United States

Tantre Organic Farm: An Ann Arbor Farmers' Market institution

Written by Tyler Cole | 12 August 2010

During this past summer, I have been taking mini-vactions at Tantre Farm, riding my bike the 22ish miles west of Ann Arbor on Fridays to enjoy good food and good company, and contribute work to the farm on Saturdays. My good friend Kate started working out there after she returned from Cuba in the Spring and invited to visit, after which I have been making regular visits. Much less masochistic than it sounds, volunteer working on the farm is more an outdoor experience than hard labor, surrounded by fresh air, an astounding variety of crops, and idyllic rolling hills. Somehow weeding corn, pulling garlic scapes, and collecting endless pints of strawberries isn't so bad there. Quite a variety of characters work there, from Chizo (sp?), the thrice-divorced Buddhist monk from California, to Deb and Richard, the kind and conscientious owners of the farm who welcome me like family everytime I stay there.  The majority of the workers on the farm are twenty-something kids as "interns" that live on the farm and work 6 days a week, looking to learn about organic agriculture and sustainable living. Started about 10 years ago, the farm has slowly added varieties of crops, now at a staggering number. They run a thriving CSA business, or community-supported agriculture, which is basically