Who: Moira Kuhn
Farm: Marin Roots Farm
Where: Petaluma
Background:
Kuhn found her perfect fit in farming, which is in line with her “big core values.” It’s challenging, makes a difference in her community and is something she’s passionate about. She worked with David Retsky at the highly regarded organic farm County Line Harvest and eventually after meeting her husband, Jesse Kuhn, they decided to join forces, expand their family and work together on their own farm.
MM: What is your philosophy or approach to farming?
Moira Kuhn: What it boils down to is—what do we want to feed our family? Our customers, home shoppers and restaurants are all putting trust in us to feed their family what we’d feed our family. We’re a no-spray farm. We’re certified organic and technically allowed to use many kinds of herbicide and pesticide sprays, and it would save us in labor costs, but we just won’t do it. We sell direct, except for a few small distributors, I hope we always sell direct because it’s the best way to get feedback and constructive criticism. I get the most creative input from meeting with customers—that helps me keep a pulse on what I should I be doing. It’s an organic process, working with customers.
MM: What are you selling at the market right now?
Moira Kuhn: All the winter chicories, and winter kales, two mixes both from baby greens. The winter mix can be sautéed and has different colors—white pinks, purples, variegated, broccolini and purple broccolini. The winter roots will be around until January, but go away until April after the rains.
MM: What are five restaurants in Marin where people can find your products on the menu?
Moira Kuhn: Fish, El Paseo, Piatti, Farmshop and Madcap. The chicories get used in salads.
MM: What’s a quick tip for using your produce?
Moira Kuhn: Create a mix of different greens, toss them with coconut oil and sauté them, adding toasted nuts and either vadovin or another Indian spice, maybe fresh ginger. The secret is using a lot of different types of greens for texture and flavor. Save the stems and stalks of greens to use in soups, sautés or add to rice dishes.