grown the way nature intended.  I am beyond what the USDA “certifies” as Organic.  I strictly utilize only natures tactics to combat the elements.  For example; bug warfare, I purchase an X amount of ladybugs each year to combat aphid and other soft bodies insects that can be detrimental to crops and I use a mixed crop planting and if done correctly not only does it help rejuvenate the soil, it leads to higher crop yields and acts as a repellent of certain insects.  I plant according to moon cycles and wind direction. I DO NOT use any pesticide, herbicide, insecticide or synthetic fertilizers and NO GMO CROPS! 

One of the many girls on the farm.  Miss Lady bug is foraging for aphid and insect eggs.

Doctors and naturopaths send their patients to my farm to get well because the food they’re eating is making them sick, weak and in some cases vitamin and nutrient deficient.  These people are eating to just live.  There are other people whom are healthy, strong and feel great these folks live to eat.  Whatever the circumstance, my farm is for you.  I grow many different varieties of vegetables and fruit throughout the growing season.  This season I am growing a carrot that has high levels of goodness to help fight cancer. It’s a great vegetable for chemotherapy patients.

This past week from the farm to the table offered many different types of veggies for people to stay healthy.  Fennel calms digestion, helps the pancreas to do its thing.  Broccoli and cauliflower aids the metabolic process to regulate the estrogen levels in humans and beets clean the liver and kidneys and is one of the best sources of plant nitrates, aids in vascular dilation (blood flow) and may help lower blood pressure.  Parsley is very high in iron, a good source for folks with anemia and has mega amounts of vitamin C.  Whether eating to live or living to eat come to the farm and indulge in its abundance.

Tonopah Rob gives farm tours on Saturday’s beginning at 9, 10 and 11 a.m.  There is a small fee for the guided tour.  Bring with you a hat, hiking boots, water and of course bring your big shopping bags and save your egg cartons.  We accept debit, credit and of course Washington’s, Lincoln’s, Jackson’s, and Bennie’s, oh yea and Hamilton’s.

There are 10 farm stand only full share and 5 super-duper CSA shares available.  Click onto the above link CSA Information and CSA Contract for details and help support the farm and give your family the awesome food they deserve. For those of you whom have exhausted your share, it’s time to renew, strawberry and tomato season is just around the corner.  You all keep up the good work and support my farm, we need everyone to be involved whether it’s volunteer work for produce, purchasing a CSA or introducing new friends and family to my Nature Grown farm.   Thank you for your support and readership, you guys rock!!!

Veggie List:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Brussels Sprouts-fso
• Cabbage-fso
• Carrots
• Assorted Beets
• Bulk Bags of Juicing Root Crops
• Purple Top Turnips
• Assorted Lettuce Heads
• Watermelon Radishes
• Salad Sweeties
• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Dill
• Corn Mache
• Fennel
• Kohlrabi
• Radishes
• French Milan Rouge Turnips
• Sweet Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Salad Mix
• Jalapenos
• no more diamonds
• fso-farm stand only

Market Locations:

• St. Joe’s Market- Friday 8 to 12:30 p.m.
• Farm Stand in Tonopah, AZ - Saturday 8 to noon
• Stock Shop Farmers Market – Sunday 9 to 1 p.m.
• Creative Living Fellowship – Sunday 10 to 1 p.m.
• Anthem Farmers Market – Sunday 9 to 1 p.m.
• Goodyear Community Market is closed this Saturday for a special function.
• Fountain Hills Market is cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.

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