Fresh-caught, Deep-sea Fish
The phrase organic composting might sound like a redundancy. Isn't compost the classic example that all organic matter reduces to its constituent elements? Yes, that's true. But not all organic matter is free of contaminants and toxins. Hermitage Farm is a self-enclosed organic zone. Anything that might come into the zone carries with it potentially forbidden materials as defined by the National Organic Plan (NOP). The NOP defines a rigorous set of rules and guidelines, which are applied to the Farm by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), who are official agents of the USDA.
Hermitage Farm permits nothing into the organic zone except what the NOP deems pure (and goes beyond the NOP). We avoid livestock as these animals are vectors for antibiotics or hormones through their medicines and feeds. We do not have pets except necessary cats to patrol the farm for rats. We do not bring in animal manure as it inevitably will contain chemical herbicides and fertilizers, hormones, and GMO debris. These rigors also ensure food safety as E Coli is prevented in these same steps.
The Hermitage Farm is fence, locks, and self-enclosed. All fruit within the zone that falls to the ground, all "stung" fruit (pierced by an insect), all high nutritious Guinea Grass (Megathyrsus maximus) are driven back into the organic cycle. What goes in is certifed organic, and what comes out is certified organic.
Our only outside ingredient comes to us directly from the vast blue Pacific waters around us. Local fisherman contribute their fresh-caught, deep-sea catches to Hermitage Farm after the steaks and filets have been removed. These highly nutrious fish are an essential component of the Farm's rich soil.
The following are scenes from our ongoing organic composting cycle:
