Barefoot Gardens, situated on the fringes of Macomb, offers locals a unique service: consumer-supported agriculture.
Operated in part by John Curtis, the Gardens build on the momentum of a recent Japanese movement for local, organic food.
While most CSAs require only a material investment, participants at Barefoot Gardens must themselves raise any produce they wish to take home. This is an effort to address the most common complaint among CSA participants: they never get the produce they want most.
Also, by requiring this level of participation, Curtis says, the Gardens provide a place—away from work and home—where amateur agronomists can enjoy each other’s company.
Curtis was inspired to start the CSA by what he saw as the general lack of quality in mass-grown produce. He wanted to provide a counterpoint to a largely automated, quantity-driven industry, and help restore some of the regional vibrancy that’s been lost due to rural industrialization.
In recent years, participation at Barefoot Gardens has boomed. What started as a small, organic farming operation expanded to a community garden, as more and more, customers found that they enjoyed staying and conversing, talking agriculture, and eventually, growing their own food.
The Gardens themselves have also expanded. The operation now features an incredible variety of produce, spilling over a substantial tract of land.
Due to the recent installation of a hoop house, Curtis and his gardeners are able to reap vegetables year-round, without any artificial heat source.
By investing time and money to a local, organic food market, Curtis says, consumers can send a message to the market that promotes sustainability, organic food, and local economies.
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