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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Carrots to the core
  • Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:06:31 -0600


It says, the guy does "raised beds 3 ft wide by 20 ft long. He direct-seeds
the carrots, four or five rows per bed, using a thin carrot plate on his
Earthway seeder so the plants won’t have to be thinned later."

My beds are 3 ft wide with four or five rows per bed. I haven't used a seeder
because I've read there are difficulties with seed that small. Anyone using
an Earthway seeder for carrots or other small seed?

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
------------------------------------------

Carrots to the core
Iowa organic farmer finds his niche with a long-season favorite
http://www.newfarm.org/features/0404/carrots/index.shtml
By Kristen Corselius
Posted April 19, 2004

Carrots. Crunchy, convenient and nutritious, the carrot is a dietary staple
in the United States. According to the UDSA, carrots are the fifth most
consumed vegetable in the country; the average American consumed 9.5 pounds
of carrots in 2003. Chances are, at least 7.2 pounds of those carrots came
from California, now home (or rather, birthplace) to 76 percent of the
country’s fresh market carrots.

Bred to be mechanically harvested, travel well, and store for long periods,
the average carrot travels 1774 miles to the dinner plate. It’s no wonder
that “flavorful” is a word rarely associated with this woody root crop.
“Average” is more like it.

That’s why when I first heard about Gary Guthrie’s “utterly delicious”
carrots in Ames, Iowa, I wanted to learn more. Through careful attention to
variety selection and taste, Guthrie has put the flavor back into carrots.
He’s also created a profitable niche that extends his growing season and
boosts farm revenue.

Growing Harmony Farm


Guthrie began farming in 1997 with his wife, Nancy, and stumbled upon the
common (or not-so-common) carrot as a way to supplement the CSA income. Now
he's known as "they guy with the great carrots" at conferences.

Guthrie farms with his wife, Nancy, and son, Eric, on Growing Harmony farm,
five miles east of Ames in central Iowa. A native of the state, Guthrie spent
a number of years in community development in both Central America (with MCC,
the Mennonite Central Committee) and Des Moines before returning to his
family’s farm in 1997.

Guthrie wanted to get back into agriculture, but didn’t know how until he
attended a winter workshop at Iowa State University on a concept called
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). The model, in which the community
shares the rewards and risks of a farm’s harvest, resonated with him. “It
seemed like an opportunity to integrate my interests in research, community
development, and my people skills.”

The following spring Guthrie launched his CSA with four members. Today he
raises organic vegetables for 44 CSA members on 2.5 acres of land. Looking
for a way to supplement his CSA income and distribute his labor in the slower
months, Guthrie turned to carrots, a fall crop with good storage
capabilities. His efforts have paid off.

Carrot flavor secrets

Guthrie was first turned on to flavorful carrots almost by accident. One
wintry day in December 1997, Guthrie pulled some carrots out of a
snow-covered bed he had planted earlier in the season. The carrots, a variety
called Bolero, were exceptional. Says Guthrie, “It was my first realization
of how good winter carrots could be.”

The following summer, Guthrie read an article titled “Carrot Flavor Secrets”
in Organic Gardening magazine. The piece explained the physiology of carrot
flavor and shared the results of a taste test comparing seven different
carrot hybrids grown in upper North America. Guthrie, who still considers it
the best article he’s seen on carrot production, said, “It confirmed what I
already knew.”

According to the article, “A flavorful carrot variety will probably taste
flavorful no matter where it is grown.” In other words, variety selection,
more than anything else, is the key to tasty carrots. Guthrie, who was
already growing several of the recommended varieties, felt encouraged to grow
more.

As the CSA grew, Guthrie continued to raise and experiment with carrots.
Soon, he realized he was starting to get a reputation. “I’d go to these
conferences and people would say ‘Gary Guthrie’s carrots are the best I’ve
ever eaten.’ That’s when I decided to focus more on carrot production.”

A recipe for carrot success

After years of research and experimentation, Guthrie’s developed his own
recipe for successful carrot production. As already noted, variety selection
is a crucial factor (see caption below for Guthrie’s variety
recommendations). Others include soil management, bed preparation and weed
control.

“It starts with nice loose organic soils," says Guthrie. Fortunate to farm on
Iowa’s famously fertile, black prairie soils, Guthrie still makes every
effort to conserve and enhance his soils with green manures, cover crops and
long rotations. As an organic farmer, he uses no synthetic pesticides or
fertilizers. Aside from the rototiller and propane flamer, Guthrie farms
entirely by hand—something he considers better for the soil (and is committed
to as an act of solidarity with the majority of world’s farmers).

Too much nitrogen will cause a carrot to develop forks, so Guthrie typically
plants carrots as the last crop in his rotation. One to two weeks prior to
planting he creates raised beds 3 ft wide by 20 ft long. He direct-seeds the
carrots, four or five rows per bed, using a thin carrot plate on his Earthway
seeder so the plants won’t have to be thinned later. After seeding, he covers
the beds with 40-inch wide untreated burlap to maintain moisture for better
germination. During hotter months, Guthrie sometimes uses two layers of
burlap to keep the beds from drying out.

A hand-held propane flamer is Guthrie's main method of weed control. One or
two days prior to carrot emergence he scorches the bed completely. “You need
to see the weeds dry up and blow away for the most effective weed control,”
he declares. Once the carrots emerge, he does some light weeding as
necessary. Guthrie has found that flaming for weed control, along with
increasing the number of rows per bed, has almost doubled his carrot yields.

Carrots that sell themselves

In 2003 Guthrie raised 3,400 pounds of carrots on 22 beds. Even though he
stepped up production considerably, from 2,400 pounds in 2002, he still sold
out by the end of November. At $1.00 per pound retail or $0.70 wholesale, the
carrots have added nicely to the farm’s revenue.

Guthrie’s farm is close to a college town, which makes it ideally situated
for direct marketing. Besides his CSA members, Gary sells carrots straight
off the farm, to the nearby food cooperative, and to several restaurants in
Ames and in Grinnell (another college town about 90 minutes away). When
available, his carrots are also a regular feature at the growing number of
conferences serving “All-Iowa” meals.

Kamal Hammouda, owner and chef of the Phoenix Café in Grinnell, has served
Growing Harmony Farm’s carrots for years. “Their very distinct sweetness
makes them different from your run-of-the-mill carrots,” Hammouda says.
Though Hammouda could buy carrots from farmers closer to his restaurant, he
finds the extra effort is worth it. “I serve them fresh, in soups, and in
cakes," he explains. "When I find something good I keep bringing it back.”

Turns out, Hammouda’s customers expect that of him too. “This year I was a
little late picking up Gary’s carrots and soon some of my regular customers
started to ask for them.”

Guthrie’s emphasis on flavor also helps keep his CSA members coming back.
Corry Bregendahl and her husband, Kristjan, have been members of Growing
Harmony Farm since 1999. “Gary’s produce is fantastic,” raves Bregendahl. And
the carrots? “Sweet, crunchy, and delicious—I practically lived on them one
winter.”

“Sweet, crunchy, and delicious—I practically lived on them one
winter.”

Looking ahead

As for next season, Guthrie says he plans to maintain current production
levels, since “thirty-four hundred pounds is plenty to market.” He will,
however, continue to try to improve his germination and production rates per
bed-foot. He also likes to educate customers about carrot taste.

At his annual apple pie CSA-member appreciation night this year, Guthrie
started off the evening with a tasting of Napoli and Bolero carrots. Says
Guthrie, “One doesn’t normally think of carrots as having distinguishing
tastes, like apples. Yet, my members, without knowing which was which, could
highlight the differences.” (Almost all said they preferred Bolero.)

Does Guthrie recommend that other farmers consider carrots to extend their
growing seasons? Yes. He’s heard plenty of comments from other farmers that
carrots are “too much work,” and that's why he has such a market. Still, he
sees great potential. “I agree they're a lot of work, but there's tremendous
opportunity and plenty of market for these types of carrots in the northern
United States.”

Having tasted Growing Harmony Farm carrots, we can only hope more farmers
follow Guthrie’s lead.

Gary Guthrie frequently shares his carrot expertise at conferences and field
days. To learn more about his carrot operation or to receive a copy of his
“Steps to Successful Carrot Production,” contact Gary at:
ghfguthrie@hotmail.com.







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