Sustainability on the Farm
What We’re Doing to Stay Eco-Friendly
We aim to help people reconnect with themselves, their loved ones, and nature. A large part of this philosophy is responsible stewardship of the land and sustainable practices to ensure nature survives and thrives in the long term. This stewardship takes many forms throughout the farm, as we carry mindful practices through the casitas, orchard, farm, and with our animals.
Responsible Food Production
We work alongside nature, while acknowledging that many of the fruits and vegetables we are growing are not native to the Sonoran Desert and need our assistance to thrive.
We believe food can and must be produced locally for many reasons. “Responsible agriculture” should look slightly different in different ecosystems, and local farmers often know their land’s needs the best. We promise to love the soil and help it thrive on its own, helping with carbon sequestration while also feeding us. We wait to harvest produce until it is truly ripe, giving it the highest amount of nutritional value for those that eat it.
The Orchard
When the trees were planted, great care was taken to identify plants which were desert adapted, and organic practices were used as part of the farming system even before it was a well-known process.
We follow organic practices, but we are not certified organic due to the high cost of the certification process for a farm as small as ours. We never spray any pesticides or herbicides on the farm, and make intentional decisions regarding soil inputs, always leaning towards organic or local, natural options.
Water is, of course, the primary resource that comes to mind for most Arizonans. Fruit trees need a lot of water, don’t they? Yes, they do. We are grateful every day for Aravaipa Creek flowing by our orchard, yet we still only utilize what is needed and no more, using a drip system.
We are constantly researching and improving our practices to ensure we are being as resourceful as we can. We have carefully selected tree varieties that can handle the high temperatures and low precipitation of Arizona.
The Garden
One of the goals of the farm is to serve as much of our own food as possible. Therefore, we jam, pickle, preserve, and jar seasonally in order to share our harvested bounty throughout the year. Anything we can’t use in a timely matter is sold at markets and restaurants.
We have plans to improve our composting practices to further enhance our garden. In the meantime, our chickens and animals love all of our kitchen scraps!
We work closely with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, as well as many other local distributors. Read more about what we do with our harvest here.
The Casitas
When the casitas were built in the late 90s, the construction focused on respecting the environment and reusing materials which were on hand. One of our largest casitas, the Strawbale House, is built using strawbales (hence its name), which gives it the signature thick walls. Another casita, aptly named the Treehouse, was built around an old tree trunk.
In our every day operations, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint by using reusable containers, recyclable goods, and post-consumer recycled materials. For our packed lunches, we use compostable paper bags. For purchased catered meals, the food is served in post consumer material. In addition, bottles of shampoo in the rooms are an earth friendly brand, and we refill the bottles to reduce one-use container waste.