Ahavah Farm - Local. Sustainable. Pure

As most of you know, the name of our farm, "Ahavah," means "Love," but that's the English translation.  So what does "Ahavah" actually mean and why did we name our farm this? One of the coolest things about the Hebrew language is that every letter has meaning.  The words themselves are the descriptors. Look up the word "Love" in the English dictionary and you will find something similar to this: "a  (1)   :  strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties  maternal  love  for a child   ( 2 )   :  attraction based on sexual desire  :  affection and tenderness felt by lovers  After all these years, they are still very much in  love .   ( 3 )   :  affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests: love  for his old schoolmates b   :  an assurance of affection : give her my  love"  (Mi...

     So, you want local, sustainable and pure produce.  You want to cut out food miles, support local systems and you believe that local agriculture is vital for a healthy community.  You also want to be sure that the food you are putting in your body is not only the best for you nutritionally, but safe for you without heavy metals or chemicals.  So how can you be sure?  For starters, you really can't - not here in Colorado anyway.  Some states, like California, have inspectors to ensure that farms stand by their word.  In Colorado you have to ask, ask, ask!  So what to ask?  Let's dig in. These are the top 10 questions you must ask the farmers at your local farmer's market: 1.                    Do you grow all this produce yourself ?  Believe it or not, there are far too many re-sellers claiming to be local.  Yes, t...

Dear 2018 CSA Members, We want to say THANK YOU for joining our CSA for 2018.   We want you to know that without YOU , we could never make the impact (both socially and environmentally) that WE are – and it is so important that you know, sincerely, that each and every one of you are making a difference with the dollars you trust us with! There are so many good reasons to join a Community Supported Agriculture program. Joining Ahavah Farm’s CSA is about relationships, environmental stewardship and about “really” supporting local.   It’s also about the food, and as a member of Ahavah Farm you will never, EVER, have to worry about whether we grow our own food or whether it is grown with chemicals etc.   You can always be assured that your food is literally the absolute purest food you will ever eat.   We go way beyond all organic standards and go way beyond simple sustainability as well.   Our food is grown without chemicals, without pesticides, ...

Yes, that's right. Say "NO" to tractors around your food!  Why?  How else will we feed ourselves without those big shiny (or in many cases not-so-shiny) tractors?  The answer is simple and so is the explanation.  This is the first of a series regarding small-farm, regenerative agricultural practices that I will be writing about. This post is regarding tractors.  I will be following up with other dubious practices such as: Tilling, fish emulsion and other "organic" fertilizers, flood irrigation, the benefits of heirloom vegetables and more - so make sure to subscribe to our RSS feed and comment below as well! I get asked all the time why we do not use tractors, and what is our beef with them.  There are multiple issues that I have with the tractor, the least of the reasons may shock you, and it is probably what you are all thinking:  The greenhouse gas emissions.  Although tractors do emit enormous amounts of greenhouse gases, that is not the...

                                   Ahavah Farm is a Values-Centered-Farm and This is Our Pledge to You! Go to www.ahavahfarm.com to learn more about our farm and how you can be a part of it! Farming is so much more than just growing calories. For us, it's about growing absolutely pure. About repairing our earth and caring for our resources. It is about putting love into our food, our employees, our animals and our community. Take a few minutes to read our public pledge here, leave a comment and be an active part in Ahavah (Love) to make a difference. ü   We pledge to never compromise on the purity of our food.   This includes the use of any chemicals or anything synthetic (even if it is certified “Organic”).   ü   We pledge to use microbiology, composts, green manures (plant residue) and other organic matter to build and sustain healthy soils. ü ...

I have been prompted, more than once, to give a summary of what it REALLY takes to grow (regenerative and pure) food in the winter here in Colorado, at 7,000ft, in one of the roughest and most terrible locations in the country - all while doing so with no supplemental heating, tractors or chemicals. IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?  It sure is!  Here is what our greenhouses (unheated) look like in the winter:  Not only is it possible to grow food in the winter in these conditions, but here are some of the results from 2018: Beautiful, right?  Yes.  Piece of cake, right?  Not so much. In the winter, it takes a lot more than you would think to do this and there are MANY obstacles to growing in the winter.  Things like:  Row cover maintenance (and cost), varieties, regeneration time, diseases, frozen pipes, irrigation, processing, greenhouse temperatures, ventilation and more. ROW COVER - What is it and how is it managed? Row cover ...

I remember one time being at the Farmer's Market and a woman asked me if we were "Organic." I told her about how we went well beyond "Organic" and she laughed. Really. Out loud. She didn't believe that Organic wasn't pure. Little do people know how sad the Organic certification has become and how little it resembles pure food. Better than GMO? Yes! But, really, it's almost like comparing Cyanide to Sugar. Sure, sugar is much better than Cyanide, but it by no means is going to cure you from cancer! Sugar is still not good for you...and dare I say, perhaps "Organic" isn't either. Check out this eye-opening article that I came across from don'twastethecrumbs.com where it lists the top 14 things that the Organic Industry is hiding from you, the consumer.  Then, after you are thoroughly disgusted, you can leave your thoughts below. http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2015/03/14-facts-the-organic-industry-doesnt-want-you-to-know/

Beyond-Organic. Beyond-Sustainable. Beyond-Labels. Tag-lines. Catch-Phrases. Labels… Greenwashing.  We HATE labels.  Really, what are they but marketing tools anyway?  We have them and use them like everyone else, but really,   how do you know if your farmer truly is what he/she says they are?   They say they are “Regenerative,” “Beyond-Organic,” “Pure,” “Sustainable” and that their animals are “Grass-fed,” “Pasture Raised,” “Humanely Raised,” “Free-Ranged,” but are they REALLY?  There’s only one way to know for sure.  That’s why  we open our farm to the public for tours, to come and volunteer, to visit our farm store (open Spring 2018) and see the property , to visit with our animals, to walk our fields and ultimately to build a relationship with YOU!  Want to see what we use for fertilizer? Ask! Want to see the condition the chicken’s live in?...