Fort Myers Florida Weekly

Inyoni Organic Farm takes its produce seriously, and customers love it




Weeding carrots in an organic farm takes many hands, including owner Nick Batty, employees Juliana Schnorbach and Tavia O’Keefe, and volunteer Joan Epstein. TIM GIBBONS / FLORIDA WEEKLY

Weeding carrots in an organic farm takes many hands, including owner Nick Batty, employees Juliana Schnorbach and Tavia O’Keefe, and volunteer Joan Epstein. TIM GIBBONS / FLORIDA WEEKLY

On a 6-acre lot off Immokalee Road east of CR951, Nick Batty started Inyoni Organic Farm almost 20 years ago. He now grows about 50 varieties of primarily vegetables as well as some herbs and fruits that he sells at four area farmers markets each week and at his farm.

The harvest currently includes eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and okra.

He will soon have Napa cabbage, broccoli, orange and purple carrots, sweet long peppers, Swiss chard, green onions, dill, cilantro, parsley, jicama and dandelion greens. Strawberries will be available January through April.

Throughout the growing season of October through June, Mr. Batty plants heat-tolerant lettuces such as Batavian, romaine and Boston Bibb, plus four varieties of cherry tomatoes and two of slicing tomatoes.

Baby greens, including arugula and radish, are very popular.

“People like the fact that we cut baby greens in the morning and can have them on somebody’s plate that evening,” he says. “You can’t beat that freshness.”

Nick Batty framed by his tractor steering wheel.

Nick Batty framed by his tractor steering wheel.

Mr. Batty grew up around farming. His father operated an ornamental pineapple nursery on land near where Inyoni Organic Farm sits today.

Mr. Batty started the organic farm after earning a bachelor of science degree in horticulture from the University of Florida.

“It was a time of life when I was searching for something meaningful to do,” he says. “I started to see the organic industry was gaining momentum. It put me on a path.”

He picked the name Inyoni, which means bird in Zulu, because he was born in Africa and liked maintaining that connection. He moved to Naples when he was 10 years old.

As a USDA-certified organic farmer, Mr. Batty is not allowed to use synthetic ingredients as fertilizers or for pest control. He relies on several strategies.

He uses neem oil as an insecticide and fungicide.

He grows flowers that attract beneficial insects such as bees, thrips and wasps that eat other insects.

 

 

During the summer, once the fields are clear of any produce, he plants sun hemp and cow pea as cover crop, which he then cuts back into the soil as green manure.

“It’s a pretty well-known method for maintaining a piece of ground over the long term,” he says.

He practices crop rotation and leaving fields fallow for a time.

He also plants vegetables that grow quickly, like his baby greens that he picks in 40 days. He says the longer something is in the field — such as tomatoes that go through five moon cycles — the more likely the plants are to get a buildup of insects.

Mr. Batty appreciates customers who join his Community Supported Agriculture program.

CSA members pay early in the season for guaranteed weekly pickup of what the farm harvests each week. This helps Mr. Batty with cash flow for items such as seeds, fertilizer and labor.

His staff of two full-time employees is augmented by volunteers, including people affiliated with Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, who trade their labor for a place to stay in an educational exchange.

 

 

“They get to learn about what we’re doing and we get free labor,” Mr. Batty explains about the WOOOF program.

About 80% of what Inyoni Organic Farm produces is sold directly to consumers. The other 20% is bought by restaurants, including The Local, The Bay House and Sails.

Mr. Batty has participated in farmers markets for more than 20 years.

“It’s a great way to direct market to people,” he says. “The customers have been extremely supportive and are people looking for local, fresh food.”

Customers can also order on the Inonyi Farm website each Thursday and pick up items at the markets or the farm on Saturdays. He says about 40-50 people shop this way weekly, including many repeat customers.

“A lot of people want to support local,” he says. “They are getting fresher food and helping have less of a carbon footprint.”

Above from left: Sicilian eggplant that Mr. Batty says has a beautiful color and good flavor, a Fresno hot pepper, and curly kale that Mr. Batty says customers enjoy.

Above from left: Sicilian eggplant that Mr. Batty says has a beautiful color and good flavor, a Fresno hot pepper, and curly kale that Mr. Batty says customers enjoy.

Mr. Batty’s wife, Natalie, plans special events throughout the year. The farm recently hosted a yoga and brunch retreat. On Jan. 9, they will present a farm tour, dinner and concert with Liana Gabel.

“My wife likes to intertwine the farm, good food and entertainment,” Mr. Batty says, adding they have hosted a similar event for about four years with a different musician.

Proceeds will help with farm operations. ¦

In the KNOW

Inyoni Organic Farm

» 960 Deer Run, Naples

» www.inyoniorganicfarm.store

» Place online farm store orders Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for pickup at the farm on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

» Find Inonyi produce at these markets: Bonita Shores Farmers Market on Wednesdays Marco Island Farmers Market on Wednesdays Vanderbilt Farmers Market on Saturdays Third Street South Farmers Market on Saturdays

» Jan. 9: Farm tour, dinner and concert with Liana Gabel. Tickets available now on the farm’s website.

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