Living and Growing Sustainably at Local Roots Farm
Kristi Winquist, a first-generation farmer, along with her husband, Jerry, bought a modest plot of land that was presented to them as a pile of brush sprinkled with litter. Six years later, they have transformed that land, now named Local Roots Farm, into a wellspring of responsibly grown produce for their community.
Environmental sustainability is a cornerstone in the Winquists’ lifestyle and business. Kristi, a vinyasa yoga teacher, employs a similar approach to both healing her students and remediating her land. Jerry, her counterpart, is altruistically generous, wise, and a highly skilled journeyman, artist and chef. Kristi refers to him as the “Swiss Army man.”
Their mission is to “make their space better than how they found it.” This philosophy is cultivated into the care and attention the Winquists devote to their crops. Their first garden, once hidden behind an old goat pen, was moved to the center of their lush yard, representative of their decision to build their life around the farm. Local Roots is entering its fourth year of operation and each new season has proven more efficient and robust than the last.
In planning the operations at Local Roots Farm, the Winquists were inspired by Bill Mollison, the Australian biologist who coined the term permaculture. Combining the words “permanent” and “agriculture,” Mollison defines this as “The harmonious integration of the landscape, with people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and nonmaterial needs in a sustainable way.” Working with the land, Kristi and Jerry dug ditches that feed into their greenhouses, flower beds and medicinal herb gardens. They practice low-till techniques such as weeding by hand. This method fosters a healthy environment for bacteria, fungi, algae and other living organisms in the soil, which helps new seed take root. Instead of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, they have added earthworms, compost, and “natural gifts” from their free-range chickens and ducks into their raised beds. Vivacious crops have taken over where brush and litter once lay. “There’s life in the soil,” says Kristi.
Another priority in both farming and sustainability for the Winquists is community. Local Roots has a long list of community partners. Their business relationships across the region ensure cooperative support, cross-marketing, multiple retail locations, and—arguably the most important—shared agricultural knowledge.
For example, Jeff and Tara Hahn, owners of Hahn’s Honeybee Haven, keep bees on the Local Roots Farm. Their hives buzz about the land and pollinate the crops. You can almost taste the basil, lavender, and pears in each spoonful of honey. Kristi enjoys checking on “the girls” and working with the Hahns to learn about the art of beekeeping. “We’ve bottled community in that honey!” Kristi enthusiastically declares.
Kristin Grohman of Reciprocal Roots is another community resource of Kristi’s. Once her herbal teacher, Kristin has evolved into a close friend and business associate. The pair plan which seeds will be planted at Local Roots each summer. The fresh, fragrant herbs are then used in Kristi’s teas and apothecary as well as in Reciprocal Roots’ retail teas, tinctures, balms and oils and in community education classes. “I can’t do it all on my own,” Kristi says. “I need the community to help me and, in turn, I can give back.”
One of the Winquists’ biggest resources for farmer-to-farmer support and knowledge comes from Tom and Viv Szulist, owners of Singer Farm Naturals. When Kristi is not at Local Roots or teaching yoga, you can find her working in Singer Farms’ Legacy Barn packing tart cherry juice, harvesting garlic, and stocking grocery shelves. Kristi also uses Singer’s commercial kitchen to cook special additions for the Local Roots’ community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. Her famous homemade granola along with other goodies like kimchi and pickles are made with produce harvested from Local Roots.
The Local Roots CSA provides the Winquists with an outlet for their sustainably sourced goods. This pickup is an opportunity for Kristi and Jerry to dole out their high-quality organic staples like lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and squash, as well as introduce shareholders to unfamiliar vegetables like spicy mustard frills, sunchokes, tatsoi and rutabaga. The Winquists even offer recipes which they have cooked and enjoyed.
“We don’t grow kohlrabi and say, ‘Best of luck to you figuring out what to do with that!’ We like to expose our customers to new vegetables, herbs and fresh ways of cooking. We develop a relationship with each customer, and we make time to talk each week,” says Kristi.
The cherry on top of their CSA pickup and market visits is choosing vegetables from the Local Roots refurbished school bus. The rescued “Farm Bus” is adorned with folk art renditions of radish, lettuce and carrots, hand-painted by local artist, Chad Grohman. Grateful Dead songs float from the windows. A colorful chalkboard displays a handwritten menu and it is perfectly framed by a bohemian tapestry acting as a curtain. Macramé plant holders swing in the breeze from the side mirrors. A large awning protects Local Roots’ goods from the harsh sun and stormy summer days.
“We’re striving to find solutions to provide our customers with food that not only sustains our business, but the environment around us as well. Through organic farming practices (certified by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York), we feel we are helping to change the relationship people have with food and the land in a positive way.”
