A Harvest Granting

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Research continues to demonstrate how inextricably linked human health is to the health of the microbes in our gut. The gut microbiome plays vital roles in our digestive, immune, and emotional health and overall well-being. Soil, like our gut, also has a microbiome, which supports the health of the plants growing in it. And just our modern industrial age has done much to destroy key microbes in the human gut (think processed foods), we have also damaged the soil microbiome through overuse of chemical herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers and fungicides, deep tillage—and the failure to add organic matter back to the soil upon which the desirable microbes feed. To correcting these conditions—all of which are reversible—we are working to transform scientific discovery into innovative and disruptive technologies, products, and knowhow that are extensible to small farms everywhere. Our research and demonstration farm aims to advance critical understanding, and to make the learnings practicable at any scale to help yield abundance in every sphere of life.

A Harvest Granting bridges interdisciplinary research and commercial application with the goal of optimizing agricultural resources in the production of fine, microbiome-enhancing organic produce. In addition to enabling the generation of relevant (and potentially royalty-bearing) IP, we also support hands-on, experiential learning of best organic practices and small farm management for students of every age. Additionally, products processed on the farm will be distributed nationally under the A Harvest Granting brand and sold directly to the public to support our operations and “agripreneurship” programs.

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Our Partners & Collaborators (Pending)

The Farm

Our remarkably diverse five-acre property enjoys full southern exposure and comprises orchards, large-scale garden areas, rolling hills, a wetland, large pond, salmon-bearing stream, and several structures and other improvements to support our larger community-oriented objectives. Our interests include small scale farm technologies, development of new approaches to vertical and small-space farming, beekeeping/apiculture, poultry management, “smart” farming (via sensor technologies and AI), greenhouse innovations, experimental farming field trials, and applications of the Spatial Web to small farm operations (our app, agriverse.ai, is in development). Additional research interests include new thinking in development economics for small-scale farming.

A Harvest Granting is also a working farm, with plans to develop commercial dehydration/freeze-drying, seed cold storage, and other operations onsite to help sustain the property while also providing myriad opportunities for learning. To all these ends, A Harvest Granting bridges interdisciplinary research and commercial applications with the goal of optimizing agricultural resources.

Our R&D is directed to integrated “whole-farm” agricultural schemas (as opposed to the individual components) and focused on small- to modest-sized, sustainable family/community farming. The farm is used to develop profitable farming systems for these farm units.

In the process, we support hands-on, experiential learning of best organic practices and farm management for students of every age.

In short, the A Harvest Granting site provides a rare canvas for myriad agricultural explorations, abundance mindset training, skills development, and more, with ample room for future expansion of facilities and working/growing spaces.

The “Agriverse” App

Overview pending

Support of Wetlands Research

Our pristine wetlands are available for wetland ecohydrology and ecogeomorphology research purposes.

A Heritage Farm Steeped in Bainbridge Island History

A Harvest Granting occupies the original farm created by one of Bainbridge Island’s founding families, the Grows. The private, sun-drenched property inspires all who visit with its uncommon beauty and sense of tranquility. The organic farm features heritage apples, blueberries, lavender, nut trees, a variety of fruit and vegetable cash crops, and the exceptionally rare heirloom Marshall Strawberries. Indeed, one of the most sought-after antique edibles is this delicate berry whose diminutive size belies its explosive flavor. A century ago, largely thanks this berry, Bainbridge Island was known as “the fruit basket of Puget Sound.”

Many Island acres were covered in berry fields, tended and harvested by Japanese, Filipino, and Native American farmers. The Marshall Strawberry was all but phased out after WWII and was finished for good when a fire destroyed the old waterfront strawberry cannery. (Learn more about this fascinating bit of history here: A look back at Bainbridge island’s Berry Cannery (kitsapsun.com)) Today, A Harvest Granting is partnering with the Bainbridge Island Historical Society and local experts to restore this most delightful crop that the preservation group RAFT (Renewing America’s Food Traditions) named among most endangered foods in America.

Tour the Farm in Gallery of Images

The Property’s Main Structures

• The Grow Barn (ca 1933) is an historic landmark on Washington State’s Heritage Barn Register. The pioneer structure features hand-hewn cedar planks and flooring of massive old-growth slabs—and it’s still standing strong. The barn has been featured in local papers for its historical significance—and was celebrated in an iconic Bainbridge Island artwork by renowned painter Joanne Schoener Scott.  

• The 2700 sq ft custom Cottage (ca 2015) provides meeting spaces and will serve various events on these picturesque grounds. The charming 3 BDR/2 BA home is far larger than it appears, with three levels connected via an extraordinary spiral staircase custom-crafted of southern yellow pine. A library, architectural stained glass, wide plank flooring, and other details distinguish this fine structure. Additionally, a harvest table-sized dining room with wrap-around windows brings the outdoors in, and kitchen facilities are sufficient to serve groups. Its timbered portico was sourced from a fallen old-growth fir on the property.

• The 1150 sq ft Carriage House (ca 2018) will house the drying, packing, and canning operations. The purpose-built structure features a functional loft door, ample inventory storage, and office facilities for both administrative and research staff.

As part of our planned building trades training initiative, we will be adding several student-built structures including greenhouses to support the myriad research activities and a large timber framed pavilion for outdoor events, with fully equipped shop in the pavilion’s walkout basement.

Additionally, a large pond (with its own island!) is currently undergoing restoration, to be completed with a stone bridge. The pond is fed by a designated salmon-bearing stream that borders the north end of the acreage.

The magical qualities of this property will be further extended with the construction of a hobbit house, to be built into a prime hillside location on the property. It will serve double duty as a root cellar and a cheese cave.

Dehydrating and Freeze-drying Operations

A Harvest Granting will be establishing modern commercial facilities for drying locally farmed organic herbs, fruits, and vegetables, processing and packaging product under the A Harvest Granting brand, to be marketed nationally. The facility will serve a special collective of Island farmers as a central processing resource. More importantly, our products provide a vehicle for fostering entrepreneurship (and agripreneurship) in young minds as we teach students the principles of creating and bringing new products to market while simultaneously providing a means of sustaining revenue.

About Bainbridge Island

Although it’s just 35 minutes by ferry from Seattle, Bainbridge Island is a world apart. The charming island’s local agriculture is a source of pride for this community of 25,000 residents. Bainbridge Island is well-known for its robust arts culture, boating, trails, wineries, biking, shopping, dining, pubs, and more. In fact, residents boast that gardening is the Island’s official sport! Indeed, there’s something for everyone to enjoy in this wonderful destination. It’s just one reason why Bainbridge Island is one of the country’s hottest real estate markets, with a nation-leading livability score to boot. What’s more, the Island, measuring just 12 miles by 6 miles, is steeped in history. At the turn of the century, Bainbridge Island was a thriving lumber source where tall ships lined up at the Port Blakley Mill to receive their cargoes. As the ancestral home of the Suquamish people, the Island also played host to Captain George Vancouver in 1792. The island even features ancient tribal petroglyphs!