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Home / Feature 2 / Meeting ‘The Beast’: Field Trip to Martin’s Farm Composting

Posted December 6, 2018 by Lucy Kahn

Meeting ‘The Beast’: Field Trip to Martin’s Farm Composting

Real Pickles staff field trip to Martin's Farm Composting

When we arrived at Martin’s Farm in Greenfield, MA on a Monday in mid-September, Adam Martin was in the driveway, repairing a yellow machine the size of a fire truck with “The Beast” written on its side. Adam welcomed us with a wide smile and grease-streaked cheeks. We had traveled up the road to Martin’s Farm for our annual staff field trip, an opportunity to meet our partners in building a strong regional food system. To begin our tour, Adam introduced us to The Beast, which can grind 1 ton of food scraps per minute. Adam, who studied diesel mechanics before he went to business school, wears many hats on this farm, from owner to tour guide to repairer of The Beast.

MaReal Pickles staff field trip to Martin's Farm Compostingrtin’s Farm is one of a handful of family-run compost farms in Massachusetts. Bob Martin, Adam’s Father, started the farm in 1981, and in 1987 he got one of the first state permits for on-farm composting. They now accept up to 22 tons of compostables per day and sell multiple blends of high quality compost. Real Pickles has been sending our vegetable waste to Martin’s farm for over a decade. In the early years, we brought our compostables to Martin’s in a pick-up truck. Now, we send Martin’s over 60,000 lbs of compostables each year – that’s 97% of our facility’s entire waste stream. By composting our scraps into soil nutrients that farmers can return to their fields, Martin’s Farm is one of the crucial links that closes the loop between farms, fermentation, and people’s forks.

We followed Adam out of the driveway, over the truck scale where loads of compostables are weighed, and down the road to the composting yard. The air smelled like fresh mulch – a rich, woody, slightly sharp scent. Here, amidst the windrows of compost from this summer, Adam walked us through the whole composting process. When food scraps arrive, staff sort through the load by hand to remove anything not compostable. The sorted loads are digested by The Beast, and then mixed in the right ratios of nitrogen materials (food scraps) to carbon materials (wood chips, leaves, etc.). This recipe of nitrogen and carbon is the key to composting: the microbes that break down the compostables need the right habitat to thrive. While the microbes get to work, Adam monitors temperature and moisture in the compost piles to keep them happy. In 3-4 months, the microbes have digested the food waste into rich organic matter and raw nutrients. Just like any other farmer, Adam’s composting season has been affected by all the rainy weather this summer; the extra moisture made the compost heavier, and backed up his schedule because he had to wait for the the sun to dry out the piles.

Real Pickles staff field trip to Martin's Farm CompostingBack in the driveway at the end of the tour, Adam is quick to point out that he couldn’t make a difference in the food system without the schools, businesses, and neighbors who send him food scraps. And together, there is more we can do to reduce food waste. According to the MA Food System Collaborative, in 2017, approximately 900,000 tons of food were thrown away in Massachusetts – that’s enough food waste to keep The Beast running for a year and 8 months, with no breaks! With municipal landfills at capacity, regulators have created incentives to compost food waste instead of trashing it. Massachusetts enacted a ban on commercial food waste in 2014, and the ban has increased the demand for compost collection and transportation. So far, two worker cooperative businesses have started up to meet this need: CERO Co-op based in Dorchester and serving Boston, and The Compost Cooperative based Greenfield and delivering to Martin’s Farm.

Adam sent us on our way with tractor air fresheners as souvenirs, and a fresh commitment to take stickers off our fruit peels when we compost them. We’re grateful to share a place in the food system with dedicated, food-humored people like Adam and the Martin’s Farm crew!

Real Pickles staff field trip to Martin's Farm Composting

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As part of our commitment to support a regional, o As part of our commitment to support a regional, organic food system, we purchase all of our vegetables and fresh herbs and spices from organic family farms in the Northeast. Check out Riverland Farms' fertile river bottom soil! This healthy soil yields some of the most beautiful certified organic produce ever fermented!

#regionalfoodsystems #organic #farmers #healthysoil 
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Repost @iloveriverlandfarm 
A lovely day for a plow 
#flipflip #fallbrassicas2022
Since 2001, Real Pickles has been producing 100% o Since 2001, Real Pickles has been producing 100% organic, naturally fermented, and raw plant-based food. Our vegetables are grown on Northeast farms that prioritize healthy, living soil – essential ingredients to support a robust fermentation. 
#PackedWithAMission #RealPickles #organic #fermented #raw #vegetables #northeastgrown 
📷@westernmaphoto @atlasfarm
Spring is in full bloom and we are enjoying the lo Spring is in full bloom and we are enjoying the longer days and blue skies, fragrant flowers and delicious fermented veggies! 
#fermentedandraw #packedwithamission #kraut #organic #ferments #realpickles
We’ve been having SO much fun collaborating with We’ve been having SO much fun collaborating with Jim and Katie at the amazing @hopeandoliverestaurant ! 
If you have been missing our Dill Pickles and can’t wait until they come back this summer, stop in and get a Real Pickle Soda or a Real Pickle Martini made with our organic brine! 

Repost from @hopeandoliverestaurant
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Been having fun playing with some @realpickles BRINE and landed on a classic Dirty Martini- but the lacto-fermented pickles are more subtle than the vinegary version- so good finished with a Dilly Bean! Bartender Katie @love.craft.cocktails made a great NA version with the Real Pickle Soda, too- you can ask for them spicy if that’s your jam!
This Earth Day, we celebrate our mission to produc This Earth Day, we celebrate our mission to produce food with a small footprint. Our farm partners are deeply aware of the impacts of climate change to our seasons, pests, crops, and extreme weather. By farming organically, they are also a big part of climate solutions. They are constantly improving their practices to build healthy soil that sequesters carbon and supports biodiversity. They eliminate pesticides and herbicides that are harmful to wildlife, consumers, and farm workers. And, like Real Pickles, their markets are regional and food miles are minimal. Organic farmers are our climate heroes!
🌍🥬👨‍🌾💙 #earthday #climateheroes #realpickles #organic
We were so excited to see chef Michael Scelfo use We were so excited to see chef Michael Scelfo use Real Pickles Organic Ginger Carrots in a recent recipe featured on @kittch ! Link to his video and recipe for "Spicy Carrot Slaw"  in our bio. 

Repost from @mscelfo
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turkey kofta with marinated tomatoes, fermented carrot slaw, & an herby yogurt. 

made it live on @kittch today 🎉

check out the stream & get the recipe over at the kittch site, or tune in next time ✌🏼🙌🏼 

these portions clock in at around 100 calories each…

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