Local Foodshed
Turning Rocks into TomatoesBy Jenny George
When Paul Cross bought this land, it was as a part-time retreat from his hectic life in the computer industry. The plot is remote and dramatically beautiful. Backed up against Carson National Forest, the five acres are exposed to the blue-domed sky. The 360-degree views are breathtaking: Lobo Peak close by, Pueblo Peak towering off to the east, the blue Truchas mountains, Pedernal's off-kilter flattop, the white streaks of the Los Alamos Ski Valley in the distance. The air is cool and fresh. The clouds feel closer than usual.
In 1997 Paul tired of his tech career and decided to reinvent himself. He had a lifetime of interest in plants and the guts to make the leap into another kind of world. But instead of looking for a traditional place to grow produce (say, someplace with soil and water) or bending the land to his wishes (by drilling for an aquifer or supplementing the dirt with synthetic fertilizers) he worked with what he had. Being naturally curious and detail oriented, he approached this new path like an interesting puzzle. In ten years Paul has built a farm with a reputation for stupendous quality. He grows tomatoes, microgreens and herbs, and he's known for selling out at the farmers market within the first few hours. And of his land even he admits, "It's a ridiculous place to farm!" But it works.
And here's how. Rain falls on the roof of the greenhouse and runs off into cisterns. The water gets pumped from these outdoor cisterns into a series of five-foot-deep tanks located inside the greenhouse. Once inside, the water slowly warms to a temperature the plants prefer, while simultaneously providing useful thermal mass for the greenhouse. During the days, the water collects heat gradually. Then at night it radiates the heat back into the air, evening out the temperature inside the structure. Finally, before the plants drink it, the water gets supplemented with the kinds of minerals plain rainwater lacks (since it hasn't spent time flowing over the mineraly ground). And all the water gets recycled. Small pipes collect the water that flows off the tomato beds, and after a little adjustment, the water makes another pass to irrigate the herbs. When you buy from Charybda Farms, you're getting produce that has been irrigated solely from rainwater, without drawing a drop from the earth. The farm is 100 percent organic and uses no pesticides. Each tomato plant is tended to by hand and dosed with precisely the right amount of water to concentrate the sugars in the fruit. The greenhouse has the peaceful, humid feeling of a high-end spa. These are some very happy tomatoes.
If you're lucky enough to get some of Paul's tomatoes at the farmers market, you'll see why the chefs and home cooks line up in the early hours in front of his booth. Paul has a philosophy about the perfect tomato, and he doesn't compromise on quality. "A tomato should be heavy in the hand, full of juices. It should have the right balance of sugars and that zing of acid. When you eat it, it should send a shiver up your spine." He grows a dozen varieties, from the French Marmandes, to the yellowish Striped Germans, to the poetically named Pintones, a "painted" tomato that ripens from the inside out, starting with a red center and gradually blushing its way to the skin. And while there are many purveyors of great field tomatoes in the area, Paul's innovative greenhouse method has him bringing juicy tomatoes to the markets in the end of May, weeks before the fruits have ripened in neighboring fields.
"There's a life force, a vitality that comes out in the fruit. You can taste it," says Paul. Another thing is evident in the plants: his passion. Paul admits to being a kind of "plant nerd." As a kid in suburban Los Angeles, he had over 100 houseplants in his bedroom, and he used to ride his bike to a nursery on weekends to buy plants with his allowance, pedaling home with his latest treasure tucked in his backpack. Nowadays he cares for his farm with the same delight and attention. This spring he originally made plans to grow some 60 varieties of plants--herbs, flowers and fruit--but in his excitement he surpassed that number, by a whole lot. The rows of cheerful and hardy seedlings attest to his care.
Paul Cross describes himself as a "visionary." He is always looking ahead, squinting at the horizon of available technology, scanning the field for what's coming next. What will eaters want five years down the road? What will stand out at the market? What will chefs be excited about including on their ever-changing menus? It turns out that what people want these days (and likely down the road, too) are superb quality and sustainable practices. In this sense, Paul has positioned his farm to stay vital over the long haul. He even has plans for a second greenhouse and an expanded repertoire of plants.
There's inspiration we can all take away from this story, and it's summed up in the farm's unusual name. "Charybda" is a literary pun, a word Paul coined from the names of the mythical Greek sea-monsters Scylla and Charybdis, who guarded the two sides of a narrow channel. Like the phrase "between a rock and a hard place," the names of the two creatures indicate a passage between two difficulties, but also more than that--a kind of gateway to another way of thinking and being. Once you get through the channel, it's possible to think on an innovative new level, addressing entrenched problems with creative solutions. Like the rainwater irrigation system. Like farming without a whisper of an impact. Paul Cross hasn't just squeezed around the challenges his land presents. Has used them, built upon them, turning bare rocks into tender fruits. He has made the high desert bloom.
INFO
You can find Charybda Farms tomatoes at the Taos Farmers' Market and the Santa Fe Farmers Market. And look for Paul's microgreens, sold under the label Chef's Edition, year-round at Whole Foods Market in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, Cid's Food Market in Taos and La Montanita Coop in Santa Fe.
For great tomato recipes, visit Recipe Index
