Blog Recommendation Monday: GROW BETTER VEGGIES by LOVE APPLE FARMS

This week's blog recommendation Monday goes to Cynthia Sandberg's Love Apple Farm blog entitled Grow Better Veggies: A Biodynamic Quest for Vegetable Perfection. The blog is tremendous, especially if you are interested in biodynamic gardening. Honestly, I've heard of it and it sounds great, but I don't think I could tell what exactly that means other than, it's organic gardening turned up, way up!

If you want to learn more about their biodynamic practices here is a link to their primer, About Biodynamic Agriculture. In a nutshell, it's about balancing the interrelationship of the soil, plants, and animals in a closed, self-nourishing system. According to their blog, "The approach also attempts to consider celestial influences on soil and plant development..."

Above is a photo of gardeners preparing the soil with what the 'father' of biodynamic agriculture, Rudolf Steiner, calls Prep 500 (also called horn manure). This is a humus mixture prepared by filling the horn of a cow with cow manure and burying it in the ground in the autumn. It is left to decompose during the winter and recovered the following spring. A small amount is mixed with water for an hour, and then applied to the ground in the fall, at dusk.

They must be doing something right because Love Apple Farm has an exclusive produce supply arrangement with Manresa, a Los Gatos, California restaurant designed to showcase the inventive cuisine of executive chef, David Kinch who was recently awarded 'Best Chef: Pacific' by the James Beard Foundation.

Love Apple Farms, according to its website, is currently on the move! They were previously located in Ben Lomand and are now moving to Santa Cruz. Not only do they grow amazing vegetables, they also offer a variety of classes throughout the year, as well as private tours.

Doesn't that sound wonderful? Have you ever been to Love Apple Farms or to Manresa? If so, what did you think? We think they are both worth a trip to the South Bay and wish them continued success with their endeavors!