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Grown in San Diego: Skydiving, Parenthood & the Birth of Dassi Family Farm in Encinitas
*A version of this story was originally published on DailyHarvestExpress.com, an online farmers market dedicated to connecting consumers with local farmers.
Patrick and Jennifer Dassi of Dassi Family Farm in Encinitas met while jumping out of an airplane.
Patrick, originally from Brazil, was a skydiving instructor who trained US Special Forces units in San Diego. Jennifer, originally from New York, owned a paint-your-own pottery studio and taught skydiving on the weekends at Skydive San Diego.
They met on a jump, got married, and became pregnant with their daughter Miah. That’s when everything changed.
After 17,000 jumps–sometimes jumping 15 times per day–the wear and tear on their bodies was starting to take a toll. When several good friends tragically died in skydiving accidents, the risks of their profession came clearly into conflict with their roles as parents. The question then became, what to do next?
Patrick and Jennifer were always interested in nutrition and feeding their bodies good-quality, honest food to stay healthy and keep illness at bay. To supplement his diet and feed his interest in sustainability, Patrick dabbled in growing hydroponic vegetables at home for many years prior to meeting Jennifer.
So, when the couple began contemplating their career changes, hydroponic farming seemed like an easy answer.
"I’ve always had a green thumb and it was definitely a way to do something more 'on the ground' than skydiving for the rest of our lives,” Patrick laughed.
At the time, the Dassis were surprised by how few hydroponic vegetable growers there were in Encinitas and in California in general. Hydroponic systems can grow far more produce per acre than field crops, while reducing water usage by 80-99%, depending on the crop. As every Californian knows, water is a natural resource that's in short supply.
In 2013, they found a greenhouse to rent and turned their dream into reality with the launch of Dassi Family Farm.
As with most first generation farmers, the Dassis faced numerous obstacles. The pair started with a half acre farm, much larger than their home hydroponic systems, and soon found that larger scale hydroponics were much different in theory than in practice.
Each day brought a new set of challenges, but they charged forward with the belief that there was always something to learn, a more efficient way of doing any task, and a better way to deliver the best produce available to their customers.
"We believe food should be fresh and high in nutrients. That's the kind of food we grow and eat for our family, and we knew we could make that possible for other families in our community as well," Patrick explained. "Our goal isn't necessarily to grow on huge acreage, rather it's to be efficient and sustainable while maintaining high quality standards, feeding as many people as we can while leaving little if any trace on our earth.”
Today, Dassi Family Farm operates in just under an acre of greenhouse where they use the best principles of sustainable farming to produce certified non-GMO fruits and vegetables.
They've developed their own customized liquid fertilizer regimens that include beneficial enzymes and fungi that maximize the health of the plants and the flavor of their produce.
Since they're growing hydroponically, they can filter and reuse their water, which not only drastically reduces water use, but also eliminates the nitrogen pollution that degrades local water quality and can even cause mass pollution like the nearly 10,000 square mile dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. They take a similarly thoughtful approach to other inputs like pest management.
"It's more labor and expense for us, but we don't use synthetic chemical pesticides, rather we bring in beneficial predatory insects that hunt the pest insects. We also reduce pest pressure by growing really healthy plants. If we absolutely have to, we'll occasionally use OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute)-listed beneficial fungus for integrated pest management (IPM)."
The Dassis and their young daughter work together in their greenhouses and eat the food they grow, so the quality and safety of what they produce is of paramount importance. “Miah is our tomato tester," said Jennifer, who handles all their sales and marketing. "She definitely knows where her food comes from."
The Dassis want other families to know where their food comes from, too. Jennifer has become known among the parents of her daughter's friends as a local food evangelist.
"We're really proud of what we're producing and we think we're doing the right thing. More and more parents I talk with understand that food is medicine, and that they can either invest in what they and their families eat or they can pay for more medical care," she explained. "Once someone tries our produce, they're hooked. Once they taste it, we don't have to sell, the produce sells itself."
Follow the Dassi family’s farming journey on their facebook page, and order their produce at dailyharvestexpress.com.
About the Author
Janis Garcia is a proud grandmother, creative cook and co-founder of Daily Harvest Express. Janis is committed to supporting local farms and healthier communities by making locally farmed produce easier to acquire and enjoy. Fifteen years as a marketing manager in the pharmaceutical industry convinced her of the power of healthy eating to heal the body. After helping a small, family farm successfully bring their lettuce to market, she and her husband started Daily Harvest Express to help other farms sell their products in a farm-friendly environment.
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