History
Nigel Walker grew up in Leicester, England and studied Agriculture in Essex, England. Despite being educated in conventional farming, Nigel developed an interest in organic farming early on, and interned on an organic farm in England as part of his degree. He then traveled to Israel, where he furthered his studies in sustainable farming, focusing on drip irrigation techniques and water conservation. In 1992, he came to California and worked on Terra Firma Farm, an organic farm in Winters. Through his involvement in sustainable agriculture and local foods, he met Frances Andrews who had worked at Chez Panisse and Café Fanny in Berkeley, and farmed on Full Belly Farm in the Capay Valley. In 1993, they began growing heirloom tomatoes on 3 acres of leased land in Winters. They then expanded to 17 acres, and planted a 5-acre fruit tree orchard designed to produce a wide range of fruit for a CSA (community supported agriculture) subscription program. The orchard included citrus, stone fruit, apples, persimmons, grapes, pears and other fruit. This was the genesis of Eatwell Farm. In 1997, Nigel and Frances were able to buy 65 acres of land just a few miles away from the orchard, and let go of their leased land except for the orchard which they continued to farm for the CSA.
The land that they bought had been a conventional farm, but fortunately for them it had been managed using IPM—Integrated Pest Management. This means that spraying was done selectively, in response to careful monitoring of farm pests, and so the ecosystem was still relatively healthy. There is a pond on the farm where the water drains to, and before the purchase Nigel visited the pond late at night and heard a cacophony of frogs. This was a very good sign, indicating that the water and land were not polluted. As Nigel puts it, frogs are like the canaries in the coal mine—if their populations are healthy that means the ecosystem is pretty healthy.
Thus began the period of converting that farm to organic agriculture, which meant rebuilding the soil. They planted alfalfa for 2 years on about 2/3 of the farm. The alfalfa smothered out weeds, and its roots penetrated the earth and broke up the hard pan. Alfalfa is also a nitrogen-fixing plant, and it added fertility to the depleted soil. On the rest of the farm they began a new orchard, and planted 5 acres of lavender. While the period of time legally required to transition to organic is 3 years, Nigel has found that it really takes about 5 years before you start to get some really good crops. Eatwell was certified organic 3 years ago, but today they are seeing a big difference each year in both yield and quality of the crops.
Researchers from UC Davis are currently doing research on Eatwell Farm because the populations of native bees and other beneficial insects are unusually high. This surprises the researchers because Eatwell is surrounded by conventional, chemical-intensive agriculture on all sides. They want to learn what it is about the farm that is attracting and keeping so many pollinators and other beneficials. Some possible explanations include the windbreaks that Nigel planted, the 4-acre riparian area maintained on the farm, and the 5 acres of lavender. No matter what the reason, Eatwell is a model of a healthy farm ecosystem.
Last year, Eatwell began an arrangement with Potter Family Farms (formerly Prather Ranch) whereby rancher Travis Potter brings his sheep to graze on Eatwell fields that are lying fallow for a season or two. The sheep keep Nigel from needing to mow, contribute manure to fertilize the field, and the sheep birth their lambs there. The lambs are as free range as lamb can be, and very healthy and well-nourished as their mother ewes graze on the organic pastureland of the fallow field. Nigel often seeks out beneficial relationships such as this one, in an effort to make his farm ever more sustainable and self-sustaining. As part of the CSA box Eatwell offers, he supplements his produce with citrus fruit grown by Twin Girls Farm in Reedley.
Currently, Nigel manages the farm and Frances takes care of the business administration, and they have twin sons, Andrew and Eric, who just turned six years old.
Eatwell Farm has a CSA that has been in operation for 7 years that now delivers a weekly box of vegetables and fruit to its 300 members.
Eatwell Farm has been selling at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market since it first began 10 years ago, and their produce is available at both the Saturday and Tuesday markets at the Ferry Building all year long.
During the busy season (May through November) Eatwell also sells at the Marin Civic Center Farmers' Market on Sundays and the Oakland Grand Lake market on Saturdays.
Eatwell's heirloom tomatoes, sunflowers, and lavender are available at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, and the tomatoes are also available at CalMart on California Street, in Laurel Heights. Monterey Market in Berkeley carries sunflowers and heirloom tomatoes.
Heirloom tomatoes are also available to restaurants in San Francisco, and some are even shipped to the East Coast.
Eatwell Farm also ships lavender directly to anyone in the country.
Chop all vegetables coarsely for processing in a food processor or blender. The processor will give the soup some crunch; the blender will give a smoother texture.
Process all ingredients in batches, pouring into a large non-aluminum bowl to mix.
Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.
Garnish each bowl with your choice of: avocado slices, sweet pepper slices, cucumber slices, fresh herbs, chives, slightly toasted sunflower seeds, or plain lowfat yogurt.
Gazpacho notes:
If a more tomato-based flavor is desired, add 1-2 cups tomato juice to soup.
Somewhere I read to put ice cubes in the soup; I like that because it cools it down quickly for immediate eating and also adds some liquid as my gazpacho tends to be chunky.
I like to add grated summer squash of different colors. It's juicier grated than chopped in my food processor.
I also like to grate my tomatoes -- it has a very nice, juicy texture. Cucumbers and onions grate fine too. Peppers and garlic I find easier in the food processor; I put garlic in first by itself because I find it chops better that way.
I don't soak or de-crust my bread; I just put big chunks in bowls and pour the soup over it.
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