Mr. Abdelrahman is not only sowing seeds for food, but sowing religion, one of the main reasons he says he likes it here.
Many of the varieties mentioned here are available at Botanical Interests Seeds, have been for years. they retail.
1
At least one of the farmworkers did not sound like a fan of pluralism and diversity: “I like it here because 90 percent of people are from Egypt,” he said. “Zaid speaks Arabic, and same religion.”
Change the country to the United States, the language to English and the religion to Christianity, and he sounds like someone wearing a MAGA cap.
2
I have been buying produce from them for years. Haifa is one of the nicest people you’ll meet and she makes a point to know her customers. The variety and quality of their fruit and vegetables they sell are impressive, many of which I haven’t seen anywhere else. As I write this I’m eating the last of the watermelon I bought from them last week. This profile is well deserved for all of the great and hard work they do.
5
interesting article. I learned a lot. Thanks.
3
Great story!
3
Leave it to the NYT is be the last to spot a trend. Ever hear of Neversink Farms?
3
A political issue indeed. (read the last paragraph) I love when articles are published to say "oh, look how cute their family is raising food for all these fancy restaurants with innovative techniques no one has ever heard of before." Please. It's really just a political article because the NYT is doing their part to anger Trump for bringing Muslims here to work. Journalism used for all the wrong reasons. There are PLENTY of farmers who are struggling on a fraction of his 250 acres just to make ends meet which the NYT could choose to highlight at the Green Market to boost their business and community. But they make the obvious choice. Again.
2
Too bad the Kurdiehs cant find Americans to work on their farm.
1
An interesting article.
However, I cannot help ask how much plastic is being used to cover so many high tunnels? Even the most expensive, UV-resistant plastic only lasts so many years. After it fails, where does it go - to the landfill?
I suppose as long as the word "organic" appears on produce, most people don't think about the other factors.
5
@Flower Maybe try to think about a long list of pros and cons to Mr. Kurdieh using plastic. It seems to me that environmentally friendly behavior often requires all kinds of trade-offs.
6
What a fabulous story, replete with the kind of tenacity, ingenuity, and love of the land that was once so central to the American dream.
High tunnels? Can someone spread this word as far and wide as possible! Easy on the soil, easy on the land, and relatively cheap to operate, these tunnels should be a model for sustainable farming the length and breadth of the country.
The Kurdieh family, and their farm practice, along with their Arabic farm-workers, are making America great again, and long may they continue.
46
This is a wonderful story on so many levels. I'd like to add praise for the smaller seed companies who put out fabulous catalogues with their new discoveries with descriptions and photography so brilliant, you can see them growing in your mind during the freezing depths of late January. Hope does spring eternal in a great seed catalogue. Congratulations to the Kurdieh family for their fortitude and love of growing good things to eat.
40
With the climate crisis increasing in intensity, we're going to need a lot more farmers like this couple.
How much longer can we import apples from New Zealand and tomatoes from Mexico? It is extremely wasteful of fossil fuels to get that food delivered.
We're going to need to re-populate the rural land surrounding our cities and practice regenerative agriculture: "a system of farming principles and practices that increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds, and enhances ecosystem services."
It can't be agribusiness as usual if we are going to successfully address this climate emergency.
37
As someone who has frequented the NYC greenmarkets for 24 years, I find this interesting. Norwich Meadows’ stand and produce look gorgeous, and the proprietors seem lovely. Their produce is generally priced well above the norm of other greenmarket stands, which I would accept were it superior produce. However, having tried their vegetables repeatedly over the years, I can say that while it they beautiful, they are often less than flavorful, and the farm’s tomatoes are frequently mealy, suggesting that they have been refrigerated. This article implies that much of it is greenhouse-grown, which explains a lot. I will continue to support many of the local farmers, but not those—like Norwich Meadows—that are inexplicably popular but whose products are way overhyped.
9
For those who find this farm’s prices too high for limited budgets, all I can say is get used to it, the rest of the market isn’t far behind. Our policies have severely damaged Mexican farmers, Virginia is sending kale to California, orchards aren’t seeing the requisite number of “chill” hours in the winter to fruit in the spring, Arizona and Texas are still dealing with the effects of severe drought, and the infrastructure isn’t in place, let alone the labor force, on the east coast to replace what has been lost elsewhere to drought and flood. In 7 years of farming in high tunnels I have gotten exactly 2 interns from the Ag program at the local CC who wanted to learn 12 month sustainable agriculture practices.
I remember the words I heard at a Farm Market a few years back “ I don’t have to worry about food security, I have Walmart”.
Good luck with that.
36
Thank you for bringing beauty—not just horror stories—into readers’ lives.
13
High tunnels are vital to growing food in climates with four seasons. They are also essential for school gardens as they align harvests with the school calendar. A high tunnel totally revolutionized this school gardening program I taught on Cape Cod. More here in this viral post :
https://childrengrowing.com/2015/05/11/share-if-you-think-every-school-should-have-a-year-round-gardening-program/
15
Mr. Trump: This is how to make any country great!
28
WOW!! Wait until my wife finds out that she is so dangerously hip! She was growing Jimmy Nardellos and Kyoto red carrots in 2000 when we started a garden. But I shouldn't be surprised given how long it takes Manhattan and Brooklyn foodies to find out what is, "the next thing". Next? Salt and pepper used on meat!
I think you foodies have gone a little around the bend, but I do love reading this silliness. Thanks for the chuckle!!
16
WOW!! ait until my wife finds out that she is so dangerously hip! She was growing Jimmy Nardellos and Kyoto red carrots in 2000 when we started a garden. But I shouldn't be surprised given how long it takes Manhattan and Brooklyn foodies to find out what is, "the next thing". Next? Salt and pepper used on meat!
I think you foodies have gone a little around the bend, but I do love reading this silliness. Thanks for the chuckle!!
2
An interesting story. I grew up tending to a large family garden also in upstate NY but farther upstate where string beans, tomatoes, lettuce, sweet corn, zucchini squash, butternut squash, potatoes, asparagus, carrots, and cucumbers were grown and nurtured. Nothing fancy but turning the soil and planting the seed, weeding, harvesting, canning and freezing. Over the recent years I believe that our palates have become more curious and sophisticated as we grow accustomed to so many wonderful options. Restaurants have supported farm to table which should be embraced. It is sad, I must note, that the price of produce is so high from reading the comments.
5
They are without a doubt the most expensive farm stand in the market.
Ten dollars per pound for string beans; ditto tomatoes.
I simply can not afford their produce.
The middle class needs to get excellent produce too.
24
I am so happy to see something so positive happening in my hometown. I grew up there in the 1960's and 1970's. The area is very economically depressed and is ripe with possibilities. It takes hard work and vision! I hope there are more and more success stories! I have lived in Oklahoma for many years and over the years each time I visit Norwich there are fewer and fewer farms. Perhaps the local Upstate NY community can start eating healthier and support this grower and others!
18
My wife and I are regular customers of this stand for many years. They have always been fantastic, one of the largest organic stands at the Greenmarket. They also come to Tompkins Square Greenmarket on Sunday!
13
Fascinating story, and it’s great to learn about the owners of Norwich Meadows. I agree that their produce is stellar, but so are their prices. For those of us buying from the Greenmarket for our own kitchens, not for a restaurant, it can be a challenge. I often pass them by due to extremely high prices.
17
@Peg try Sycamore Farms, Eckerton, Kernan, Migliorelli, and Phillips for excellent, more reasonably priced produce at union square. Keith’s and Tamarack Hollow if you only want organic.
6
In the interests of good journalism, this article should have included a) the amount per hour these imported workers are paid b) whether they are covered by workmen's compensation and c) whether their housing and transportation are provided, and if so, at what cost, and to whom. This inquiring (and struggling) farmer would like to know.
Without details about the true costs of labor. cheerful articles like this one are neither truly informative nor useful.
45
@Jane I don't know how much the workers make. I do know it is nearly impossible to find willing and reliable workers in the Central NY area. My sister and brother in law work for a large plant grower , herbs and bedding plants, and it is a huge struggle to find workers. During the growing season men come from Alabama to work in the greenhouses, they are legal Mexicans , Central Americans and South Americans. The local Central New Yorkers often work for a day or 2 and quit. Too hard for them, plants are demanding! This has been a problem for years. I hope this grower is successful and can expand. We can all use access to the healthy foods they are growing. I agree we need to hear all the facts. Perhaps we can figure out how to treat workers well with less regulation and less expense?
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@Jane
Thank you, Jane, for your comment. I'm afraid that you are raising some very inconvenient issues for foodies and restaurants. Both pay lip service but take no action on these issues.
10
You are right. I grew up in Norwich, and my mother lives just up the road from Norwich Meadows farm. Having grown up surrounded by dairy farms, I’ve been saddened over the years to see working farms disappear, so it’s with pleasure that I’ve watched the growth of Norwich Meadows farm. Despite the need for jobs in the area, I know that Zaid has tried to hire local workers, but the only ones that lasted more than a couple of days were in their 60s-70s and used to physical labor. We are lucky there are people who are willing and able to put in the hard work to farm and grow quality food to sustain those of us who don’t. Farmers deserve our support.
39
It's quite astonishing that anti-Muslim/anti-Arab commenters in these posts try to diminish the success of this couple. It's amazing to me the extent of hate in the USA.
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@d
I was just thinking that.
2
@d I read through all of them and only found one comment that seemed questionable. What did I miss?
8
perhaps deleted?
You know. People would have much different responses to this couple and their farm if they hadn’t seen the picture of the wife in hijab. Honestly, the Islamophobia is frightening these days even when all we’re talking about is farmers growing organic produce! One of the commenters here is saying Zaid Kurdieh likes it here because he’s spreading Islam! Who said anything about that? What nonsense!
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I wear that when I’m out in Dubai, also in summer. It’s made of light fabric and is loose so it actually protects you from the glaring sun. Underneath you wear whatever you want, a crop top, linen pants, jeans..
Interesting article. Organic foods are overpriced worldwide though. It would have been good to know the cost of their labor.
4
You mean clothing that’s nice and airy and doesn’t cling to your body?... sounds perfect for the summer!
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@Maureen - Perhaps, counter to our opinions, they choose to wear them, and are not "forced" to wear them.
2
Very cool, working in the dirt and living the dream.
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Did you know Norwich Farms also operates Halal Pastures? Their meat is amazing !
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Great success story.
But, Mr. Kurdieh, start seeking out Americans to work in your farm. There is a whole generation of young people who want to work the land and would be more than happy to spend time with you. In fact, I expect you will be getting phone calls, etc. from such people because of this article.
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@sjs tremendous suggestion!
2
@John
Just finished reading Kimball's The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love. There are a lot of young people who want to farm.
8
@sjs
Don't be so sure. If you talk to farmers in the Hudson Valley you will hear many tell you how immigrants are the only ones who consistently work these hard hours doing back-breaking work. They welcome any and all to work on their farms but it is the immigrant laborers who consistently step-up.
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I loved this story as I also love to grow some of my own food. Their is something magical about growing from seed.
12
Awesome! Good to know these sorts of applications are being made with respect to present day agriculture. Clearly, throughout all human history people have adapted the environment to suit needs imposed by conditions present where ever they happen to be. Whether the high tunnel kind of gardening is 'new' to some or 'old' is in the eye of the beholder. One can hope the Kurdiehs treat the people working with them well and fairly. I imagine they do. But it would be interesting to follow up with workers, although the workers might have concerns, as would anyone working for someone else. Clearly there are risks taking on any endeavor, risks for management and risks for workers. It seems to me that fairness and care about folks on both sides is at the heart of the matter for all of us.
9
Actually, contrary to what the author says, high tunnel (AKA polytunnel) farming has been around since the 1940’s so it can hardly be called “the next big thing.” While its use in the US has grown fairly slowly, in 2009 the US Dept of Agriculture established a grant program to help large numbers of farmers install polytunnels.
While high tunnel farming is effective at extending growing seasons and overwintering, it is labor intensive, hence the need for the Kurdiehs to import labor as is done in many agricultural areas throughout the US.
I think the issue is not that Egyptians are particularly skilled at this kind of farming; on-the-job training or internships could produce a steady stream of Americans who can apply the technique. However, most Americans are not inclined to do this kind of poorly-paid manual labor.
Further, training Americans to do tunnel farming might lead some of them to go out on their own and establish their own tunnel farms. After all, in many parts of NY state and other states land is cheap to buy or rent, government grants are available, and the up-front investment in tunnel farm technology can often be recouped within a year or so.
I imagine that making a living from tunnel farming requires the kind of economy of scale (25 workers and lots of high-end restaurant clients) that the Kurdiehs have, so as seductive as this kind of farming sounds, don’t quit your day job until you have done all the math and have identified a reliable labor supply.
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@Mon Ray Yours is a "glass half empty" comment. Don't be so negative! Try to see the benefits of others' activities.
5
@James K Griffin
I saw only a realistic appraisal, not a "glass half empty" comment. Have you tried to do this kind of work to make a living? I suspect not.
10
@Mon Ray - And here I was, understanding that "the next big thing" referred to the types of vegetables grown, not the high tunnels.
1
Kudos to the Kurdiehs! Finding a niche and exploiting it is the dream of every entrepreneur. And if he can bring specialized workers from Egypt to live, work and experience America - all the better.
27
Nothing wrong with growing high quality food. But...... extensive use of plastic and reliance on casual immmigrant labour. Neither are good ideas. These techniques used extensively in Europe . just google maps of, particularily, Southern Spain and even parts of UK . Mile after mile of plastic- already polluting the land. rivers and seas
12
@Steven Taggart: I don't know anything about this method of farming. Is the plastic replaced very often? If not, perhaps it is less polluting to use resources that way than to transport food from warm places to cold ones.
10
5 years
Interesting article. Never heard of "high tunnel" farming before. Isn't it essentially the same as growing crops in a hoop house? Many organic gardeners in NE Georgia and north use them and are able to grow year round without heat.
16
Spot-on article about Norwich Meadows..their CSA supplies my home with an astonishing abundance of food for just a few hundred dollars. One correction: Norwich is not a “former” manufacturing center. Pharmaceuticals, electronics, and aviation components are all made here, with advanced manufacturing investment of over $200 million in the last five years.
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@Steve Craig
+ Chobani yogurt, launched in 2005 by Turkish immigrant Hamdi Ulukaya.
18
For those interested in exploring high tunnel farming, the US Department of Agriculture has been offering support for several years:
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers and manages the High Tunnel System Initiative and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides grants for high tunnel system applications as a conservation measure. According to NRCS, high tunnels assist farmers by improving plant and soil quality, reducing nutrient and pesticide transportation, improving air quality, and reducing energy use by providing consumers with a source for local produce.
NRCS accepts and processes EQIP applications on a continuous basis. However, each state may establish deadlines for one or more application periods in which to consider eligible requests for funding. Producers must submit a complete program application and other documentation to support eligibility to be considered for financial assistance through EQIP.
Interested producers can learn more about grants and their requirements at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main
23
Great to hear about their success! But are there no locals that can be skilled at growing things there as well?
9
@Donald It's not really farm country here. It's more dairy country and those numbers are dwindling. I'm not surprised that he can't find local workers with the skills needed for these specialized high tunnels.
20
Sad to say, we also garden and grow vegies and are unable to get any “local” help despite huge poverty in this area and we happily pay double the minimum wage. I am very happy to see that he is a big success and is introducing many to the delicious and very different bounty nature is offering to us.
46
I have always loved their produce but, not being a chef, I had no idea that their vegetables were cutting edge. Also, they are lovely people and always so helpful when I have questions.
69
Great story. Two lines caught my eye. One -in his homeland farming as a career is frowned upon. “The mothers would tell their daughters, ‘If you misbehave, I am going to marry you to a farmer.’” Two- Zaid is not an overnight success. He has worked and studied, yes, studied, for years to be in a position to start his business. Kudos to him and to his wife who seems to be a full partner in the enterprise. Perhaps some of our agricultural colleges such as Penn State could offer courses in his methodology.
105
@D.J. Thompson Um, his "homeland" is here. He was born in Los Angeles.
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@D.J. Thompson
It’s a class thing. Farmers in Egypt for the most part are seen as poor and uneducated.
7
@Bernie Fuson
Most people understand that the "homeland" referenced the land of his heritage which Mr. Kurdeih spoke of early in the article. But I take your point. I should have been more careful.
15
Persian cucumbers are always available at Trader Joes. The problem I have with them is that they go soft and mushy much more quickly in the vegetable bin than other kinds of cucumbers...so...use them quickly after buying. They are delicious.
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@susan paul
The only cucumbers as far as I am concerned! Had my first one at a farm stand in Sinaia Romania about 20 years ago and never have other cuc's now.
I wash mine in a white vinegar solution, maybe 20%, and I clean the ventilate bag or container they come in as well. Rinse them really well and put pack in container with whatever water clings to them. Sometimes I run fresh water over them after a couple of days again.
I have had decent luck getting them to last longer this way.
17
@susan paul
Unfortunately, a lot of TJ's produce goes bad quickly.
Though I shop there often, I buy produce only if it can be used within a couple of days. Even so, it is usually of poor quality.
13
Great story, wish I had access to all those exotic products!
I did find myself wondering what wages the imported farmers earn: almost certainly more than in Egypt, but where in relation to US minimum wage?
16
@Mon Ray
The same should be asked about the workers at Mar-a-Lago, here on H1B visas, all the restaurant workers imported for coastal resort cities in the summer, since someone has to pay for their room and board. Perhaps that is part of their wage?
When I took my granddaughter for the day to Hampton Beach here in New Hampshire last week, almost every worker we encountered, whether selling ice-cream or tee shirts in the shops along the shore line, had foreign accents!
13
@Mon Ray
I knew Romanian attorney who chose to work as a nanny in the US and UK. She could make far more money, live well, and save.
About 90 bucks a month in Romania as a lower court/low level judge. Numbers from about 10-15 years ago.
9
Bravo for what the Kurdieh’s have done for veggie shoppers and chefs.
And, bravo for what they have done for Norwich, NY by turning an abandoned industrial property into their farm. Like fellow immigrant who started Chobani in Norwich, they are bringing innovation to Upstate New York!
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@Sharon
I think you may have an outdated view of farming in upstate NY.
3
In case you don’t know it, there is a labor crisis in agriculture. He had to post the job outside to the public before relying on H2A labor. All of you losing it over the fact that he had to hire Egyptians should start a larger discussion about lazy locals. I work in farming and I’m hear to tell you it is impossible to keep American labor through a whole season. Maybe once in a blue moon you get some motivated couple or individual but that is the super duper rare. Perhaps on little happy farms in the Hudson Valley you get a few more motivated people, however the big farms that actually feed the masses, like this one in the article, are struggling. We cannot keep your apples at $1-3/lb if we go above $18, yes $18/ hour. We cannot keep chicken at $2-3/lb. or beef at $1/lb if the meat workers make $23/hour. Your wheat? Foggetabboutit. That farmer hasn’t ever been able to send their kid to college on wheat farming. It’s time to start considering what you want at the farm and what is realistic to keep Americans fed. So far we’re not doing a great job at incentivizing the next generation and money and labor is only part of the problem. Thank goodness for immigrants, like my family, to vitalize a piece of earth.
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@Matthew
Actually just had the American labor conversation with my chiropractor. His father is a contractor in a resort area in the Finger Lakes of NY. Builds, repairs, opens and closes vacation homes, etc. Cannot find anyone who wants to work. And he pays well.
68
@Matthew you are correct that cheap food relies on cheap labor. But everywhere in the country is different. Corn farmers in Illinois do pretty well. Dry land wheat farmers have boom and bust that makes the stock market look like a stable investment. Dairy farmers in the northeast are going out of business because they cannot compete with feedlot operations out West. And it is not just farming that has labor problems. The big tech companies constantly complain about not finding labor. What they mean is they cannot find labor at the price they want to pay. I believe that all jobs have takers if you pay enough.
31
@JKile: I do not believe that. And his idea of "paying well" is probably $5 an hour cash under the table.
Offer people a living wage, full time year round -- with health insurance benefits and paid vacation/sick leave -- and you'll be fighting off applicants.
17
Thank you for this important article. I love shopping the markets for the unusual and exotic. Yes, it will be more expensive, but as illustrated in this article those rarities cost more to produce (excuse the pun). Remember when our grocery stores only carried iceberg lettuce and heirlooms only referred to furniture? I hope that day never returns, and Haifa and Zaid are laying the groundwork (sorry for the pun) for a beautiful and welcome farming paradigm.
38
What a wonderful story. Thank you. This makes me think of Santa Cruz, Calif., in the 1980s. There were many organic grocery store co-ops, all selling unusual organic produce no one had heard about, which eventually started appearing in mainstream supermarkets out of the area. Many varieties of kale, burdock root, purple and green cauliflower, broccolini, and on and on, grown by the many organic farmers in the region who used the French Intensive Method and raised beds taught by Alan Chadwick. Meanwhile, in Berkeley, Alice Waters of Chez Panisse went directly to the farmers.
49
The Kurdish family are truly what makes America great! It is our loss that our country does not embrace and encourage these good people.
83
How about teaching some young (or even not-so-young) Americans how to operate the high tunnels? That may be the only way to survive if the visa restrictions get worse. A good technology is worth sharing.
73
@meh
As a previous writer posted you can't get Americsn labor to work on these farms. If they won't do the work then teaching them about high tunnels is useless.
32
Very nice story! Hopefully, the methods employed by Haifa and Zaid will be adapted by other New York farmers so that immigration policy won't be the death knell of this industry.
Perhaps the day will come when these vegetables will be available to the hoi-poloi at reasonable prices! I'm not holding out much hope for that!
16
@Beaglelover
"The hot-polloi" should just rototill part of their yards or sign up for a community garden plot and grow their own! When I lived in South Carolina I grew citrus of several kinds in my yard and gave a lot of it away to the workers at my golf club and those who mowed my lawn. From our community garden plot people like us grew things like onions for the local food bank. Even those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to buy what we need often prefer to grow our own when we can and are not afraid to have dirt under our fingernails.
9
Haifa and Zaid have been wonderful for us everyday chefs too. Yes it costs more (like the other farm stands in the greenmarket) but there is a difference in flavor, and as you mention, in exposure to varieties of greens. Also, there is nothing like getting to know Haifa and Zaid and the many workers that they employ, including Tibetans as well as Egyptians (thanks for that part of the story). That’s what New York is about and we’re sticking to it.
153
Fabulous story. What wonderful people. Thanks.
77
Knowing how much it costs to grow a tomato, I’m all for paying farmers what they deserve for their produce. The prices at this stand are quite expensive compared to other Greenmarket stands. I rarely purchase from them.
9
"Using labor and techniques from Egypt"? -- Perhaps this keeps the prices lower than at other farm markets. In general, farm markets are not cheaper than big food stores, but, sometimes, even more expensive.
8
@Tuvw Xyz
not cheaper , but always tastier ... see ?
15
@Tuvw Xyz: that's a head scratcher. Egypt is one of the poorest nations in the Middle East! most farmers there are subsistence farmers at best.
BTW, we give Egypt billions in aid each year -- as much as we give Israel.
It is actually ISRAEL that has advanced farming techniques and has turned the desert green. Egypt -- not so much.
3
@Concerned Citizen
Fact check: "ISRAEL that has ... turned the desert green."
Palestine, before Israel, had a vibrant history of agriculture along the Mediterranean coast (Jaffa oranges and lemons were once Palestinian Jaffa oranges and lemons) as well as in the arid areas and mountains. You may want to read "All THAT REMAINS" (available on Amazon) edited by renowned historian Walid Khalidi which chronicles the economic output including agriculture that Palestinians produced pre-1948 in their destroyed and ethnically-cleansed villages now located in Israel. Palestinians were an agrarian society for centuries before modern-day Israel--and all without the benefits of modern technology or $3.5 billion in US taxpayer support.
6
As a Gardener, I can see the love this couple finds in growing
'the best' that can be offered. That is why we love plants.
Congrats.
And, thanks for continuing the horticultural tradition. Hopefully, future generations will embrace it, as well.
111