Tim Sommer, Purple Sage Farms

Middleton, ID: tsommer@speedyquick.net

You may recall that this past fall, I attempted to peel an onion–that is, I considered our place in the world, assessing our impact upon others and the planet through how we live. If I came to any answer, it was to the idea of a strong and vibrant self-sustaining local community. That was where I could see hope. And it is exactly these ideas, heralding the local community as the solution, and disproving the myth of the tragedy of the commons for which Elinor Ostrom won the 2009 Nobel Prize in economics.

As a means of communicating the importance of our local community, I’m taking the produce blog on the road. My intention is bring our growers closer to you by showing you what they do, and who they are. So at this time, I’m pleased to introduce to you Tim and Tamara Sommer of Purple Sage Farms.

Purple Sage Farms in Middleton, ID is a Certified Organic producer of Herbs and Salad Greens. This family operation has been a certified organic producer for over 20 years now. In fact, Tim helped create the Idaho organic certification legislation with other local organic growers Nate Jones and Mike Heath. Purple Sage not only sells their greens to the Boise Co-Op, but also to local CSAs, outdoor markets, and local restaurants, such as the “just eat local” beacon, Bittercreek Alehouse.

The operation consists of 12 large greenhouses that are all planted and operated by hand. During the peak of their season, the staff consists of a crew of about 7–of course all but just a couple are family members. The farm is run as a sustainable closed loop system, growing not only the herbs in the greenhouses, but also growing grass upon which goats and sheep are pastured which environmentally balances the system. The animals help close the loop and put back into the soil what the plants remove, which makes Purple Sage a small family farm in the traditional sense, self-sustainable, where most of the family’s food is produced right there.

(the rosemary greenhouse felt like a lush garden even in early march!)

As I toured the farm, I was curious to know what made a farmer tick. Tim is an exceedingly interesting person. In each green house, he exuberantly fed me something right out of the ground. Baby Kale. Watercress. Chives. It was all wonderful and exotically complex. Sharp and tasty.

Tim fits no farmer stereotype with a degree in marketing from ASU and business background chasing million dollar marketing contracts in California’s Orange County. Despite all that, both he and his wife were Middleton High grads. I guess he just needed to see world. Though he and his wife were not high school sweethearts, they did eventually become romantically involved while living in the Seattle area. They married and returned home to Middleton, where they raised their three children. It was a sense of community that brought them back. And we are glad to have them as a part of our family. I know I certainly enjoy his hard work, and I think you should too! Try some of his greens, they are tremendous!

We’ll close with a  photo of Tim taken in his music room. That’s what he does for fun. He plays both American folk and Irish/Scottish traditional folk music both for fun at home and live around town with a band. And that’s Tim & Purple Sage, one of your local family farmers. Enjoy!

~Douglas Bolles