We're FAMOUS!

A few weeks back Mike was approached by PA Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture to do an interview about Veterans working in farming. Together, Mike and his boss developed a program as part of the "on the job training" GI Bill benefit and gained the approval of the PA Department of Education.  Since then the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette picked up the story and further interviewed Mike and his employer.  It's a great article and I am so proud to have him not only to be highlighted in our community but also help inform others about these programs and benefits. Hopefully this exposure will help us move forward with building a network and meeting other Veterans who are interested in a farming career.  Click here to read the full article

Check out PA Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture as well as their founding chapter WV Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture on their Facebook pages.

Steaming Compost

It seems that no matter how much we throw into the compost pile its never enough! We gotta come up with a way to make this a drop off point for local landscapers. It's nice to see steam coming out of it though, and the rabbit poop has been keeping our compost pile hot.  Here's a picture of Mike expanding the area, so we can have three piles; allowing for one to break down completely, one for the carbons and one for the fresh stuff.

Greenhouse flooring project

After leveling out the dirt inside the greenhouse we now needed flooring. Not only to prevent a muddy mess but also a way to help cut back on weed growth. We decided to continue to take advantage of our huge pile of bricks, left over from a building knock down. A few weeks ago we used them to make a small pathway in front ofthe rabbit hutches but with so many more left we thought they'd be perfect for the greenhouse. They are an optimum flooring for greenhouses as they are good for drainage as well as heat retension.

This was a family project and we put everyone to work! It once again reinforces our mission to "use what we got", cost effective (free!) and with a lot of hard work, i think it came out pretty good!

Spring has sprung?!? NOPE

Mike has started a few early season seeds indoors with the help of a grow light...and in the past couple days we have started to see a few sprouts!!

Spring has sprung!! With the taste of fresh herbs on my mind I grab the dog and head outside...to this:

Guess it was wishful thinking but its never too early to dream!

Seed Overview

The nice weather has made us all excited for the upcoming season and I can't wait for these delicious veggies! Here is a list of the seeds we will be planting this year...

Solar Dehydrator Project

After much research Mike decided to recruit his father and his woodworking shop to recreate a solar dehydrator he had seen online.  We decided to try drying some of our produce this year in the hopes to help cut down and waste and also to start making homemade products such as dried herb packets and dehydrated fruits!

This was the model that he chose to follow...

Thanks to his dad's hardwork, they came and delivered our solar dehydrator last weekened...a perfect weekend to test it out as it was almost 60 degrees on Saturday.  Good news is they clocked the dehydrator at about 120 degrees, bad news is apparently the apple slices looked too appealing and didn't make it to their photo shoot!  We'll have to try again so I can take some before and after pictures.  More to come!

Greenhouse is up!

After a long weekend, and helpers coming from out of town, our greenhouse is finally up!  The kit was purchased at Harbor Freight and with a few modifications was ready to go after 3 men and 12+ hours! You can find a link to the kit we purchased here: 10 ft x 12 ft Greenhouse

Mike will have to add his additional comments later but for now I thought you'd like to see pictures of their handywork!

Hello World!

What We Do

Roots of Labor's mission it to build a strong community of people who share in our vision to take back control of our food and our lives. We offer all natural produce, speciality products as well as a place to share, educate and inspire our fellow food rebels. 



Together lets take back the power by developing a strong network of people who can work alongside each other to create natural, healthy and local food options for our families and neighbors. 



Another important aspect of Roots of Labor is our passion to help those around us. As a Veteran family we are always concerned with giving to those Veteran's that need help. Therefore, part of our proceeds always go to Veteran communities. We advocate hiring Veterans in the workplace and hope one day in the near future to create our own Veteran Farming Program.

About Us

Our family made the decision to leave the hustle and bustle of our CT home, in a suburb of NYC, and move to the Pittsburgh area in pursuit of living life the way we want to live it...by doing what we love! Pennsylvania has given us the opportunity to have land and space to set down our roots. Pittsburgh is an amazing city that we were immediately drawn to with it’s growing awareness in sustainability as well as it’s innovative food scene and the surrounding communities that support it.

Following in our ancestor’s footsteps we left our stomping grounds to focus on our dream of making a better life for our family. We want to teach our children how to earn an honest living, support family and community, learn the fundamentals to survival and happiness. Gardening is the perfect example of this; plant the seed, nurture it, deal with difficult obstacles, and make adjustments for a successful future.

Nonno once told me, "Go to school, the pen is lighter than the shovel."  I chose the shovel.  -M.M.