AgSouth
New garlic from Verdant Farms
It’s not every day you come across a field of ginger, turmeric, and galangal while traveling through Chatham County in Southeast Georgia. In fact, it’s not every day you come across those plants anywhere in North America. Ross Harding of Verdant Kitchen would like to change that. By growing and using these plants to craft everything from artisan ginger ale to natural supplements, Harding has been introducing his customers to a healthier lifestyle.
Following a conversation about “superfoods” and crops that could be grown in the coastal lowlands of Georgia, Ross Harding and his business partner, Howard Morrison, began to toss around the idea of identifying something to grow that would not only be delicious but healthful as well. Being a native Australian, Harding was familiar with ginger cultivation and the climate needed to grow the crop. Harding says he was “struck by how similar the climate was where he grew up and Savannah.” After doing a lot of research, the partners realized that almost all of the ginger consumed in the United States is imported. After two years of experimenting and further research, they discovered that it was in fact possible to grow ginger and related plants in the lowlands of Georgia. Being an industrial chemist with no agricultural background, Harding describes himself as a “terrible farmer.” Despite his lack of experience, though, he had the work ethic and passion to keep experimenting and learning. He credits the UGA Extension and the Georgia Department of Agriculture with providing information and support during the experimentation phase of his business.
After fine-tuning their farming abilities, producing their first crop of ginger, turmeric, and galangal, and gaining an organic certification, Harding and Morrison began offering value-added products to introduce their crops to the local market. Today their business, Verdant Kitchen, offers nearly 30 products including turmeric-infused honey, ginger syrup, crystallized ginger, and ginger ale. Verdant Kitchen sells directly to customers through its online store as well as through select retailers throughout the United States.
Despite his long and complicated journey into agriculture, Harding finds great satisfaction in “producing something real.” He says, “It’s very satisfying to put on a pair of boots and walk across a field to see something growing that you have planted, worked hard for, and worried over.” With customers seeking out his products for health benefits, Harding also finds great satisfaction in growing something that’s not only delicious but very healthful as well.
As for his advice to beginning farmers, Harding advises to start small. Don’t get ahead of yourself: scale up slowly as you need to grow.
According to Harding, “AgSouth has supported Verdant Kitchen by providing working capital, without which we wouldn’t function. AgSouth makes that experience easy. They have good people who understand agriculture. Beyond that, they have introduced us to a lot of really great people. They’ve introduced us to people within and outside of agriculture to grow a really great network.”
The future looks very bright for Harding and Verdant Kitchen. Harding hopes to help make a Southeastern United States spice industry possible by one day assisting in processing other crops grown by area farmers through a network of growers for a whole new industry.
To learn more about Verdant Kitchen or to purchase some of their products, visit verdantkitchen.com.
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