The farmers– Nicolas Donck was born in Belgium and moved here to this land in Georgia when he was 16. He just recently became a dual citizen of Belgium and the USA. He graduated from UGA with a degree in international business but quickly realized that his heart belonged to farming. Crystal Organic Farm was started (initially as a garden) by his mother, Helen Dumba, who lives on the 175 acres where the farm resides. Helen is also responsible for the farm’s flowers.
Many years before moving here, and far before most of the rest of the world, Helen pursued a knowledge of organic gardening and naturopathy. She has been helping people with her great knowledge of nutrition and alternative healing ever since.
Nicolas and Helen were 2008’s Land Stewardship Award recipients at the GA Organic Conference.
The farmer’s wife, Madeline Rains – Former theater director and actress, having always lived in major northeast cities, I met Nicolas while doing theater in Atlanta with my father and brother. My plans to move on to directing in Seattle were swept away. I became a farmer, then a wife and then, a mother. Now, I cook, write and take pictures but mostly facilitate the passions of our kids. Having fun with them and enabling them to be out of school are my primary goals.
Gillen – Almost sixteen years old, Gillen frequently chooses to work at the farm. He is also passionate about horses and volunteers for a local guy who owns horses almost every day.
Jesse – Almost thirteen years old and passionate about books, games, playing violin and ice hockey. Occasionally Jesse is also excited about putting in a day of hard work at the farm. He often goes with Nicolas to work on Saturdays at the market.
The farm – Crystal Organic Farm gets its name from the quartz crystals which can be found coming out of the ground here. Some think that they contribute to the soil’s good fertility. I don’t know about that. I do know that Nicolas’ passion for what he does and his ability to attract good help have played a big part in the farm’s success. Sweat equity, perseverance and the decision to invest in high tunnels are also important factors.
Where our vegetables go: We helped to found the Morningside Farmers Market and have customers that have been there with us for fifteen years. We also sell to Whole Foods Markets all over the city, and to several top Atlanta chefs (including Anne Quatrano of Bacchanalia, Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Kevin Rathbun of Rathbun’s).
While we do donate food every week, our goal is to grow enough that we can help make organic more universally accessible; and we want to donate on a bigger scale.
Wow! This is an amazing and inspiring blog It also makes me very hungry…..
[…] for food. This week we are excited to have beautiful bunches of radishes and spring onions from Crystal Organics Farm. The collards are grown in East Point by Truly Living Well Farms and next week we might have […]
Does your farm allow visitors?
Hi my name is Joshua Malavenda and I was wondering if you take volunteers at your farm. I was interested in volunteering at 2 0r 3 times a week. The reason why I chose crystal organics is because I have tasted and worked with a couple of your products and I really enjoyed them. I also want to eventually open my restaurant with all the food on the property and I wanted to learn how to do it so I thought this would be a great oppertunity to do that. well you really do a good job at what you do keep up the good work
sincerely
Joshua Malavenda
Joshua,
I am not sure that we need any help right now but you should email Nicolas about your interest and hopefully you can at least come visit and figure out another time to come work. His email is madnic@mindspring.com.
Nicolas and Helen,
We wondered if you would be interested in selling your products at a new farmers market. This weekend is our grand opening. We will be closed for Christmas and New Year’s and re-open every Friday and Saturday starting January 8th and 9th.
Here are the details about the new market:
Sacred Earth Growers Cooperative
195 Paradise Blvd.
Athens, GA 30607
Sacred Earth Growers Cooperative is a fair trade farmers market held weekly on Fridays and Saturdays from 2-6 PM (3-7 PM during daylight savings) at Flora Hydroponics on Newton Bridge Road in Athens . Our mission is sustainable: to reconnect families and local restaurants with local farmers and the Earth – 12 months of the year. It is our passion and our privilege to build bridges between disparate cultures through a focus on local, organic food production.
Our growers offer extensive opportunities for families to visit their farms and learn about the work they do. Many of the growers offer working and paying shares for CSA (community supported agriculture) membership. During our market hours on Friday and Saturday, we provide produce samples, Jittery Joe’s Coffee, Righteous Juice, and Kelly’s Authentic Jamaican. We encourage growers and visitors to get to know each other, and we end our market with a potluck every other Friday.
On Fridays, we offer an elite line-up of local musicians. On Saturdays, we offer classes and demonstrations that focus on nutrition, food as medicine, and healthy cooking.
When you shop at Sacred Earth Growers Cooperative, you’re supporting a local farmer committed to certified naturally grown or certified organic farming methods. You’re also supporting a farmers market founded on the principles of fair and direct trade. We want our growers to get a fair price for their produce, meat, or dairy, but we also want our customers to find real value compared to the price of organic produce sold in stores.
Our mission statement reminds us that we need sustainable local food markets if we hope to de-centralize food production and promote the return of small-scale farming in the United States.
Sacred Earth Growers Cooperative is proud to be a member of Georgia Organics.
You can find us on Facebook at the “Flora Hydroponics” page.
Thanks for your help,
James Hollis
Coop Manager
Sacred Earth Growers Cooperative
I live nearby in Monticello and wondered if your products could be bought directly from your farm. I try to buy organic at Ingles, but it is difficult.
Thanks,
Bethany
Hi!
I am the Assistant Camp Director at a summer camp and I am very interested in teaching some of our kids about organic farming. Do you ever do tours and hands-on farming with kids?
Please email me back at kayleen.vannette@atlantajcc.org with more information.
Thanks so much!
Kayleen
Hello,
My name is Kelly Walczak and I am the committee chairperson for the new Brookwood Farmers’ Market we are organizing. This new market is unique in that it will be held on Fridays from 4-8 pm instead of the traditional Saturday morning time frame. We already have huge interest in this market as there are not many like this in the Cumming/Johns Creek area. We are reaching out to all Georgia Grown farmers and vendors to invite you to participate in this market. We are consulting with the market manager for the hugely successful Roswell Farmers’ Market, Louise Estabrook.
Please contact me if you are interested in learning more about our market. We would love to have you become a part of this exciting new venture!
Thank you,
Kelly Walczak
Brookwood Farmers’ Market Chairperson
kellywalczak@mac.com
678-455-9435
Is there a time I can visit your farm for a tour… My friend is very serious about farming. I think it would great for her to see your operation….
I”m sorry that this took so long. I haven’t been online. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to have visitors as it tends to keep the main farmer from being able to work and he is swamped. But we are going to have a farm day this fall when we will invite people to come for a tour. I will announce the date and more info. here as soon as we get a date.
Thank you for sharing the info. I found the info really helpful.
You have the best produce! It’s so fresh, so tasty and so
pretty! Thanks for all your hard work. We eat your veggies most of the week. Delicious & healthy. Every Saturday morning, we wake up early and make the trek from Roswell to Morningside Market to get our produce for the week. We are eating healthy and supporting a local farm! Thanks again.
[…] Morningside Farmer’s market in Virginia Highlands. I was greeted by Nicholas the farmer at Crystal Organic where I pick up the most amazing yellow and red tomato with a pointed end and with the most […]
you have a wonderful farm and family. it’s very inspiring.
Thank you. I’m sorry that this didn’t get approved for so long. I missed it somehow!
Nicolas or Helen, do you know where Becky can get dried herb plants to hang on a movie set filming in Newnan. She would like rosemary, sage, black walnuts, rabbit tobacco..
I’m emailing this from the store (Health Unlimited) and if you can reply directly to her email above I’d appreciate it…
Thanks, see you in the morning… Laura
Dear Mr and Mrs Donck,
My name is Catherine McIlwraith. I am an MSc student with Imperial College London and I am doing my thesis research on the control of insect pests of cabbage.
I am hoping that you will be able to help me. I wondered if you could take the time to complete a survey I have made on the control of diamondback moth on cabbage? I am very interested to learn whether the current controls you use to control the diamondback moth are successful or whether you are experiencing issues with resistance or other problems. I am particularly interested in your organic methods.
The survey would really only take 10 minutes to complete and all the information collected can be submitted anonymously. The information is absolutely essential to me completing my thesis so I would really appreciate it if you could take the time to complete it. Or perhaps I could phone you at some point next week to have a quick discussion about the diamondback moth at your farm? If so, please feel free to contact me either via this email address or at (141)52370726 and I would be very happy to hear from you.
http://edu.surveygizmo.com/s3/543154/cabbage-grower-questionnaire
Thank you very much for your time,
Yours Sincerely,
Catherine McIlwraith
(MSc student, Imperial College London)
A restuarant just opened around the corner that serves Crystal Organic Farms Argula salad. Thanks for all your hard work.
Hello Mr. and Mrs. Donck,
I am truly inspired to follow through with my intended holistic lifestyle changes and organic farming dreams after viewing your farm footage and pictures. It’s so beautiful to see the whole family intuned with nature and their over all well being. This summer i will be transitionig back home to a much needed simpler life in Dublin,GA from my current hectic city life in D.C.. I am passionate about making a new start in organic/holistic farming but have no idea how/where to begin. I was just wandering if you guys had any useful information or pointers you cared to share with me that supports my choice and to also see if you offered any farmwork training sessions/tutorials. I look foward to hearing from you soon.
Jessie
Hi Jessie. I think it’s a great choice you are making as there is a huge demand for organic produce. I would go to a southern organic conference – like the one that is held every year in GA, through or the <a href="http://www.ssawg.org/jan12-conf/" title="Southern sustainability one (SSAWG)" one that is in a different southern state each year. That is my main recommendation. Also, read Eliot Coleman’s book on organic gardening and don’t think too big too quickly. : ) We do have interns on and off but don’t have housing. But you can visit. Good luck!
Hi,
My husband and I have known Helen for
20+ years and would love to get in touch
with her.
If you will give her my number and ask
her to call or send her number and I’ll call
her.
Thanks so much.
Pam & Marion Leavitt
404 849 0188
Hi, sorry for this late reply. I will give your number to my mother.
She is doing great and still living at the farm. She is also often at the morningside farmers market on Saturday.
Nicolas
It’s a Friday and I found your blog on Bing with the farms. Keep posting!
Hi,
My name is Midhun Mathew and I’m currently part of a product development class at Georgia Tech. Some other students and myself are investigating needs within the local farming community of Georgia to create a website that may help communications between different members of the food network, may help you compete with corporate farms and ultimately be more sustainable as well.
We need your help in identifying features and characteristics that can ultimately make your lives easier. When you have a few minutes, please take this short survey about possible features and concepts in our communications platform:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1n3arv1_DahDNI0yfZn-VRRaNn9pl9g25QmCRfwR0Lww/viewform
The more response we have, the more effective we can make our final product. If you know of any fellow producers in the farming community that may be interested, please let us know so that we may contact them as well!
We are also conducting more in-depth, phone interviews concerning daily operations and your business relationships. Interviews will not take more than 30 minutes. If you would not mind being interviewed, again, please let me know.
Thank you for your time and have a great day!
How do you apply for a job at your farm?
I think Nicolas has enough people right now but this changes all the time based one what’s being harvested, etc. You can email him at crystalorganicfarm@gmail.com