A new micro-farm in Galesburg is providing produce to local restaurants, markets, and the general public that’s grown chemical-free in the owners’ backyard.
Last year, Rosie and Alex Theobald’s backyard garden was 20 by 30 feet.
After launching Elementary Earthworks earlier this year, the husband and wife team is now growing on six times that behind their Galesburg home.
Alongside standard summer fare like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, and squash, they’re also growing saffron, edamame, and hops.
“I can't tell myself no. I love growing things. I love learning about how things grow. And so I do have my quirky things. I love growing saffron, just learning where saffron comes from,” said Rosie.
In all, there are around 80 different varieties of herbs and vegetables growing in this back yard, no-till micro-farm. All are grown from seed and all are pesticide- and herbicide-free.
“I try and do different varieties that aren’t as commonly found. I love beautiful food and there’s so many different varieties out there so being able to introduce that to the public is something I’m passionate about,” Rosie said.
Last year, Rosie worked for a much larger local farm that had a CSA and sold to the general public and local restaurants. That’s where she discovered her passion.
Starting small, Rosie and Alex wanted to grow food for local restaurants in their first year with Elementary Earthworks.
They’ve grown herbs for cocktails at Craft on Seminary Street and Opie’s Bar and Grill, spinach for salads at Cherry Street Brewing Company, and beets, cucumbers, and jalapenos for baked pizza’s unique pies, to name a few.
They also supplied tomatoes this week to Malley Farms to make gazpacho for First Fridays on Seminary Street.
“We love supporting local businesses so it was a way for us to kind of provide for the community,” Rosie said.
The biggest challenge to getting Elementary Earthworks up and running was time.
“It takes a lot of work. We do no-till, no chemicals, so it takes time to kill off the grass and plant on top with cardboard and compost and being able to do it on a massive scale,” Rosie said.
Now that the micro-farm is producing plenty of summer produce, Elementary Earthworks is selling to the public at the Knoxville Farmers Market and at Libby’s Corner in Galesburg.
Alex said they’re growing food they’re proud to share with restaurants and the community and customers can tell a difference with food grown the way they grow it.
“Just how long our produce lasts, how much longer it lasts in their fridges, and how much more flavor there is, and how beautiful everything looks,” he said.
Elementary Earthworks will be growing greens, pumpkins, and winter squash in the cooler months and plans to eventually start a CSA.
Their goal is to improve access to nutritious food in the community.
“As we pursue through the season, we'll continue to talk to restaurants about our goals for next year,” Rosie said. “We’ll try to plan ahead and see what restaurants are looking for. If there are any fun things they can't necessarily get around here through their distributors that we can try and grow, I'd love to do that.”
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