Is Humble Hill Farm Organic?
The short answer is no, Humble Hill Farm is not a USDA certified organic farm. However like many small farmers we do farm in accordance with their standards. We choose to spend the time and money that record keeping for certification would require on our family.
“If you aren’t a certified farm and you’re clearly not a conventional farm, then what kind of farm are you?”
We’re a chemical free, small scale vegetable farm that produces a large variety of food on several acres of land. At this time we don’t have a certification of any kind because we know our customers and they know us, we don’t see the need for one right now.
We believe in transparency and have an open farm policy. If any of our customers ever want to see exactly how we grow food, they’re welcome to come out at anytime to see for themselves. We only use products that are listed with Organic Materials Review Institute or OMRI Listed® as it’s know in the industry.
What do you use for fertilizer?
We rely on the natural fertility of compost and cover crops for fertilizer. Much of the land we farm is reclaimed farm land meaning it takes a lot of building up before it produces delicious food. We will occasionally use OMRI Listed® Fertrell Certifiable Organic Fertilizers if the site requires it.
What do you use for pest control?
We know our fields. The small scale nature of our farm allows us to keep a careful eye on our crops. We use the power of observation to spot problems early often controlling bugs by removing them manually into a bucket of soapy water. Most of our issues are with young brassicas and we’ve found using row covers to be really successful strategy for preventing damage.
Do you ever spray? On the rare occasions when problems occur and we must spray we only use products that are approved for use on certified farms and OMRI Listed® .
The two we have used most are:
Surround– a clay based spray that coats fruits and leaves.
Pyganic on some baby brassicas
Do you use herbicides?
No, never. We hand weed or hoe our plots and occasionally we bust out the flame weeded if the timing and weather is just right.
“Why do your vegetables taste so good? Is it the varieties you grow?”
One of our main goals here at Humble Hill is to grow flavorful food worth talking about. We pay attention to the mineral levels of our soil and add soil amendments such as Green Sand to keep things rich and well balanced.
Do you use fungicides?
No, never.
Do you have a CSA?Yes we do have Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares available. Our Free Choice Farmers Market Share Cards offer maximum flexibility within the CSA model. You shop when you want and you choose what your share will consists of.
How much does a CSA share cost?Farmers Market Share Cards are sold in $100 increments.
How does your CSA work? For every $100 purchased, receive $105 worth of your choice of produce at our Farmers Market booth. Each time you shop we simply subtract the total of your purchase from your balance. Credit never expires, shop at your convenience. Find us at Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday Market.
Can I get more than one share?
Yes! You can easily get more than one share. Simply buy more shares as needed at $100 each.
Where do I pick up my share?
Farmers Market Share Cards and be used at Ithaca Farmers Market. We sell at Tuesday (downtown) Sat & Sun (on the lake)
Season: Humble Hill Farm has produce available May-Dec (30 weeks) our CSA runs May- December.
What do you grow? A wide range of vegetables rainbow carrots, rainbow beets, many kinds of garlic, onions, shallots, peas, lettuces, cucumbers, beans, pepper both hot & sweet, an assortment potatoes, Asian & assorted greens, squash, melons, broccoli. Fresh herbs( basil, cilantro, parsley and dill. No spray fruits (apples & peaches)
Please send any questions you may have about Humble Hill Farm to info@humblehill.com