About Free Haven Farm

Free Haven Farms was established in 2017 by Micaiah and Dr. Cynthia Hall in Lawnside, NJ. The vision of Free Haven Farms was to grow high quality, chemical-free produce and provide access to underserved communities. We immediately realized that education was just as if not more important than the produce itself and we developed educational programs such as our Summer Science Camp, in-school garden programs, and courses and workshops that teach people the various aspects of growing food.

What's Fresh this week?

Introduction:

This site will host our weekly blog for our Fresh Box program. Check this page out to find out what's in season each week. We'll also feature a different crop each week and share some nutritional information, recipes, and other facts that will help you get the most out of your Fresh Box experience.

Asparagus

Asparagus is a flowering, perennial plant, meaning that it comes back year after year after the initial planting. The top of the asparagus is the beginning of the flower. As the flower matures, the stem becomes woody and inedible. So when we eat asparagus, we're eating the young shoot and the flower part of the plant.

Asparagus dates back to 3000 B.C. in ancient Egypt and is used by many cultures as an aphrodisiac. Asparagus is quite nutritious and is especially high in vitamin K, B vitamins, and iron. China is the world's largest producer and the U.S. is the world's largest importer of asparagus. This NJ grown asparagus is a rare treat!

Recipe

Sautéed/Steamed Asparagus

Ingredients

Asparagus (1/2 Ib bundle, washed and ends removed)

1 clove garlic

2 Tbs coconut oil/extra virgin olive 01l

1 Tbs liquid amino acids/soy sauce

½ lemon

Preparation

Heat a medium-sized pan on medium-low heat. Add oil until warm.
Mince the garlic and add to pan. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the asparagus and liquid amino acid/soy sauce. Cover with a lid and turn down heat. Allow liquids to steam in the pan for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Squeeze with lemon through strainer/hand to restrict seeds.
Enjoy!

Our Impact

Since 2017, we’ve had the ability to serve food and education in a number of ways:

Hosted ~150 youth at the farm for Summer Science Camp
Served locally grown produce to over 600 customers, including nationwide shipping
Taught ~200 people various aspects of gardening/farming during in-person workshops at the farm
Reached over 1000 people globally through virtual classes, webinars, workshops
Grown social media presence to over 106,000 followers on Instagram

Future Growth

Summer camp, courses, and Fresh Box programs have been successful but require direct customer sales, which can be unpredictable, especially with inflation and impending recession. We’re pivoting our business model:

To focus primarily on educational programs, including free courses and workshops;
To grow food as a means of educating;
To sell available crops to Virtua and possibly another wholesale purchaser;
To establish a community garden program at Free Haven Farms

Your Donation Will Help

Re-directing our business will take time and require us to scale back on production.
Donations will allow us to focus our attention to re-structuring our business.
Funds will support the community garden program with supplies and resources to develop and build.

Programs, such as free youth events, workshops, and webinars will be supported by these funds

To make a tax free donation, visit our non-profit page at fhisainc.org and share our fundraiser with your network. We appreciate you, many thanks in advance.