Producer
Nightshade Farm and Radicle Roots Community Farm
Contact: Stefanie Stauffer and Ryan Padgett
City: Ann Arbor , MI, 48105
About Us
Nightshade Farm and Radicle Roots Community Farm are two farms that joined forces in 2019 to collaboratively grow and sell our produce. We are united in our love for heirloom and endangered Slow Food Ark of Taste varieties, as well as our Beyond Organic growing practices.
Founded in 2010 in Ypsilanti, Nightshade Farm is a diversified vegetable farm specializing in heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and other unique produce. Farmer Stefanie strives to grow varieties that highlight her Italian-American heritage, and global varieties that reflect her deep interest in food origins as well as her engagement in food justice and food sovereignty projects. To that end, she has grown tomato and pepper seedlings for Ypsi home gardeners since 2016. She is also a food artisan, and turns her produce surplus into farm to jar paprika, garlic powder, and infused vinegars. Although her busy schedule can no longer accommodate her Nightshade Army salsas and hot sauces, she may return to it some day.
Founded in 2015, at the now defunct Tilian Farm Development Center in Ann Arbor, Radicle Roots Community Farm is in its heart a CSA farm. Although land access challenges have put the CSA on pause for the last few seasons, Farmer Ryan continues to grow his heirloom head lettuces, radishes, tomatoes, squash, melons, and a diverse array of other produce for customers at Ypsilanti Farmer's Markets and Argus Farm Stop.
Founded in 2010 in Ypsilanti, Nightshade Farm is a diversified vegetable farm specializing in heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and other unique produce. Farmer Stefanie strives to grow varieties that highlight her Italian-American heritage, and global varieties that reflect her deep interest in food origins as well as her engagement in food justice and food sovereignty projects. To that end, she has grown tomato and pepper seedlings for Ypsi home gardeners since 2016. She is also a food artisan, and turns her produce surplus into farm to jar paprika, garlic powder, and infused vinegars. Although her busy schedule can no longer accommodate her Nightshade Army salsas and hot sauces, she may return to it some day.
Founded in 2015, at the now defunct Tilian Farm Development Center in Ann Arbor, Radicle Roots Community Farm is in its heart a CSA farm. Although land access challenges have put the CSA on pause for the last few seasons, Farmer Ryan continues to grow his heirloom head lettuces, radishes, tomatoes, squash, melons, and a diverse array of other produce for customers at Ypsilanti Farmer's Markets and Argus Farm Stop.
Practices
We grow only heirloom and open-pollinated varieties of produce, including many endangered varieties on the Slow Food Ark of Taste. Our produce and products from the field are Certified Organic, but our produce from the hoophouse is Uncertified Organic. We use the exact same practices in both places, but they are on two different properties and only one is certified. We use sustainable soils for all our seedlings, and we strive to use minimal plastic in our growing, including not using 'plastic mulch' and re-using materials whenever possible.
We make all our paprika and garlic powders from peppers and garlic that we grow, selecting only the highest quality product to dehydrate and grind. We have received customer feedback that we "have the best paprika on earth" and we are proud to be able to offer it exclusively to our Ypsilanti Farmer's Markets customers year-round. We recently added garlic powder to our value-added offerings as well.
We make all our paprika and garlic powders from peppers and garlic that we grow, selecting only the highest quality product to dehydrate and grind. We have received customer feedback that we "have the best paprika on earth" and we are proud to be able to offer it exclusively to our Ypsilanti Farmer's Markets customers year-round. We recently added garlic powder to our value-added offerings as well.