Henry works on the farm’s vegetable garden, right, which supplies 70% of the produce used by the Clif Family Bruschetteria Food Truck, started by husband and wife Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, bottom right, owners of Clif Bar & Co.
his menu to either an abundance or a shortage of certain items. “You have to be open to the idea that it is in Mother Nature’s hands. We are only helping the journey along,” he said, adding that his goal as a chef is to validate Henry’s work “by using any and all produce that we receive from her.” For Henry, what’s nice about the arrangement with McConnell, she said, is that she never has to worry about finding a home for her crops. “I’ve never worked somewhere where the chef will see something that he likes in a seed catalog and relay that to me,” she said. “I think that’s really cool because that makes it extra exciting for me to grow, because it was a special request.” Not ing how Cl i f Ba r s were one of t he f i r s t certified organic energy bars on the market in 2003, Erickson said supporting organic agriculture has long been “an important part of Clif Bar’s journey.” That business provided a platform for Erickson and Crawford to promote sustainable agriculture on a larger scale, General Manager Gay said, and now with Clif Family Farm, they’re doing it “on a very personal level.” “It has been a great opportunity to put our passion for organic farming into practice on our own farm,” Erickson said.
Photo courtesy of Clif Family Farm
Ching Lee clee@californiabountiful.com
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