Ambrose Farms Field Trip!

It was a pleasure to meet and talk with Pete Ambrose, owner of Ambrose Farms on Wadmalaw Island. He welcomed us to his farm last Friday, narrating his experiences while welcoming us to try his organic strawberries and asparagus – fresh off the plant! I never realized how delicious asparagus could be raw! A farmer for 35 years, Pete Ambrose begun making the transition to organic farming about 3 years ago. At first he was apprehensive about the change – he preferred his rows of vegetables tidy and free of weeds, and wasn’t sure organic farming would do the job. However, members of his blossoming CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program appeared to want it. This consumer demand combined with encouragement from a fellow farmer convinced him to try. Today, this farm and CSA program is a success! A member of his CSA program myself, I can verify the value and quality of Ambrose vegetables. I received my first share of the season that day, including arugula, garlic, sweet onions, icicle radishes, turnips, asparagus, and of course strawberries. For more information on their CSA program, please visit their website at http://www.stonofarmmarket.com.

While an evaluator can come out tomorrow and label Ambrose Farms as USDA certified organic, Mr. Ambrose wishes not to due to the amount of paperwork and hassle. It can be quite difficult for smaller farms to be labeled as such. Fortunately, by dealing directly with consumers, this doesn’t matter much. The community seems to be in strong support of Ambrose Farms. This was particularly evidenced by the huge outrage that broke out last December when a former race car driver and his wife, who live next to the farm, filed a civil suit against the business due to grievances over the U-Pick operation, even though it was in place before they moved there. Here’s an article that further details the situation, and the eventual dropping of the lawsuit: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/dec/12/farmer-relieved-ex-racers-suit-dropped-but-still/.

Everyday brings new challenges and opportunities to the farm. Things are always changing, every season is a little different, and it takes real experience to make a farm work. As Mr. Ambrose said, “You can’t read a book and farm.” Always looking for ways to improve, he is currently experimenting with such things grafting tomatoes and growing different heirloom varieties to see which will work best. Support from the community in these endeavors is essential. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to my next box.