In the fields at Glacial Till Farm, Slippery Rock, PA. Photo credit Emma Jeurgens.
September’s cooking demo for the Seed to Feed Garden Project at New Wilmington Presbyterian jump started our search for local, quality and organic product for the restaurant. Local and quality are not too hard to come by. Organic, that’s another story around these parts, understandably. The conversion process from conventional to organic can be costly in a business with very tough margins and is there even a demand to make it worth it?
Matt and I have different paths that lead us to the common ideology that what is best for the ecosystem is best for people and, in turn, best for our individual bodies and minds. Matt spent his adult years in Northern California, surrounded by organic diaries, ranches, orchards and farms. The demand is there, ignited, in large part, by global food legend Alice Waters and the stable of culinary and agricultural talent her restaurant, Chez Panisse has employed and supported.
Glacial Till Farm onions curing. Photo credit Emma Jeurgens.
I grew up here in Western Pennsylvania. The word organic did not come into my lexicon until attending Chatham University and studying under Dr. Nancy Gift. She wrote a book called, ‘A Weed by Any Other Name.’ I had never thought of a weed as a plant before. It was an alien that needed to be killed, pulled or blasted with a synthetic weed killer.
Dr. Gift steered students towards the writings of famed environmentalist, Rachel Carson who was a Chatham grad, herself. Carson’s book, Silent Spring was next on my enlightenment reading list. It blew my mind and changed the way I thought about human intervention in ecosystems, aka nature, aka where we live. Carson’s research of the polluted waters of the Potomac River and the deleterious effects on the living things in that habitat such as birds, frogs and fish made me realize that we must be very intentional and careful in our attempts to control nature, or we may end up paying a price we never expected to pay.
Fast forward almost twenty years and Matt and I are trying to source farm to table produce for a restaurant in the bread basket of Western Pennsylvania. Mary and Marty Capoferri, who run New Wilmington’s farmers market, The Fresh Marketplace, are our absolute go-to for local growers and they connected us with a diamond in the field, if you will.
Glacial Till mission statement. Photo credit Emma Jeurgens.
Glacial Till Farm is a family-run two acre ‘beyond organic’ farm located a few country miles outside of Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. Farmer Derek Kellogg works his land and is growing the business with his wife, Autumn and their four children.
Kellogg is not new to farming. His family has run a successful cattle ranch in the area for decades. They use conventional farming practices ( vs. organic) but Derek is using his passion project at Glacial Till to learn more about sustainable agriculture and spread the good word.
And his product… it is pure excellence. Kellogg uses old-school methods to get the job done. He rotates his beds with nitrogen-fixing cover crops, rather than hitting the ground with synthetic fertilizers that ultimately disrupt balance in our water systems. He uses small, single-manned antique inspired tools to ensure even seeding and low weed growth. Again, no need for chemical intervention. Glacial Till Farm produces and uses compost. It’s a full circle system. Nothing is wasted. It all feeds itself.
Healthy soil, healthy food from Glacial Till Farm. Photo credit Emma Jeurgens.
The mission of Glacial Till is, ‘Build soil, grow food, expand knowledge.’ The Kellogg's are certainly doing all of those things and we hope to help them with the last part of the mission. We know you will fall for their produce, we mean to do it justice on your plate.
Glacial Till is not USDA certified organic. So far, we have not found any farms within the region that are certified. It is an interesting time in Pennsylvania agriculture. In other regions in America, take where we came from, Northern California, the certification is worth it. The customer demand for the legally provable organic produce is there. Here, we have to ask questions and be intentional in our support of small-scale growers even if it costs more, even if it’s less convenient. And we have to operate on trust. It is similar to the relationships we are forming with our local Amish tradesmen and growers. The Amish are forthcoming and honest, as far as our dealings go. If they say they will do something, they do it.
You get that sense when you talk to Kellogg and you are certain Glacial Till is organic when you visit.
Farmer Derek Kellogg, Glacial Till Farm. Photo credit Emma Jeurgens.
I worked on a 10 acre organic farm in South Carolina and toured many organic farms as a culinary instructor in California. They are diverse. You meet little creatures and share your day with them. The colorscape ranges from green to red to white to purple and little birds land on your shoulder or rabbits come along and help you get your boots on. Well, maybe it’s not that magical but, if you haven’t had the opportunity to visit a working organic farm, I encourage you to take the time. It satisfies the soul.
Regenertative farmers can only work so much land. It is small scale. Our menu will be small, too. Quality over quantity. At The Tavern on the Square, we hope to satisfy the soul, too. And for us in the restaurant business, that means considering every detail of your experience. The weight of your fork. The lighting as you make connections with your friends at the bar, the cleanliness of the bathrooms, the din, the drinks, the warmth of your plate, the smiles on our faces. There’s a lot to think about.
We are grateful to meet intentional farmers like the Kelloggs who are sharing some of that load. They are thinking about quality so we can trust them. What we buy from Glacial Till is consistent. It will be nourishing for the patron and the planet. Certified, not yet. Bonafide, certainly.
To connect with Glacial Till Farm, follow on facebook @glacialtillproduce or instagram @glacialtillfarm. They are very welcoming. They are also always in need of hard workers. If you are interested in joining their efforts this spring, it is not too early to get your foot in the door.
