Riley Reinke of Filley wants people to enjoy the delicious vegetables that come from Cottage Hill Farm but also wants them to understand how the food is produced.
Reinke explained his mission statement.
“At Cottage Hill, we seek to cultivate environmental and human health through regenerative farming. We do this by raising fresh and nutritious produce for consumers in our local communities,” he said.
Reinke did not grow up in an agriculturally focused family.
“We gardened when I was growing up, and my grandma taught my mom and I how to can corn and green beans,” he said.
When he started college with an engineering major, he stumbled upon a book about organic mini farming. He continued to read on the subject and found himself transferring to an ag business program.
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He slowly expanded the garden and began selling produce to neighbors. Reinke officially started Broken Arrow Farm near Deschler where he grew up. When he moved to the Filley area, he had read about Elijah Filley and his farming practices.
“I changed the name to Cottage Hill Farm to honor Elijah Filley and keep the name of his farm alive,” he said.
Reinke grows around 20 different types of produce and eggs, and last season was his first apple crop. He plans to add more apple trees.
“I grow mostly root vegetables like beets, carrots, potatoes and kohlrabi. Obviously, the standards like green beans and some perennials like rhubarb, asparagus and salad greens. Over the course of the season there are usually six to eight items available,” he said.
Just last year he started sharing information on different produce — how to store them, nutritional information and recipes.
“It’s one thing to grow it, but it is important for people to understand how to properly store it. Because it’s fresh, they will last a lot longer than if they were shipped to the store. It’s one of the benefits of buying local,” he said.
He noted that a lot of vegetables can be eaten raw but also with simple preparation.
“A few ingredients can be a simple dish. It doesn’t need to be difficult. Also, we have produce from spring into the late fall,” he said.
Reinke sells mostly through farmers markets. He is a regular vendor in Beatrice on Thursday evenings and in Lincoln at 48th and Prescott on Sundays. He also serves as the vice president of the PLANT Alliance. Customers can also order on his website and pick up produce at his farm.
He works with Bee Bum Honey, allowing them to place hives on his farm, as well.
More information on Reinke and his farming practices can be found on his Facebook page or at cottagehillfm.com.
