Cultivating a relationship with the soil, harvesting plants, and celebrating beautiful produce.
The farm
Nestled into a 100 acres of Boulder OSMP-owned land in the Boulder Valley, Esoterra Culinary Garden is an oasis of diversity and soil health. On just under 4 acres of permanent, no-till, biointensive vegetable beds devoted to perpetual successions of annual plants of culinary interest and a surrounding 3 acres of perennials, we grow over 300 different species of edible leaves, shoots, roots and fruits. Our unwavering commitment to soil and ecosystem health produces a synergy of benefits that translates to produce of the highest quality and conveys the vitality of the land directly to the eater. We have developed relationships with the best chefs in the region, providing them with year-round access to the full spectrum of flavors and textures available in the garden. With a whole-plant aesthetic, we are exploring the opportunity to heal the relationship with the land and rebuild our food culture through connection with the plants throughout their growth process. We grow unique varieties from a broad range of cultural origins and feature the work of breeders and seed keepers who have focused on preserving flavor and nutrient density in produce. The special varieties are brought into production to provide our chefs with consistent availability throughout their ideal season. We work with about 50 restaurants and are committed to an abundant future for the Colorado food scene. We are future focused and exploring opportunities to include new plants in the culinary garden each year.
The process
Our no-till practices entail a commitment to keeping photosynthesizing plants in our beds throughout the growing season and the soil covered year round. We leave roots in the ground when we are clearing beds and provide a protective cover of compost mulch and organic amendments before immediately planting another crop into the bed. We source biological amendments like worm castings and beneficial microorganisms from local suppliers to support the health of the whole ecosystem above and below ground. The diversity of our cropping plan allows for elaborate crop rotations that prevents imbalances from developing in the garden. Our crops are hand tended and harvested which allows for intensive cultivation and extremely high productivity on our small acreage.
The farmers
With an arts and humanities background, Mark came to full-time farming in 2014 after years of travel, cultural study, and artmaking. He was fortunate to catch the wave of information about no-till farming practices which was just starting to be available at the time, and believes that the commitment to no-till growing has been transformative in securing the sustainability and quality of the process. Relentlessly curious about plants and developing relationships with the widest possible diversity of plants across the seasons and years, he has been focused on discovering and implementing the most regenerative practices that can consistently improve the health of the garden over time. The growth of the farm has provided an opportunity to share this knowledge and practice with the next generation of farmers and support them as they learn their craft. With a team of over a dozen farmers each year, Esoterra is a place for farmers to cultivate their relationship with plants and the land.
Our top restaurants
