Summer Lettuce Project at JGTF
Fair Share Farm + New Roots Kimchi
I have one question for you: Who… Likes… Kimchi?!
Dear Reader, if your answer was anything other than an enthusiastic “ME”, you have wandered onto the wrong blog post. Might I suggest going literally anywhere else.
For the “ME” crowd (and the kimchi-curious): did you know the fine folks over at Fair Share Farm (of ferment fame) are partnering with New Roots to create a one-of-a-kind kimchi? This kimchi is local, delicious, and except for the salt, made with ingredients sourced from growers at Juniper Gardens Training Farm.
Let’s talk about how this came to pass.
photo by Katie Frankenbach
Along Comes Tom
Farmers Rebecca Graff and Tom Ruggieri began Fair Share Farm in 2003 on land that has been in Rebecca’s family for 4 generations. Both left their jobs in 2000, looking for a way to promote community, sustainable agriculture, and healthy eating habits as their livelihood.
Rebecca and Tom have since garnered considerable attention with their ferments. Folks, their canned offerings are not to be missed: sauerkraut that tantalizes the senses; escabeche that will bring you to tears; beet relish like grandma used to make.
And kimchi! The couple has always been friends of the New Roots program, providing insight and friendship to graduates. When the thought came across Tom’s desk to make a New Roots branded kimchi, Tom said, “Let’s give it a go.”
Craig Howard
The role of Craig Howard in this story is crucial. He’s an independent grower and seller of microgreens and mushrooms, Craig is recognizable around Juniper Gardens by his scruffy-square jaw, sunglasses, and steadfast commitment to farmers’ success. He’s been working with New Roots to develop those all so important sales channels, and innovating how the program teaches wholesale contracts. If “Have Land” is the first rule of farming today, “Have People to Buy What Your Grow” is rule number two.
When Tom suggested trying an experimental batch of kimchi made of New Roots green garlic, radish, and Bok choy, Craig had only two words to say: “Hell yes.”
“Working with other farms, wholesale buyers and producers on a contract basis is a great way to collaborate with each other,” Said Howard at press time. “In this case, Fair Share Farm was looking for Bok Choy for their Kimchi they make but didn’t want to have to grow it. New Roots farmers grow fantastic vegetables that are used in Fair Share Farm’s Kimchi recipe so it let them do what they do best and have a guaranteed sale at harvest time. It’s a win/win for both sides.”
Two months later, on a sunny day in July with sheep braying among the mulberry, a group of New Roots farmers, Craig and Cultivate KC Farmer Trainer, Haley Drake, gathered around a steel prep table in Kearney, MO. They all sampled the test-batch kimchi, paired with hard boiled eggs from Craig’s Coleman lunchbox. The air was thick with anticipation.
Aung Let chewed thoughtfully.
Mediatrice held back her laughter.
Tom described the fermentation process to Haley.
Craig watched everything.
With the flit of a smile and nods of approval around the table, a deal was struck. This season, if Juniper Gardens could grow it, Tom and Rebecca would ferment it. Fall crops for Fair Share Farm were planted shortly thereafter.
photos by Katie Frankenbach
The Educational Spin
Working with refugee and immigrant farmers means most of the growers at Juniper Gardens Training Farm come from economically precarious backgrounds. As such, Cultivate KC and Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas are careful when setting folks up in an industry that isn’t known for huge profit margins. Considerable effort goes into making sure program participants’ businesses are profitable by the time they leave the program. Catholic Charities in particular works hard to make sure that farmers are supported in selling through farmers markets, the Farm Share CSA (our vegetable subscription service), and wholesale to restaurants, schools, and hotels.
As for the growers themselves, New Roots has a few requirements for refugee and immigrant farmers as they jumpstart their farm businesses.
- No cussing (in English).
- Grow according to organic principles. Juniper Gardens Training Farm is not USDA certified organic; however, growers strictly follow USDA guidelines for organic production.
- Farmers must sell into at least two of the three sales channels provided by the program.
There are a few others, but those are the rules relevant to this blog.
The bulk of New Roots’ wholesale buyers purchase produce as needed, on a week-to-week basis. While likely a familiar model to seasoned growers, contracting with Fair Share to grow a specific amount of produce with a guaranteed buyer is new to New Roots farmers. They were immediately onboard.
“I hope farmers get to experience the planning and control that comes with being a wholesale farmer,” said Haley Drake, Farmer Trainer at Juniper Gardens Training Farm. “In this case, Tom asked for the specific crop of Bok Choi, for kimchi in the fall. He knew what he wanted, as customers often do.”
Knowing ahead of time helps the New Roots farmers plan for the season. The customer tells the farmer what they will buy, and after that, as Drake says, “it’s up to the farmer: to seed and plant on time. Watering, weeding, fertilizing, all must come together for the final harvest to be as planned.”
Again, I’ll Ask
Who… Likes… Kimchi??!
Dear Reader, if at the top of this page you for some reason answered anything other than an enthusiastic, “ME,” and continued reading, I assume it’s because you’ve never tried this beloved ferment and you’re kimchi-curious. Might I suggest breaking new ground with New Roots kimchi by Fair Share Farm? Check out this list of sellers where Fair Share Farm ferments are available. Not only will you be delighted by the spicy, tangy flavors of a proud east Asian cultural tradition, but you’ll be supporting new Americans as they integrate themselves into the broader the Kansas City food system. RUN, don’t walk to your local kimchi provider before it’s all gone. Be sure to keep the jar, someday it’ll be a collector’s item.
