HIEBERT FARM

Written by Terri Schmidt, Co-op Volunteer Writer

The Hieberts bought their house, with its 2.5 acres on the outskirts of Lewiston, in 2014. Nicolas and Teresa felt it was time for a change, as they had their first child the same year. Nicolas has always loved to garden and Teresa loves animals, and the farm was more of a hobby at first. They soon realized people were willing to pay good money for high-quality produce and that providing it for others would be a beneficial service to the community. Moving from a hobby to commercial farming allowed them to supplement their income so Teresa could stay home with the baby. Their production of produce and their family have both grown over the years; the couple now has three children: seven-year-old Shiloh, five-year-old Timothy, and three-year-old Eli.

The three Hiebert children love to roam about the farm and assist their parents with the produce. Nicolas said it is interesting that they will turn their noses up at kale on a plate on the table, but will stuff their faces with it out in the garden. He said, “It’s the thrill of hand to mouth eating.” The family loves the rhythm and seasonality of their lifestyle: a time to plan, to plant, to harvest, and to rest. In winter, when farm work is on hold, Nicolas says the children look out the windows and say, “I can’t wait for fresh apricots and strawberries.”

Nicolas works hard at amending the soil, noting that plants give back what you give them; he says that as you get more minerals back in the soil, the plants are more nutritious for our bodies. The farm does not use any herbicides or pesticides, which he explains means giving some part of their crop to the bugs. He mentioned that in Eastern cultures people actually purchase produce that has some bug bites on it, because it indicates a healthy plant that hasn’t been treated with chemicals.

The Hiebert Farm produces a variety of produce. They grow food to support their family first, then provide fresh vegetables and fruit to commercial businesses, neighbors and friends. Their main contribution to the Moscow Food Co-op is delicious heirloom tomatoes. Nicolas said Lewison is a prime growing spot with its longer warm season and good soil. Nicolas says he got his green thumb from his father. His dad still grows tomatoes in Grangeville where Nicolas grew up, and Nicolas marvels at how much better the tomatoes grow in the valley. Nicolas says, “You can spit on the ground in Lewiston and it grows a tree.” The Hieberts have a greenhouse, but there are some crops that will grow year-round outside.

Nicolas loves saving seeds and has heirloom tomato seeds from when they started the farm in 2014. He says some vegetables are harder to get seeds from and the couple likes to try new varieties, so they also purchase seeds from places like Johnny’s Select Seeds, Baker Creek, and High Mowing Seeds. He says the high-quality seeds are pricier, but it’s worth the cost to have quality organic seeds. Nicolas loves seed catalogs and finds poring through them can be addictive.

Nicolas and Teresa both earned degrees in civil engineering, Nicolas from the University of Idaho and Teresa from Washington State University. Nicolas works full time as a State of Idaho water quality engineer, in addition to working the farm. He said, “We are engineers by profession and farmers by passion.”

The Hieberts really enjoy providing for the Co-op and appreciate the Co-op’s commitment to selling local produce. Nicolas says contributing food to the Co-op is “sharing with friends we don’t know–bringing life, sustenance and a little bit of love to them.”