Interview with Harvest Moon Hollow Farm
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Harvest Moon Hollow
To get ready for the first QAFM of the season, we connected with Harvest Moon Hollow Farm’s co-founders, Nick and Kelli to find out what we can expect this summer from their farm near the Snoqualmie River Valley. The two have been growing fresh vegetables and herbs on their one-acre farm in Duvall since 2018. They shared their tips on gardening, making summer salads and what produce we can look forward to seeing at their stand.
Q: What was the hardest part of starting your farm? What’s the best part?
A: The hardest part about starting our farm was figuring out how much we should plant in the field for our farmers market. It’s gotten easier to predict how much to plant since we keep records of sales after each market. The most fun part of starting our farm was seeing our vegetables start from a seed and following their journey from field to market. We also had a lot of fun choosing what varieties we wanted to grow from seed catalogs.
Q: When you were kids, did you ever think you'd be farmers? Did either of you grow up on or near a farm?
Nick: I didn’t think I was going to be a farmer, but I’ve always enjoyed growing plants in my parents’ garden from a young age. I grew up in the suburbs of south Everett.
Kelli: When I was young, I knew I wanted to work outdoors. I grew up in Skagit County surrounded by dairy and cattle farms. My elementary school would sometimes visit them on field trips. I didn’t consider farming until after I had worked with kids at an outdoor school that had a garden.
Q: What do you grow on your farm?
A: We grow a wide range of vegetables and herbs, including a lot of common salad ingredients like lettuce, mustard greens, green onions, and tomatoes.
Q: Is it hard to keep your farm organic?
Some of the challenges of farming organically is accepting a certain amount of damage and loss of crops to various pests and diseases. We typically use a woven fabric row cover for protecting vulnerable plants like salad mix and choose plants with good genetic resistance against diseases like downy mildew and clubroot.
Q: How many farmers markets do you sell at?
A: Just one, Queen Anne!
Q: How has Covid-19 impacted your business?
A: The biggest impact we’ll probably see is how the QAFM is run this year. It will be different having customers move quickly through our booth instead of stopping to chat. We love seeing our amazing customers and the excitement they show for the produce we bring to the market every week.
Q: I know some vendors will allow you to pre-order before the market to avoid using cash? How will that work?
We will have an online storefront soon on our website. You will be able to find it on our website www.harvestmoonhollow.com. At the market, we will be using a contactless payment system in the form of a chip reader to reduce the handling of cash.
Q: What's your favorite recipe to make with your produce?
Nick: My favorite thing to make is a coleslaw with our red cabbage. I add green onions and carrots when they're in season on our farm.
Kelli: My favorite thing I make is a Caesar salad with our escarole. It looks like a gigantic lettuce, but it’s actually in the chicory family and goes great with salad dressing.
Q: Do you have a favorite food truck that you liked to buy dinner from last year at QAFM? I know they won't be back yet, but I thought I'd ask.
Nick: I liked eating from Bumbu Truck (Indonesian Street Food).
Kelli: I loved getting ramen from Brothers & Co. The tacos are great too!
Q: I'm sure a lot of QA families have started their own vegetable gardens under lockdown. Do you have any tips for us?
1. Make sure you have enough room for big vegetables like zucchini, pumpkins, and cucumbers. They can quickly grow and take over a small space.
2. Plant some flowers that bees and butterflies love next to plants that need help with pollination, like squash and peppers.
3. Make sure to plant many rounds (more than once) of vegetables like lettuce and salad mix during the season. They go to seed in the heat and usually only last in the ground for a week when they are ready to harvest.
Q: What can we expect from your farm this first Thursday?
A: We will be bringing salad mix, arugula, green onions, and bunches of Asian greens, kale, collards, and herbs.
Interview by QAFM reporter Max Chandrasekaran.