The Mad River Market hosted by the Green Spiral Farm in Arcata, CA - Saturday, October 12th, 2024.

Graham and Chelsey Gagne at the Certified Organic* Green Spiral Farm in Arcata, CA

I'm proud to write about the Green Spiral Farm because the people I'm about to introduce are great friends of mine. It makes it all the sweeter witnessing all they've created. Feeding our community weekly via wholesale deliveries to the local food stores, California Agricultural Association boxes, and at the Arcata Farmer's Market on the weekends. I've seen them grow, Graham and Chelsey Gagne met many years ago at another local farm known as Wild Rose Farm where we all worked together. We spent many wonderful years there working for the legendary Blake Richard, before the Gagne's married and set off to cultivate dreams of their own. Now we can all be proud for all they're doing individually, together, with, and for our community.

For example the Mad River Market is having it's fourth go around this weekend, Saturday October 12th, 2024. I'm listening to a Farm Fresh practice session as I write, the live band composed of Green Spiral Farm crew and friends who will be playing the market. At the MMR people can see the corn maze and buy pumpkins for Halloween, eat local food, play in the kids zone, spectate the many vendors, and celebrate the changing seasons. We've got a variety of squash, perfect for your jack-o-lanterns and seasonal pumpkin treats. Recently the Paskenta Mad River Brewery and Taproom used their pumpkins to brew a seasonal beer, which should be ready around Halloween. Besides the Mad River Market this Saturday, there will be a Haunted Corn Maze next weekend and the regular Pumpkin Patch/Corn Maze every weekend of October, 2024.

It's such a great opportunity for the community to come together and witness a small piece of farm life. Out here us farmers plant the seeds, transplant the starts, move water pipes to water them in, we spend long days hoeing and weeding, and harvest the crops to send them on their way to people's plates. Food is an essential part of life that's known for bringing people together, literally keeping us alive. And we're all so lucky to have local sources of produce. I'm grateful for every day I get to work with the Green Spiral Farm crew. Everyone working here is a solid individual with a good heart, and we push ourselves to be efficient as we get the work done out of necessity. It's hard to keep up with it all! It's true that farmers work all types of weather, hours of daylight and sometimes at night too.

Green Spiral Farm provides Humboldt County with many standard kales such as dino, green, red boar, and red russian. There's also cauliflower varieties including purple and cheddar yellow, as well as romanesco. Their carrots are well known for being very tasty. There's parsley, leeks, beets, salad mix, romaine lettuce, cabbage, artichoke, zucchinis, and cucumbers. In the greenhouse red onions are drying along with a variety of squash including green kabocha and delicata. Then there's the snacking peppers that just keep producing, red peppers, and cayenne. Soon there will be golden berries thanks to Mike! We did have sugar snap peas, and there's usually a little arugula in the beginning of the year. I saved the most exciting for last, over the past few years Graham has learned how to grow amazing celery!

It's not always super easy farming, Graham and Chelsey have had plenty of time to learn as their family has grown along with the farm. After working at the Wild Rose Farm, Graham managed the Organic Farm behind the Mad River Hospital until him and Chelsey started their own small farm on the side. As life would have it, they've put in some years to get their own farm and are now working with other's to practice regenerative agriculture such as allowing the ground to rest for years at a time. I've always been impressed by Graham's knowledge about the soil science, plant varieties, and agricultural practices that make everything work out around the farm. Chelsey is also utilizing the space here quite well by organizing and inviting community involvement, she's a great farmer as well!

This year I witnessed Chelsey grow and curate flowers for a friends wedding successfully despite it raining two days before the wedding! I've seen their family grow, the animals and kids are all living their best life here. The love and passion for the farm life is apparent in the produce that comes out of here. Farming is a practice that's deeply rooted in our humanity, it's something we need to feed ourselves and that's one reason I'm proud to write about the Green Spiral Farm. I'm always happy to witness what happens here in the day to day, this farm is an asset to Humboldt County. Readers can show their support by signing up for a CSA on their website. And of course by coming to the Mad River Market which is a free event and a great opportunity to get a taste of what's happening here.

We hope to see you at the Mad River Market and the Pumpkin Patch/Corn Maze which is open every weekend of October. Look for the Green Spiral Farm label on your produce when you're shopping at any of the local natural foods stores, and remember to thank the farmers when you say grace! I want to thank Graham and Chelsey, and everyone who works to make both the farm and the Mad River Market possible. I very likely wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for farming, or these people in my life. The truth about me is that I've never felt quite like a farmer inside, but I've done the work enough to know what it's like. I really enjoy writing stories about places like this, and the people I respect, so I hope that I'll continue to witness places like this and pay my respects like I did here.

Thank you for reading about productive interest on Rhapsodic Global.

This promotional post is written and sponsored by myself, Anthony DeLuca of AnthonyJosephDeLuca.com, and donated to be promoted on RhapsodicGlobal.org!