Farmer D inspires in “Citizen Farmer”

Admission: Free.

Where: Farmer D Organics. 2154 Briarcliff Rd., Atlanta

(Join Farmer D for book signings, garden tours, chef demos, live music, and kids' activities at the store. RSVP is requested at Farmer D's Facebook Page by clicking "join" under event)

Book signing and EcoReview Magazine’s Spring Issue Launch Party at IKEA

When: 6-8 p.m. Thursday

Admission: Free

Where: IKEA, 441 16th Street NW.

Cook’s Warehouse Citizen Farmers book signing and farm fresh food sampling with Farmer D

When: 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday

Admission: Free

Where: Cook's Warehouse, 1311 Johnson Ferry Rd., Marietta, GA 30068

For more information about Farmer D’s events: https://www.farmerd.com

Six Steps for Cultivating a Vision

Step 1: Believe in yourself.

Step 2: Destroy any beliefs that are holding you back, especially ones that inhibit you from accomplishing Step 1.

Step 3: Write out your vision. Be sure to do this from a place of confidence, humility and positive intention.

Step 4: Let your vision percolate through every pore of your being and share it with those who will be a part of making this vision a reality.

Step 5: Write out your immediate goals with a timeline for accomplishing your vision.

Step 6: Get to work making your vision a reality. Remember to have fun and stay open-minded and grateful at every step along the way. Keep in mind that this is an ongoing process.

Source: "Citizen Farmers" By Daron "Farmer D" Joffe and written with Susan Puckett

Steps for Planning a Farm or Garden

1. Do your homework. Read books. Volunteer at a local organic farm, take part in a crop mob or join a CSA as a working member for a season. Attend conferences, workshops, and seminars.

Most regions of the country now have major organic farming conferences that the public is invited to attend. If you can’t make it in person, there are recordings of past workshops and online webinars.

When you go to a farmers’ market, ask the farmers questions, as they are usually more than happy to share their wisdom. If you want to get more serious, you can enroll in some classes or try a seasonal apprenticeship on an organic farm near you.

2. Cultivate a vision. If you are working alone, start thinking about how much you can take on by yourself.

Gardening is more fun as a social activity, so see whom you can get on board with your vision and get their input, too. This could be your spouse, your kids, a roommate, neighbors, a friend or a local organization.

3. Draft a plan. Lay out a plan for what you are going to do when and what you are going to plant where.

Growing food requires good timing and attention to detail. The more organized you are, the easier it is to get things done efficiently.

4. Write up a budget. It is helpful to make a simple budget for what your garden is going to cost. You will need to invest in things like soil amendments, seeds, plants and more.

5. Raise funds. Plan ahead by investing some of the money you will inevitably spend at the grocery store and use it for your garden instead. You can look at it as if you are prepurchasing your groceries, sort of like a CSA. If you are gardening on a larger scale than for yourself alone, you may even want to consider a small neighborhood CSA where each family pitches in for a share in the harvest. They may also have the option to pay less money and put in some time in the garden.

6. Look for land. First look around your home and see how much land you can grow on. If you need more than that, there are other options. You may be eyeing a neighbor's south-facing front yard as you walk the dog, for example, or an open green space at a nearby school or park.

7. Source your supplies. Now that you are ready to get started, you will need to source things like good compost, seeds, plants and maybe even equipment such as a rented tiller or tractor.

8. Get growing. Take a soil test and put your plan into action. Amend, till, plant, cultivate and reap.

9. Keep records. The last step in planning is keeping records of what happens in your garden. Though it can be a bit laborious to keep up with, this information will serve you well in the future. Some good things to track are planting dates, harvest dates, frost dates, air and soil temperatures, bug infestations, rainfall, and soil amendments.

10. Have fun and share the harvest.

Source: “Citizen Farmers” By Daron “Farmer D” Joffe and written with Susan Puckett

Six Steps for Cultivating a Vision

Step 1: Believe in yourself.

Step 2: Destroy any beliefs that are holding you back, especially ones that inhibit you from accomplishing Step 1.

Step 3: Write out your vision. Be sure to do this from a place of confidence, humility and positive intention.

Step 4: Let your vision percolate through every pore of your being and share it with those who will be a part of making this vision a reality.

Step 5: Write out your immediate goals with a timeline for accomplishing your vision.

Step 6: Get to work making your vision a reality. Remember to have fun and stay open-minded and grateful at every step along the way. Keep in mind that this is an ongoing process.

Source: "Citizen Farmers" By Daron "Farmer D" Joffe and written with Susan Puckett

Steps for Planning a Farm or Garden

1. Do your homework. Read books. Volunteer at a local organic farm, take part in a crop mob or join a CSA as a working member for a season. Attend conferences, workshops, and seminars.

Most regions of the country now have major organic farming conferences that the public is invited to attend. If you can’t make it in person, there are recordings of past workshops and online webinars.

When you go to a farmers’ market, ask the farmers questions, as they are usually more than happy to share their wisdom. If you want to get more serious, you can enroll in some classes or try a seasonal apprenticeship on an organic farm near you.

2. Cultivate a vision. If you are working alone, start thinking about how much you can take on by yourself.

Gardening is more fun as a social activity, so see whom you can get on board with your vision and get their input, too. This could be your spouse, your kids, a roommate, neighbors, a friend or a local organization.

3. Draft a plan. Lay out a plan for what you are going to do when and what you are going to plant where.

Growing food requires good timing and attention to detail. The more organized you are, the easier it is to get things done efficiently.

4. Write up a budget. It is helpful to make a simple budget for what your garden is going to cost. You will need to invest in things like soil amendments, seeds, plants and more.

5. Raise funds. Plan ahead by investing some of the money you will inevitably spend at the grocery store and use it for your garden instead. You can look at it as if you are prepurchasing your groceries, sort of like a CSA. If you are gardening on a larger scale than for yourself alone, you may even want to consider a small neighborhood CSA where each family pitches in for a share in the harvest. They may also have the option to pay less money and put in some time in the garden.

6. Look for land. First look around your home and see how much land you can grow on. If you need more than that, there are other options. You may be eyeing a neighbor's south-facing front yard as you walk the dog, for example, or an open green space at a nearby school or park.

7. Source your supplies. Now that you are ready to get started, you will need to source things like good compost, seeds, plants and maybe even equipment such as a rented tiller or tractor.

8. Get growing. Take a soil test and put your plan into action. Amend, till, plant, cultivate and reap.

9. Keep records. The last step in planning is keeping records of what happens in your garden. Though it can be a bit laborious to keep up with, this information will serve you well in the future. Some good things to track are planting dates, harvest dates, frost dates, air and soil temperatures, bug infestations, rainfall, and soil amendments.

10. Have fun and share the harvest.

Source: “Citizen Farmers” By Daron “Farmer D” Joffe and written with Susan Puckett

Six Steps for Cultivating a Vision

Step 1: Believe in yourself.

Step 2: Destroy any beliefs that are holding you back, especially ones that inhibit you from accomplishing Step 1.

Step 3: Write out your vision. Be sure to do this from a place of confidence, humility and positive intention.

Step 4: Let your vision percolate through every pore of your being and share it with those who will be a part of making this vision a reality.

Step 5: Write out your immediate goals with a timeline for accomplishing your vision.

Step 6: Get to work making your vision a reality. Remember to have fun and stay open-minded and grateful at every step along the way. Keep in mind that this is an ongoing process.

Source: "Citizen Farmers" By Daron "Farmer D" Joffe and written with Susan Puckett

Steps for Planning a Farm or Garden

1. Do your homework. Read books. Volunteer at a local organic farm, take part in a crop mob or join a CSA as a working member for a season. Attend conferences, workshops, and seminars.

Most regions of the country now have major organic farming conferences that the public is invited to attend. If you can’t make it in person, there are recordings of past workshops and online webinars.

When you go to a farmers’ market, ask the farmers questions, as they are usually more than happy to share their wisdom. If you want to get more serious, you can enroll in some classes or try a seasonal apprenticeship on an organic farm near you.

2. Cultivate a vision. If you are working alone, start thinking about how much you can take on by yourself.

Gardening is more fun as a social activity, so see whom you can get on board with your vision and get their input, too. This could be your spouse, your kids, a roommate, neighbors, a friend or a local organization.

3. Draft a plan. Lay out a plan for what you are going to do when and what you are going to plant where.

Growing food requires good timing and attention to detail. The more organized you are, the easier it is to get things done efficiently.

4. Write up a budget. It is helpful to make a simple budget for what your garden is going to cost. You will need to invest in things like soil amendments, seeds, plants and more.

5. Raise funds. Plan ahead by investing some of the money you will inevitably spend at the grocery store and use it for your garden instead. You can look at it as if you are prepurchasing your groceries, sort of like a CSA. If you are gardening on a larger scale than for yourself alone, you may even want to consider a small neighborhood CSA where each family pitches in for a share in the harvest. They may also have the option to pay less money and put in some time in the garden.

6. Look for land. First look around your home and see how much land you can grow on. If you need more than that, there are other options. You may be eyeing a neighbor's south-facing front yard as you walk the dog, for example, or an open green space at a nearby school or park.

7. Source your supplies. Now that you are ready to get started, you will need to source things like good compost, seeds, plants and maybe even equipment such as a rented tiller or tractor.

8. Get growing. Take a soil test and put your plan into action. Amend, till, plant, cultivate and reap.

9. Keep records. The last step in planning is keeping records of what happens in your garden. Though it can be a bit laborious to keep up with, this information will serve you well in the future. Some good things to track are planting dates, harvest dates, frost dates, air and soil temperatures, bug infestations, rainfall, and soil amendments.

10. Have fun and share the harvest.

Source: “Citizen Farmers” By Daron “Farmer D” Joffe and written with Susan Puckett

As a freshman in college, Daron Joffe’s life changed forever — all because of a turkey sandwich.

It was a day that started out like any other at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: He rolled out of bed around noon, listened to some reggae, headed to a funky little cafe for lunch.

But as he bit into that seemingly innocent turkey and Swiss on rye, he fixated on the ingredients: the tomatoes, the lettuce, the turkey and that slice of cheese.

“Eating, it’s something we do every day,” he said. “But on this day, I had this very powerful feeling of staring at the sandwich and asking: Where did you come from?”

Wrestling with questions about the origins of that deli sandwich paved the way to a deeper understanding of where our food originates. The ingredients between those two slices of bread likely traveled more than 3,000 miles, leaving a weighty carbon footprint.

“It has this deep impact on me. It was like this feeling of every step I take in my life, physically and metaphorically, I was taking and taking. The question became: How can I shift my life so my steps are giving back and filling in the holes, so to speak,” said Joffe, who grew up in Sandy Springs.

An undecided college freshman, Joffe suddenly knew exactly what he wanted to do in life.

He dropped out of school to pursue an apprenticeship at a biodynamic farm.

“Okay Farmer D, let’s see where this goes,” said his mother. And that is how Joffe became known as “Farmer D.”

Within a couple years, Joffe bought his own farm, using his bar mitzvah money to make a down payment on 175 acres in southwest Wisconsin.

Today, Joffe, 37, is an organic farmer, an environmental educator, an eco-entrepreneur.

He is the founder of Farmer D Organics and Farmer D Consulting. He designs and builds biodynamic farms and gardens across the country. He was the founding farmer at Serenbe Farms in Palmetto. His Farmer D brand of compost is sold in Whole Foods stores across the Southeast. His planting beds are sold through Williams-Sonoma.

He’s worked on therapeutic gardening programs at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Camp Twin Lakes. He’s worked with low-income Atlanta communities to turn vacant fields into urban farms. And he’s recently worked with planned residential communities which are using their green spaces to plan farms rather than build golf courses.

Joffe has a new book, “Citizen Farmers: The Biodynamic Way to Grow Healthy Food, Build Thriving Communities and Give Back to the Earth” (Abrams; $24.96), which is part gardening handbook, part call to action and part manifesto.

Written with former Atlanta Journal-Constitution food editor Susan Puckett, this user-friendly book, featuring gorgeous photographs and bright graphics, braids together basic tips for starting a garden, such as the ABCs of composting with musings on meditation and being conscious consumers. He even has a section on meditating while composting.

It is a thorough book. The compost section, for example, covers it all, from the tools needed to recommendations on where to place the compost pile to a recipe for composting — “Farmer D Compost Tea.”

Throughout the book, Joffe’s encouraging tone is designed to nudge even the most novice, unsure gardener.

In fact, he begins the book with this exercise at the office:

“Find a sunny window that people pass by often. Place a basil plant on the ledge or a nearby desk. Watch what happens. … A colleague wanders by the plant and pauses to inhale the intoxicating aroma. She asks if anyone’s ever made pesto from scratch. Her desk-mate pipes up with his Italian grandmother’s tried-and-true method from the Old Country.

“Later in the week, small jars of homemade pesto appear on everyone’s desk. … Inspired, you try your hand at growing something edible at home. You start small, by planting a tomato and some herbs around your curbside mailbox.”

Puckett said when she and Joffe discussed collaborating on the book almost four years ago, she quickly realized it would go well beyond gardening.

“What fascinated me and what resonated with me was how it started with that turkey sandwich and him being curious where his food came from,” she said. “He started digging to understand the life cycle of a garden and it became his template for his life. From day one, he would talk about the virtues of each stage of the garden and it was very meditative, intentional.”

Puckett, an expert in cooking and author of “Eat Drink Delta,” lives in a Decatur condo with almost no sunlight which she says gives her an excuse to not garden. Even so, she was struck by the impact of a herb garden started last year by the condo manager.

Using planters on a balcony on the second floor, rosemary, basil, sage, thyme and other herbs have flourished. Puckett no longer needs to buy these expensive, fresh herbs at the store. The little herb garden became a popular topic of conversation in the building and a delicious perk of living there.

Puckett recently got her first compost bin.

Meanwhile, Joffe, married and a father to two young children, moved to California last year and recently accepted a new position with the Leichtag Foundation team as ranch development director. He will stay involved in his Farmer D business and consulting.

“You don’t have to be a farmer per se to support important work for helping our society and for being good stewards,” said Joffe who was born in South Africa and immigrated to Sandy Springs with parents as a toddler. “As long as you start. My experience has been that if you have even the littlest connection, that littlest connection can grow.”