If you've ever bought a produce box through FarmDeliver, chances are you've enjoyed a fresh bag of crisp spinach, a vibrant head of lettuce or bright and sweet tomatoes grown in an idyllic little nook of the Boise foothills down a winding road, 30 minutes out of town.
Amidst sagebrush, wildflowers, jumping deer and elk herds, Joe Redden of Black Fox Farm grows nutrient-packed vegetables for the residents of Boise and its surrounding population.
About Joe Redden: Farmer & Tinkerer
Born and raised in Boise, Joe Redden always knew he wanted to work in agriculture. He finally made that dream happen in 2018 when he started planting on three-quarters of an acre in the Boise foothills.
The soil of Joe's farm is of amazing quality. It's a silky loam with virtually no rocks and a super deep top soil.
His farming practices aim to preserve and strengthen this soil as much as possible, allowing the soil, in turn, to feed his crops with the nutrients that make his vegetables so healthy.
Thanks to Joe's cold-weather tunnels, FarmDeliver customers are able to enjoy nutritient-packed spinach through the winter. His tunnels also allow him to grow tomatoes safe from lightning and hail storms.
In addition to harvesting through the winter, you can find Joe tinkering, fixing, and building around the farm. He built a pack shed, an elk fence, and various irrigation improvements, among other projects.
A Certified Naturally Grown Farm
Black Fox Farm is a Certified Naturally Grown farming operation. The Certified Naturally Grown classification is a more accessible alternative to the USDA Organic certification. It is a more cost-realistic option for small growers like Joe. (Learn more about the different types of farming certifications: Organic? Naturally Grown? Farming Certifications & What They Really Mean)
Black Fox Farm engages in the following regenerative farming practices:
- Pesticide and herbicide-free cultivation
- Crop rotation
- Crop cover
- Rotational grazing
Joe's Chickens & Garlic
Joe has cultivated a small flock of pastured hens who contribute to his farm's regeneration. They graze the land and eat a non-GMO, corn-and-soy-free diet, heavily featuring bugs and grass. They lay delicious and nutritious eggs year-round.
Interestingly, Joe's favroite crop to grow is garlic. For reasons unexplained, he simply loves the growing process, though it takes a toll physically.
In Idaho, garlic is a special, protected crop. Due to strict quarantines, Idaho growers produce the purest, safest garlic. To prevent white rot from entering the state, Idaho growers are required to source their seed from certified Idaho growers.
Like other Idaho growers, Joe gets his seed from certified local sources. After building up his experience with softneck garlic, Joe is excited about planting Korean red, a hardneck style of garlic.
On behalf of FarmDeliver customers, we're grateful for the sweat, risk, and toil of Joe's hard work. His passionate commitment -- and the passionate commitment of all our farmers and producers -- nourishes the residents of this valley in a manner that makes us all truly blessed to live here.
Dry Creek Growers CSA
On two-thirds of an acre next to Joe, Lyndsey Muhelrin of Whistlepig Farm grows Asian greens and carrots, among other vegetables. Together, they produce a collaborative CSA called Dry Creek Growers CSA. (CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. What is a CSA? 20-Weeks of Harvest from Dry Creek Growers in the Boise Foothills with FarmDeliver)
The quality and nutritional value of the food produced on Joe and Lyndsey's land is noticeable and significant. Enjoying the proceeds of their labors is more than worth every penny. You can buy Joe's vegetables "by the each" under the Produce section of our website, but for the full experience, signing up for a Dry Creek Growers CSA is the way to go. (Browse vegetables from Black Fox Farm.)
CSAs are different from other produce box subscriptions. They are offered only by growers in your community and are paid up front to help fund the coming harvest. It's one of the best ways to keep a farm funded and thriving for the future.
Dry Creek Growers CSA signups begin late winter and end early May. You can learn more about Joe and Lyndsey's joint CSA here: What is a CSA? 20-Weeks of Harvest from Dry Creek Growers in the Boise Foothills with FarmDeliver
