Stoneledge Farm, owned and operated by Debby and Pete Kavakos, beckons irresistibly to anyone who hungers for the soul of nature. The physical beauty, the calming stillness, the harmonious order of planting, germination, growth, and harvest, are precious gifts to nourish this hunger. At this time of year, the farm seems to be holding its breath, poised on the brink of leaping into action.The miraculous greening up process has begun and the soil hums with promise.



Located on Ross Ruland Road in South Cairo, Stoneledge Farm is only one part of the Kavakos's operation. Debby and Pete started farming 14 years ago by raising sheep and selling merino wool yarn and handknit and handwoven goods. When they decided to switch to full-scale vegetable production, they found that the farm (aptly named for the big stone ledge on which it sits) had extremely rocky soil which would have been inhospitable to the enterprise. They now lease four different farms nearby, creating a total of close to 300 acres: 35 acres are used for vegetable production while the rest are used for hay and grain (corn and oats).



The driveway on Ross Ruland Road opens out onto a tidy, rustic scene. The farmhouse, built by Pete from trees on their land which he chopped down and had milled in Palenville, has flowers growing alongside it and laundry hanging on the clothesline. A large open shed which in a few short months will be filled with a dazzling visual array of harvested vegetables, now houses farm machinery. Baby seedlings fill one greenhouse while the second greenhouse allows their more mature brethren to 'harden off' before being transplanted. Viewed from a distance, the transplants look like long soldierly lines of little green blobs against the field's bare soil.



This second greenhouse, recently acquired through a grant from the Department of Agriculture and Markets, will be the laboratory for winter organic raspberry production. The raspberry bushes will sit beside the greenhouse in black plastic pots until December in order to get their requisite 'chill hours'. Then they will be moved into the greenhouse where, with gradually increasing temperatures, they will be forced to bear fruit in winter. The raspberry project ,as well as the outdoor fruit patch planted with different cultivars of blueberries, gooseberries, and red and black currants, are efforts by Debby and Pete to expand and diversify their market.



Farming involves a vast range of skills: creating crop and field plans, preparing the soil, selecting seeds, planting, cultivating, harvesting, repairing and maintaining machines, tools, and buildings, purchasing farm supplies (seeds, fertilizers, fuel, and packaging), financing (developing a farm budget, paying farm insurance and taxes) and bookkeeping (financial and production records, certification). The physical aspect of farm work is hard. It involves long hours, sore muscles, insect bites, sweat, dirt, and the constraints of heat, cold, and rain. To use your body without hurting yourself and to perform tasks expending the least amount of energy takes practice and experience. You need a good measure of endurance. These burdens are balanced by the sensual pleasures of sounds, smells, and rhythms that are woven into the work. As John Peterson of Angelic Organics in Caledonia, Illinois says: "The land has a feel underfoot that can melt a person to it."



It doesn't take long for you to know that Debby and Pete Kavakos love what they do and that they do it with loving care. They are clearly hard workers with conscientious standards-intelligent, humorous, down to earth, immensely likeable people-who appear grounded by a sense of knowing who they are and having pride in their family and their farm. Stoneledge is truly a family farm-all of their four children are paid to work on the farm and Pete's mother sells the farm's produce at the Catskill Point Farmers' Market and at the New York State Thruway Farmers' Market at the Malden Travel Plaza. Debby says, "We feel so fortunate to have this way of life" and counts among her joys in farming "working for yourself in a beautiful environment, working with our kids every day (so) we have a lot of family time that not many people have anymore, and growing our own food."



Stoneledge Farm is one of only two Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-NY) certified organic farms in Greene County. Briefly, "organic" basically means that the farmer uses neither synthetic/chemical pesticides or fertilizers, nor genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or products, and employs agricultural practices-crop diversification, crop rotation, cover cropping, and composting-that build healthy soil and healthy plants. Organic farming has gotten people to think about what food means (where it comes from, who grew it , and its health benefits to people and to the environment) and the future (sustaining and improving communities). The cost of organic certification is high for small farmers and the paperwork is laborious. It seems unjust that farmers who use pesticides and herbicides that contaminate the earth pay nothing and get no inspections whereas organic farmers must pay high costs and endure the rigors of certification. Although Debby and Pete question why organic agriculture is the most highly regulated, they are committed to continuing their farm's organic certification. They feel that their CSA customers are primarily interested in "clean" food (i.e., free of pesticides and harmful chemicals) for themselves and for their children.



The majority of Stoneledge Farm's business comes from a method of direct sales called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). In simplest terms, CSA is a partnership between agricultural producers and consumers. The consumers pay in advance for a "share" of the harvest(guaranteeing the farmer a market and sharing some of the farmer's risks) in exchange for a weekly supply of produce throughout the growing season. Debby and Pete have about 350 CSA members in five groups. They deliver to four different CSA core groups in Manhattan but the Greene County CSA members pick up their shares directly from the farm. "My biggest concern is that the shareholders have (1) quality, (2) variety (color and texture), and (3) quantity, week in and week out", says Pete. He and Debby meet this challenge by growing 40 different vegetable and herb varieties (this year's new crops will be celeriac and red dandelion greens, past years' successes include edible soybeans and popcorn on the cob); by making fruit and flower shares available along with pastured beef, pork, chicken, free-range eggs, honey, maple syrup, and goat cheese; and by trying to grow more than they need. If they have more produce than they can sell or eat themselves, they donate it to the Regional Food Bank and each CSA core group chooses a charity to which they donate unclaimed shares. The average weekly share consists of 8-10 freshly harvested vegetables with varying weight. Shares are lighter in the springtime with leafy greens, radishes, and sugar snap peas and build up to approximately 14+ pounds of vegetables per week mid-summer and into the fall. The CSA harvest season continues for 24 weeks from late spring through mid-November.



Small family farms face enormous challenges to survive. People need to care about where their food comes from. Consumer education should focus on the social consequences of consumer choice as well as environmental issues and food safety, As Alice Waters, founder of the legendary Chez Panisse restaurant and passionate advocate for sustainable agriculture, says: "If you decide to eat fresh seasonal food ("with the farmer's face on it" as the Japanese organic farmers would say) that is locally grown by farmers who take care of the earth, then you are contributing to the health and stability of local agriculture and local communities. Actions make consequences and people acting responsibly can make a difference.... It can change the world."



Debby and Pete Kavakos of Stoneledge Farm will be participating in this year's Mountain Culture Festival, selling cucumbers, many varieties of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, summer squash, possibly Swiss chard and beans and a variety of cut herbs by the bunch.