I'm kicking off a new series on Cooking with Our CSA titled "Farm Feature Friday!" The goal: highlight the small, independent, and family run farms that grow the food that nourishes our communities.
Today, we're talking with Farmer Patrick from Stepping Stone Farm! We're learning how SSF is using biodynamic and regenerative farm practices to cultivate some of the most beautiful fruits and vegetables in Napa Valley.
Scroll down to read more about how Stepping Stone Farm got its start! You'll appreciate seeing what inspires Patrick to grow the incredible food he grows for his community.
Getting to Know the Farm
How did Stepping Stone Farm begin? What inspired you to pursue farming?
Stepping Stone Farm (SSF) started as a rock wall project in 2019 as the pandemic was kicking off. Prior to SSF, I had been farming for the restaurant/culinary industry for 10 years. I had always wanted to break off and start my own operation practicing a more regenerative/no-till approach to farming. I was apprehensive about the risk profile involved with running my own farm. The pandemic quickly decided that for me. As everything began to close, I began a new growing chapter in my life.
What are the main crops you grow and why did you choose them?
I grow over 75 varieties of vegetables, fruits, and flowers, always focusing on taste and beauty above all. I believe that you eat with your eyes first. If the product grown isn't visually pleasing, it makes it hard to connect with it. Some of my favorite crops to grow are corn, winter squash, peas, and cabbages.
How has your farm evolved over the years?
The farm started off as a small ¼ acre garden named Micros Market Garden. It has slowly expanded with the addition of beds and infrastructure each year. Each year I trial new crop varieties, new regenerative practices, and new ways of imparting fertility into the ecosystem. I’m currently playing with producing various ferments and plant teas. These will be used as foliar sprays on crops as a source of food and pest prevention.
Farming Practices & Sustainability
What farming methods do you use and how do they support soil health and sustainability?
Stepping Stone Farm is a biodynamic, regenerative no-till farm. Simply put, we disturb the native soil as little as possible and feed it at every opportunity. We never resort to any chemical intervention. Rather, we rely on biological methods. Examples include: compost, ferments, teas, etc. These help feed our soil and in turn the soil feeds our plants and ecosystem. Every interaction I have with the farm and plants always start with asking: “Does this help feed the soil and promote a more diverse soil food web?”
Our regenerative approach relies on high quality compost that we mulch all of our crop beds with annually. We also use well-decomposed wood chips on all of our pathways and walkways. This is our main source of fertility that contributes to our soil building practices. We also rely heavily on cover cropping each bed at least once a year. Planting a diverse set of both annual crops and ornamental plants helps to bolster the farm’s ecology.
What challenges do you face with weather, pests, or soil conditions? How do you manage them?
Weather is always a challenge no matter where or what you grow, ‘tis the life of a farmer. But up in the mountains above Napa, our weather can be quite unpredictable. Sometimes we can experience surprise hail storms and pockets of cold air settling in the nooks and crannies of the canyon.
When establishing a no-till farm, oftentimes the first two years are met with intense pest pressure and weed persistence. In reality, this is just an ecosystem immune response learning to achieve a natural equilibrium under new stewardship. As our third year rolled around, we encountered a precipitous drop in pest and weed pressure, irrigation needs, and soil compaction. There’s the old adage: “There’s no better fertilizer than a farmer’s footprint.”
With patience and keen observation, the farmer's intuition grows just as much as their crops do. I placed my faith in natural cycles and ecology building. As a result, I have seen tremendous payoffs 6 years into this system.
Seasonality & Local Impact
What are your busiest times of the year and how do the seasons inform or influence what you grow?
April-May and August-September are undoubtedly the busiest times of the year. These times are filled with seed sowing, harvesting, bed turnovers, watering, and transplanting all at the same time while racing against the clock. I get dizzy just thinking about it! It is helpful however to grow plants when they are intended to grow so they can perform to the best of their abilities while you are concentrated on the long to-do lists of the season.
How do you decide which crops to plant each season?
I love this question because it shows a lot about the farmer’s sense of creativity and philosophy. Boiled down, I rely on three main criteria when deciding on what to grow:
- Productiveness
- Taste/Beauty
- Market Trends
A crop must perform well in order to bring it to market and knowing which crops work for you may take a couple seasons to figure out. The crop must taste good to connect with the customer. And it takes a certain ‘finger on the pulse’ of food trends and culinary experience to know what a consumer wants to eat before they actually do, which can be challenging to know 6-9 months down the pipeline!
We typically reserve 15% of our available growing space to trial new varieties each year to keep it exciting and to potentially discover a new great crop to offer.
How does your farm contribute to the local community, whether through farmers' markets, CSA programs, or local restaurants?
We currently offer a CSA program which has brought me so much joy and connection in who we grow for. Apprehensive at first, I have never felt more seen and appreciated than hand-delivering boxes of produce to my members throughout a season. They make my drive and work ethic possible.
Prior to our CSA, SSF grew for local farmers markets, chefs, and restaurants, having a small hand in many of the available markets to participate in. Aside from selling produce, SSF is an educational farm hosting farm courses and workshops to help budding growers better understand regenerative farming. My secret goal is to put myself out of business because by then I will have taught enough people to grow their own food and connect with the natural world as I have.
The Business Side of Farming
What’s been the most rewarding part of running a local farm? What’s been the toughest?
The most rewarding has been establishing a deep genuine connection to those who eat my produce and with Nature. I am truly humbled being able to position myself as a representative of nature in the community and as a student in the forest. The toughest part by far is to deal with such small financial margins coupled by a nuanced, physically demanding job. You must truly love what you do, whatever that thing may be. I love growing plants.
How do you balance the business side of farming with the hands-on work in the fields?
For me, they are one in the same. As someone who is the solo owner/farmer, each decision I make no matter how small or insignificant can feel like a chess move at times. Any farmer will tell you this job is as physically demanding as it is mentally/strategically. But the longer you stick with something, the more fluid it becomes. And hopefully you can pick up a few tips along the way.
What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a small farm today?
(Cautiously) Do it! We need more small farms and stronger decentralized local food systems. It's important to understand what it takes as well as respect nature.
Connecting with Consumers & the Future of Farming
What do you wish more people knew about farming and where their food comes from?
I see a tide change within consumer sentiment. There’s a yearning to know where your food comes from, who grew it, and the nutrient density of it. I hope this trend continues to proliferate and grow. I also encourage consumers to look into the small farms around them and cultivate a relationship with that farmer. Ask them questions.
On the Horizon for Stepping Stone Farm
Stepping Stone Farm continues to grow! Patrick is currently working on building a new composting structure. He is also very excited to have built-in drying racks and an additional tool rack as functional elements of the structure.
The level of care and thoughtfulness Patrick shows in how he's grown Stepping Stone Farm to where it is today is palpable. As a current CSA member, it's been a thrill to get to know Patrick and learn about the ingredients in each weekly box.
My family and I joined Patrick's Winter CSA Share and have renewed for the Spring share picking up in April. If you're local to Napa, consider signing up for this incredible farm CSA! Learn more at: www.steppingstone.farm/csa.
Leave a Reply