Answers to Producer Questionnaire
Pickle Creek Herbs PRODUCTS & PRACTICES |
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Question | Answer |
List what you intend to sell. (if applicable) (e.g. meats, grains, jellies, crafts; also note if you have any heritage breeds) |
Greek Basil & Garlic Infused Olive Oil--imported virgin olive oil, organic Greek Basil & Garlic grown by us. Lemon Basil & Garlic Infused Olive Oil--imported virgin olive oil, organic Lemon Basil & Garlic grown by us. Greek Oregano & Garlic Infused Olive Oil--imported virgin olive oil, organic Greek Oregano & Garlic grown by us. Genovese Basil & Roma Tomato Infused Olive Oil--imported virgin olive oil, organic Genovese Basil & Roma Tomato grown by us. Rosemary Infused Balsamic Vinegar--balsamic vinegar from California, organic Rosemary grown by us. Lemon Basil Infused Balsamic Vinegar--balsamic vinegar from California, organic Lemon Basil grown by us. Tarragon Infused White Wine Vinegar--white wine vinegar from California, organic Tarragon grown by us. Herbal Jellies: Water, organic sugar, organic herb (varies depending on the jelly), organic white wine vinegar, salt, liquid pectin. The herbs are grown by us. Herbal Soaps; : Distilled water, palm oil, EV olive oil, coconut oil, lye, cucumber, wheat germ oil, herbal essential oil, dried herbs. The herbs and herbal essential oil are grown and made by us. Herbal Lip Balms: Sweet almond oil, Shea butter, beeswax, cocoa butter, dried herbs, herbal essential oils, vitamin E. The herbs and herbal essential oil are grown and made by us. Herbal Salves: Almond oil, beeswax, dried herbs, herbal essential oils. The herbs and herbal essential oil are grown and made by us. |
Describe your farming, processing and/or crafting practices. (if applicable) | Our farm is called Green Heritage Farms. Greek Heritage Farms is an organic, sustainable family farm. We test our soil not only for macronutrients but also for micronutrients so we can get the soil nutrition right for our plants. We also use organic amendments such as worm castings, which we raise ourselves. We follow a 4-year rotation and also incorporate organic manure. We do not use pesticides or herbicides (even the organic ones). |
Describe your pest and disease management system. (if applicable) | N/A |
Describe your herd health and productivity management. (if applicable) (i.e. do you use any hormones, antibiotics, and/or steroids) |
N/A |
Describe your feeding practices. (if applicable) (grass-fed only, free-range, feed-lot, etc.) |
We follow a rotation pattern with good legume cover crops (alfalfa, clover, winter wheat). We also incorporate homegrown worm castings. We add organic amendments when needed, guided by soil testing. |
Describe your soil and nutrient management. (if applicable) (Do you compost, use fertilizers, green manures or animal manures?) |
home-raised organic worm castings |
Describe your water usage practices. (if applicable) (If you irrigate, describe how - e.g. deep well, surface water, etc., and explain how you conserve water or use best management practices. Describe how you are protecting your water source from contamination/erosion). |
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Describe your conservation/land stewardship practices. (if applicable) (e.g., do you plant windbreaks, maintain grass waterways, riparian buffers, use green manures for wind erosion, plant habitats for birds, improve soil quality, etc.) |
We plant on contoured ground and keep the ground under a cover crop whenever we're not using it. We also have built a wetlands on our small farm. |
Describe any additional information and/or sustainable practices about your operation that
would be helpful to a potential customer in understanding your farm or operation better. (e.g. if you are raising any heritage animals you might list breeds or list varieties of heirloom seeds. List the percentage of local ingredients in your processed items). |
N/A |
List your food liability insurance coverage, both general and product-related, as well as any licenses and tests that you have available. (if applicable) | We own a Food Processing Plant License for Pickle Creek Herbs, which is the commercial kitchen where we make all our culinary infusions. |
ORGANIC PRODUCERS | |||
List which products you are selling as organic. (if applicable) | All of our herb seedlings, which are grown by Green Heritage Farms, are Certified Organic. All Green Heritage Farms herbs and garlic and other produce is certified organic. Please note that no Pickle Creek products are certified organic (that would require us to certify each product specifically, and we don't do that). It is the farm and anything grown on or coming off the farm that is certified organic. | ||
List certifying agency's name and address: (if applicable) |
Green Heritage Farms is certified by IDALS, Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. 9th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319 | ||
Certifying Agency's Phone: (if applicable) |
515-281-5321 | Certifying Agency's Fax: (if applicable) |
515-281-6178 |
Do you have available for inspection a copy of your current organic certificate? (if applicable) | Yes No | ||
I affirm that all statements made about my farm and products in this application are true, correct and complete and I have given a truthful representation of my operation, practices, and origin of products. I understand that if questions arise about my operation I may be inspected (unannounced). If I stated my operation is organic, then I am complying with the National Organic Program and will provide upon request a copy of my certification. I have read all of the producer standards and fully understand and am willing to comply with them. | |||
I agree
| Thursday the 6th day of August, 2020 |