Meet John and Ruth Eisenbacher: Owners of Immaculate Heart Farm.
Ruth went to Benedictine College for Graphic Design before marrying John. She struggled with symptoms of Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in college. Her doctor recommended changing her diet which launched her on her journey with real food. After a few months of eating a paleo diet most of her symptoms discontinued. Ever since then, Ruth has realized the power of good food and has learned more and more about how modern farmers grow and produce “food”.
John went to Catholic University of America for engineering. After working in the field for a year he decided to go back to his roots of farming. He started by farming daffodils by working for a friend. Then, after marrying Ruth, they decided to research organically-grown vegetables and animals. Now they are starting their own farm growing daffodils, market garden vegetables, as well as pigs and chickens. He is very inspired by authors Joel Salatin and Elliot Coleman to grow all his food in a organic way: using no artificial sprays or fertilizers, and only feeding the animals real food.
What does “all-natural” mean for us?
In a few words it means: treating pigs like pigs. Each creature or plant we grow has its own particular needs built into it and we strive to fulfill them in a natural way. Practically this means using compost and manure to give the soil nutrients for our plants, instead of using artificial fertilizers. Weeding often and by hand instead of spraying all of our crops with potentially harmful chemical sprays. Feeding each animal the food that is proper to it because eating healthy animals keeps us healthy. We want to eat food grown like this for our family, and we think other people will want this as well. We are able to do this intensive and personal level of farming because we are so small, and we are committed to this as our full-time job. Feel free to visit the farm anytime to see how it is run!
Why are you not certified organic?
The legal description “Organic” does not mean that no artificial sprays were used on the produce. “Organic” means that for at least 3 years the farmers documented that no sprays were used that are not on the list of “acceptable” artificial sprays.
Though certification can be good, we want to farm differently than organic farmers do, using no artificial sprays or fertilizers at all. This is also our first year in operation, so we cannot be certified for another 2 years. If you want to learn more about our process feel free to visit the farm, or give us a call.