Meet the Wongs: Farmers in the Verde Valley
Some of Wong’s Farms prized tomatoes.
“I learned how to farm from subscribing to Organic Farmer magazine and the Maricopa County Backyard Farmer’s group on Facebook,” said Fred Wong of Wong’s Farms.
Tina and Fred Wong are a testament to the hard work, passion, and dedication that is needed to run a small family farm. With just over three acres and a backyard orchard in the rich, fertile land of Verde Valley, the Wongs do most of the farm work minus the occasional helping hand from their family, friends and a few neighborhood high schoolers.
“I had a friend who had a farm in Oak Creek Canyon, and I liked watching how he grew and then gave it away. I wanted trees and to grow food that I could share and give to my friends.”
Fred and Tina Wong at their farm in Camp Verde, Arizona.
We spent a few hours at Wong’s farm and saw the work ethic and care the two invest in each other and in everything they grow. Each morning at around 5:30 AM, the two begin their day on the farm—prepping soil, planting, maintaining, and picking their weekly bounty that then appears at Phoenix’s Uptown Market on Saturdays and the Flagstaff Farmers Market during the summer.
We quickly understood why Phoenix chefs show up at the crack of dawn for first dibs on Wong’s produce - it’s some of the best. Having come from a family of restauranteurs and also owning the Grand Canyon Cafe in Flagstaff up until 2016, Fred understands the value of using organically grown produce and how it makes the best meals.
He shared the secret to growing such great-tasting produce: “Lots of chicken poop.”
Produce Grown From a Labor of Love
The Wong’s produce offerings are steeped in their Asian heritage, fruits and vegetables they eat regularly, and their favorite items to grow. Fred shared that out of the hundreds of items he grows his favorite are tomatoes. Tina, on the other hand, takes pride in their bitter melons —and recently started growing peanuts. Fred showed us the greenhouse he built for his tomato startings and a storage container stocked to the brim with Chinese Winter Melons they had just harvested.
Selling their winter produce bounty at Uptown Famers Market on Saturdays.
Volunteer elephant garlic grew like grass near a walkway, and their home garden revealed the impact the first frost had on their long bean vines and tomatoes. Their backyard orchard consists of two varieties of persimmons, Japanese plums, rainier cherries, apricots, Asian pears, and several varieties of pomegranates. The last batch of persimmons hung from the now barren tree branches. He picked a few for us to sample and they were the best we’d ever tasted.
Tina was busy prepping red and yellow onions for an upcoming farmers market when we met her at one of their nearby farm plots. We walked through their winter rows as Fred showed us the daikon, carrots, bok choy, greens, spinach, butter lettuce, and four types of garlic that were growing fiercely after the frost.
Fred shared tips on seed planting and collecting from prior harvests, which further testified not only to his master gardening skills but to their genuine love of the craft. He imparted this bit of advice as he loaded us up with daikon seeds to plant in our own gardens: “look for the largest seed and plant it for the biggest and healthiest plants.”
Find Wong’s Farm Produce Here:
Uptown Farmers Market Saturdays (bring cash)
Flagstaff Community Market on Sundays in the summer only
FnB - features specialty dishes using Wong’s produce
Tarbell’s seasonal dishes include Wong’s produce
Chef Donald Hawk also picks up seasonal produce for his pop-up restaurants