by Marjorie Mckinstry-Miller

Created on: January 15, 2007   Last Updated: February 24, 2009

"So much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens." William Carlos Williams

A similar sentiment might cross your mind when you first notice an antique red hay rake sitting to the side of Rt. 30 in Mangohick, VA. At one time, it was cutting edge agrarian technology, now, it harkens us back to a simpler time, a time prior to the invention of DDT in the 1930s and to the mass production of commercial pesticides. It is, therefore, the perfect mascot for Red Rake Farm, the only certified organic farm in King William County.

Red Rake Farm, owned by Linda Wickenheiser and Peter Perkins, specializes in growing organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs for numerous farmers' markets in Northern Virginia. Linda and Peter are proud to be organic farmers, but admit that this type of farming is not only a colossal amount of work, it's also a huge responsibility. Any farmer or gardener may claim they grow organic produce, but in order to have their crops labeled certified organic, they must follow a stringent list of requirements set up by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).

According to Linda, "we must keep records of biblical proportions in order to prove we are remaining faithful to the federal guidelines." The USDA is especially particular about what may be put on produce. Manure, for example, is acceptable, but only if used at least six months prior to harvest, due to the dangers of E. coli bacteria. Furthermore, any seeds purchased to grow organic crops must already be certified as organic, and Linda and Peter must keep records indicating where and when all these seeds are purchased.

Still, the red tape is a minor inconvenience compared to the pride Linda and Peter take in their gardening accomplishments, like their heirloom tomatoes, salad greens, tiny red, yellow and orange watermelons, and edible flowers and herbs. Their selection of herbs, both medicinal and culinary, boggles the mind. When asked about her varieties of basil, Linda, off the top of her head, listed "lemon and lime, cinnamon (that's used for cut flowers), purple, Thai, sweet Genovese, and Holy Basil (used ceremonially in India)." In all, Linda and Peter include some 108 different herbs in their inventory, but the produce their customers most crave are their little orange cherry tomatoes. These small tomatoes, somewhere between the size of regular cherry tomato and a grape tomato, are intriguingly sweet, and are a hot commodity at markets in Herndon and Arlington. What makes these so good? "It's the soil" Linda states emphatically, "that mix of clay and loam that makes Hanover tomatoes so famous."

And what makes the tomatoes of Red Rake Farm famous? The guarantee that they are not only delicious, they are also grown in a manner that won't pollute groundwater, won't damage the soil, and won't add any hidden chemicals to your dinner salad. Now that's what I call a good tomato.

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