The Switch Gears Philosophy
Growing accessible food is the priority.
Switch Gears Farm is an ideology that we strive to achieve, both in our personal lives and as a business. This means to constantly be willing to learn about new and innovate ways to grow healthy food for the local community, while also maintaining healthy soil on the land we farm.
Each year, we select new-to-us varieties as an experiment. Does it taste good, how challenging was it to grow in this climate, or is it meaningful for folks in the community? If you’ve got a crop you’d like us to try in this growing zone, let’s chat and see what’s possible.
Observe and experiment.
Meet the OG crew.
Brett - Your Farmer
The “expert” of all things outside - from seeding through harvesting. In fact, every vegetable grown on the farm has been selected by and inspected by him. If you have the time, he’ll gladly share his farming secrets (spoiler alert: he’s all about trying new methods). When not on the farm, he enjoys fishing and snowboarding.
Puck - Official Taste Tester
The on-site supervisor and furever believer in Brett. You’ll often see Puck walk alongside Brett as he tends to the plants, sneak in an afternoon nap in the shade, or love on humans at farmers markets. In exchange for his services, he asks to be paid in cucumbers and carrots. The farm has become his new favorite place, and he rarely wants to leave.
Blackjack & Pigeon - Office Mates
The work-from-home supervisors. Blackjack (on the right) is more active and tends to make an appearance at every window, with extended stays by the greenhouse. Pigeon (on the left) will fall asleep for hours at the first empty window seat; but, Pigeon becomes Vanita’s shadow after dinner and will follow her room to room until all the work is done for the day.
Vanita - Behind the Scenes Farmer
The “expert” of all things off the farm - making sure we are meeting our goals, creating and maintaining partnerships, managing sales, delivering all the vegetables, and keeping up with admin. When not overseeing farm operations, she enjoys time with friends, drinking tea, and playing games.
