Where You'll Find Us
- Restaurants, Wholesale
- Our customers include:
Boat House Waterfront Dining
Castle Hill Inn & Resort
New Rivers
Ripe Food And Events
The Gourmet Goddess
The Green Grocer
The Mooring Seafood Kitchen And Bar
Manic Organic in Portsmouth, RI
organic
Founded in 1999, Manic Organic is
a 5 acre farm run by Nicole Vitello.
Some of our foods are available year-round.
Some of our foods are available year-round.
(401) 480-1403
E-mail
nicole@manicorganic.biz preferred
Web
www.manicorganic.biz
nicole@manicorganic.biz preferred
Web
www.manicorganic.biz
Mail
PO Box 425
Portsmouth, RI 02871
Arugula • Beets • Broccoli • Brussel sprouts • Cabbage • Carrots • Chili peppers • Collards • Cucumbers • Eggplant • Garlic • Green beans • Kale • Kohlrabi • Lettuce • Onions • Peppers • Radishes • Scallions • Spinach • Summer squash • Swiss chard • Tomatoes • Turnips • Winter squash
Bold foods are in season now according to our Harvest Calendar. Call to find out exact availability. Every farm and every season are unique. Most farms are also residences. Unless Farmstand or Pick Your Own hours are noted, please be respectful and call ahead before going to the farm.
Farm Fresh RI regularly revises the Local Food Guide with new information.
Let us know if something is inaccurate.
Farm Profile: Manic Organic by Vhari Neale
Published: March 10, 2005Portsmouth, RI - Manic Organic, owned and operated by Nicole Vitello in Portsmouth, RI, started as a one and a half acre plot almost six years ago. Since then, the farm has expanded to a five acre establishment that grows a variety of crops and sells wholesale to local groceries, markets, and restaurants and directly to the community through a farmers? market and community supported agriculture (CSA) program.
When Manic Organic began, Nicole Vitello was in search of a new job, not sure what she wanted to do. A family member owned an acre and a half plot at the time, which she took over, growing vegetables and herbs. Two years later, a tractor and other equipment were purchased, giving the farm the ability to grow to its current five-acre size and serve a larger audience. The farm grows many common vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes as well as a variety of gourmet greens and herbs and some small fruits. The following year, a large greenhouse was added to Nicole?s operation, so that she could grow early tomatoes and winter greens, like spinach, lettuce, and mesclun. This final expanse allowed her to serve local retailers, and therefore local customers, on a year-round basis with her fresh, organic produce.
ll the vegetables, herbs, and small fruits grown at Manic Organic are certified organic to meet RI Division of Agriculture standards. Organic vegetables are grown without the use of any harsh chemicals, pesticides, or insecticides. Nicole has always grown her vegetables this way because of reduced production costs as well as the numerous benefits to the environment. She also employs rotational planting, in certain crops are placed next to each other in a way that one crop attracts insects that are positive for an adjacent crop, wards off negative pests, and vice versa. In addition, she rotates her crops yearly, leaving a new field fallow or uncultivated to regain nutrients for the following season. The same crop is not planted in the same field consecutively in order to ward off negative pests and insects as well as disease. The above methods work to create healthier fields, healthier plants, and healthier people.
Through the CSA program, people from the surrounding community pay a sum of money at the beginning of each growing season in exchange for a share of vegetables throughout that year. With this direct system of selling and buying, the farmer is guaranteed a market for their crops and the customer is promised a variety of vegetables. The two entities work off of each other to create a very positive relationship. The farmer is guaranteed income to purchase needed supplies and the customer is able to hold the farmer accountable for the quality of their food as well as have a strong connection to its origins. Nicole says, "As development pressure and socioeconomic trends continue to threaten small farms, CSA provides consumers with an opportunity to vote with their dollars in support of a local alternative to an increasing globalization of our food supply."
Although owning a small family farm can be a challenging job for anyone, Nicole thoroughly enjoys her work. Immense satisfaction comes from the eager and grateful attitudes of her CSA members and farmers? market customers when they purchase fresh vegetables from her. All the hard work is worth the effort she invests. She is gratified knowing that she is part of a viable alternative to the commercialized food industry in the country that imports tons of food each day from the far reaches of the world.