Best Foot Forward: The garden connection

By ELLEN BEST

My garden is still my happy place, even though most of the work is done for the season. Most days, I walk across the yard and open the gate to the garden. My shoulders settle. My mind clears. 

A few plants are still hanging on — kale (even sweeter now), arugula, sage and thyme, onion sprouts, field peas, rye and daikon radish cover crops. Some brave calendula plants continue to flourish with bright orange blooms. It feels a little crazy to stand among flowers while bundled up in a down jacket, hat, and gloves. After each frost, I notice a few more mottled leaves — some will push through a little longer, other surrendering to winter’s chill. 

The beds are already covered, to keep the soil from becoming compacted with the wind and rain, while still allowing air and water to penetrate. Organisms beneath the surface need protection to stay alive. In return for shelter, they’ll be ready to feed plant roots essential minerals in the spring, helping to make the plants healthy and nutritious. In return, the plants share with them the sugars created by photosynthesis, powered by the sun’s energy.

Covers can be compost, leaves, hay, and/or plant debris. Mine is a healthy mess of all of that! If done right over time, you might be able to slip your hand under the winter mulch 6 inches down into the soil in mid-January and find the soil loose, crumbly, and unfrozen — full of life. I’ve seen it done! “Sustainable” is no longer enough; “regenerative” is where we’re headed. Covering the soil is a good place to start for this magic relationship to continue, so the earth improves and heals itself.

Because I’m not a market farmer and don’t depend on the harvest for my livelihood, I have the luxury of growing plants for the health, curiosity and joy. I get to experiment, weather the failures, search for solutions, and feed my connection to the land. My farmer friend Leslie Dock says there’s always a sense of wonder in the garden — you never know what you’ll find — and that’s what she loves the most. I agree completely.

Connecting to a farmer for organic and responsibly grown meat and produce becomes especially meaningful in winter. Native Pound Ridger John Ubaldo, former owner of The Outpost in Bedford Village, went from backyard gardener to full-time farmer and he still sells his food in Fairfield and Westchester counties. 

John grew up in Pound Ridge. His mom, Rose Ubaldo, still lives here — in my neighborhood. He remembers gardening on a small scale with his parents; his dad grew strawberries and flowers. John fondly remembers going to school and camp here and being a Boy Scout. After college he worked on Wall Street but never let go of his dream of farming. After losing his brother-in-law — his best friend — on Sept. 11, 2001, he left the finance world and moved back home to make that dream real.

He started with a vegetable garden and chickens, ducks and geese in their backyard, selling roadside until neighbors complained, and he had to close the stand. From 2007-2016, Joan Silbersher of Antiques and Tools of Business and Kitchen let him set up the Pound Ridge Farmers Market in front of her shop. In 2013, he opened The Outpost restaurant in Bedford Village, which ran for 10 years.

Though John’s farm is now upstate in Columbia County, his customers remain here. “Nope, I don’t mind the three-hour drive down here — I’m used to it,” John told me. For the last few years, he's brought prepared foods, produce, meats and order pickups to Conte’s Fish Market & Restaurant in Mount Kisco every Saturday. This winter, he’ll also be at Sam Bridge Nursery in Greenwich, Conn., A Chance to Grow farmers market in Purchase, and the Stamford Museum & Nature Center market in Stamford, Conn.  

Now John Boy offers delivery, too. He raises cattle, pigs, chickens and ducks GMO-free and without chemicals and sells the meat along with organic produce grown on nearby farms. The offerings also include yogurt, honey, root vegetables and greens — and he may have a few turkeys left if you contact him soon. Sign up at johnboysfarm.com. 

Ellen Best is a longtime Pound Ridge resident and cheerleader. In her column she explores the many aspects of gardening, life and people in Pound Ridge. If you have suggestions for future profiles or topics, email her at esbest8@gmail.com.