The Farm
It is the mission of Durst Organic Growers to produce and distribute fresh, organic produce, while serving as an educational, sustainable, and social network for our surrounding community. It is our goal to provide quality of life for the farmer, and sustain economic viability for the farm with care and respect for nature’s diversity.
Our Story
The Durst family has been farming in the Yolo county area of California since the late 1800's. While the previous three generations focused on large-scale commodity crop farming, Jim and Deborah Durst have become known for their focus on fresh market organic produce. They planted their very first organic crop, processing tomatoes, for Muir Glen in 1988. They soon branched out to other crops like organic alfalfa, sunflowers, sugar beets, and grain. By 1989 they were growing their first organic, fresh market tomatoes and mixed melons, which they sold into Bay Area markets. Since then, they have continued to grow a mix of organic fresh market and commodity crops. Along the way they have added a few other Durst favorites, including their asparagus, which they first planted in 1997. In 2000 Durst Organic Growers discontinued growing processing tomatoes, and decided to instead focus on fresh market heirloom and cherry varieties along with asparagus, melons, and squash.
From the beginning, Jim and Deborah have worked hard to build a conscious, ecologically minded business where both people and planet are treated respectfully. They care deeply about the health and wellbeing of their consumers and employees and consider this greatly when making every little decision in the growing of their crops. When you taste Durst produce, we hope you can taste the difference, because as Jim says, “If it doesn’t taste good, what's the point?”
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February is a slow time of year here on our farm, especially during wetter years. The rain, though much appreciated, keeps us out of the fields – just as they dry out, another storm comes! – resigning us to equipment repairs and maintenance, site cleanup projects, and fine-tuning our plans for the coming seasons. And, now, setting up for asparagus!
Before welcoming the winter season, we had a few projects needing attention. The biggest one, outside the scope of our normal annual tasks, was an irrigation infrastructure project.
While we, and many other farmers, still believe in the merits of certified organic, we feel the USDA is bending to well-financed lobbying efforts and is no longer upholding the standards outlined by the National Organic Program.
The process of taking down the tomato plants is not quite as tedious as getting them going, but is a cumbersome task no less.
While Labor Day may mark an end of summer for some, we generally look towards the crops to let us know when seasons end. September is a transitional period where summer and fall blend together, the seasonal crops and activities overlapping. Whether it’s “late summer” or “early fall,” the between time is full of excitement as we begin harvesting winter squash (also known as hard squash), officially finish with watermelon (but then continue to bring in smaller harvests from our grafted plants that are still somehow looking great), continue on with harvesting tomatoes (while starting to take down early plantings), and begin planting for fall (true fall, that is).
Right now, we’re harvesting the type of fruits we dream about in winter. Bright red watermelon so crisp, sweet, and juicy it “pops” when you cut into it; juice dripping down your hand as you enjoy a slice. The sweetest fresh corn and refreshingly delicate cucumbers. A medley of melons – true summer flavors. And, perhaps, the biggest treat: soil-grown, vine-ripened, peak-summer tomatoes.
About a month behind schedule, our asparagus harvest began in late March and is still underway. We hope you’ve been able to enjoy some of this spring treat, now possibly paired with peas! Our sugar snap pea harvest is just now starting! It’s a little later than usual for us due to planting late and cool spring growing conditions.
This time of year, people start asking about our asparagus. When will it be ready?
Hello, again, and Happy New Year! We took a pause on our newsletter, as we didn’t have much in the way of “news” to share over the last few months. A bit of a winter hibernation felt fitting. Around November, after we finish packing all our winter squash for the season, our farm becomes pretty quiet as people take off for winter vacations and the fields are put to rest for the cold months ahead.