Herbert swaps publishing to return to the farm
Becky Herbert grew up on a farm surrounded by fruits and
vegetables, but she never thought the farming life was for her.
Herbert swaps publishing to return to the farm
Becky Herbert grew up on a farm surrounded by fruits and vegetables, but she never thought the farming life was for her.
Herbert’s father, Pat, started planting organic crops in the 1980s, but the younger Herbert never paid attention to the lifestyle and got involved in the publishing business after college.
She wasn’t concerned about what food she was putting in her body or where it came from. But all that changed in 2001 when Herbert looked for a way to get back into the land for what was to be a temporary respite from publishing.
Herbert, 29, used her marketing skills to help her family get the word out about their organic produce through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm program.
The CSA is a throwback to the days when most communities relied on locally grown produce – and members of a CSA pledge to use produce from a local farm first. It gives the farm a steady income from local buyers so that they don’t have to ship their food elsewhere to stay profitable.
“I was never interested in this stuff growing up,” Herbert said. “I worked for my parents in the summer, but never thought about what we were doing.
As she started working for the family she began to learn more about organic farming and the food the family produces.
“They say that most food travels an average of 2,500 miles to get to the plate,” Herbert said. “That seems ridiculous when so much quality food is grown locally.”
In 2004, Pat got out of his CSA because he was having some health problems and Herbert found herself at a crossroads again. She really enjoyed the work the family was doing, but she didn’t know how to continue the program on her own.
She approached another local farmer, Phil Foster, and asked him to be the main producer for what would become Herbert’s new business, Eating with the Seasons.
Since that time Herbert has expanded her CSA to include produce from several other farms in addition to organic eggs, grass-fed beef and fair-trade organic coffee.
“Every year I seem to add at least one new thing,” Herbert said. “It’s very cool.”
Her customer base has grown to 250 customers and word of mouth continues to spread. She has customers from San Francisco to Oakland, down through the Silicon Valley and San Benito.
“The largest portion of our customers are in San Francisco,” Herbert said.
When it was just the Herberts’ farm, there was a sense of community. Herbert said that feeling has grown as five other farms became involved with Eating with the Seasons.
“It really seems like more of a community effort now because we’re doing this with all the different farms,” Herbert said.
The biggest difference between Herbert’s CSA and most is that customers get to pick and choose the foods they’re interested in. Each week, members select which fruits and veggies they want and how much of each they get, so they’re never stuck with something they’re not going to eat or too much of one thing and not enough of another.
Last year, Herbert’s sister, Laura, joined the staff. She helps with deliveries and maintaining the company’s Website (eatwiththeseasons.com). The Website also helps generate more customers and expands the market, but the biggest push for the business comes from satisfied customers.
“We really develop relationships with our customers,” Herbert said. “We share recipes and stories. It’s very personal. It’s a social and fun thing, sharing food.”
Since both sisters live in San Francisco during the time that they are not filling deliveries, Herbert said it’s nice for them to have the opportunity to come and work on the family farm nestled outside of Hollister every week.
“I grew up on a farm and I didn’t even pay attention to what’s available locally,” Herbert said. “There are so many things you can do with vegetables. They went from a side dish to a main course.”
Patrick O’Donnell can be reached at po*******@pi**********.com.
New Life columnist
Becky Herbert will be sharing her knowledge of farm fresh organic produce and recipes for locally produced foods as a new columnist for the Weekend Pinnacle’s Life Section. She also will share stories of her travels delivering produce around the Bay Area. For more information on her company, Eating with the Seasons, visit www.eatwiththeseasons.com.
