Our History
In November 2009, we moved to an 8 acre farm in Orem about ½ mile south of UVU. This became Jacob’s Cove, Orem.
Summer 2010 marked our first “real” season of growing for the community. We’d grown extensively for our own family and produced heirloom tomatoes for restaurants and farmer’s markets for several years but never on this scale.
But the big question was: did the community want a local, organic community farm? In February 2010 we received the answer: Yes!
Our business structure is referred to as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. This is where a consumer partners with the farmer to share the risks and rewards of growing. The consumer pays the farmer up front to grow their food. This way the farmer has the capital to grow and knows how much demand there is for the food. The consumer gets a better price on the produce than if they were to purchase it later in the season at the farmer’s market. It’s a win-win for everyone.
After receiving coverage in a local paper for our barn raising event, where several dozen community members turned out to help raise the beams on our first greenhouse, the phone began ringing off the hook. The community was hungry for food and hungry for community at well.
Beginning in July 2010 we began delivering food. Each week, for 13 weeks, nearly 500 individuals and families would pick up a box of fresh picked food. They ate: heirloom tomatoes, corn, peas, swiss chard, melons, beets, cucumbers, new potatoes, summer squash, cherries, salad greens, eggplant, raspberries, peppers, spinach, kale, carrots, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, winter squash, collards, radishes, arugula, and apples.
Jacob’s Cove Orem currently has 1 acre of greenhouse. This houses heirloom tomatoes, colored peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, string beans, melons, hot peppers and summer squash. Outside, in cold frame, we are growing spinach, endive, beets, carrots, kale, collards. We are think we can grow (at least we’re going to try) peas, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage in cold frame as well.
We are going to eat well this winter.
For us to grow we must have community support. This support comes in the form of your CSA subscription. If you want real, local, organic food year-round in Utah please subscribe so that we can get your food in the ground. You can read more about this in a blog post HERE.
