Kurt von Puttkammer calls himself a farmer and recovering architect. He made headlines the last two years promoting Calcium Springs Farm in Parleys Canyon and an indoor farmer’s market called Market Hall at Kimball Junction.

Neither project had a location conducive to long-term success and that is what sets his most recent endeavor apart.

Von Puttkammer and his farming partner Karen Hoza recently started a new plot on land she owns in Brown’s Canyon within the Garff Ranch. They are now in complete control of their space and have the support of Summit County.

The new project is called Artemisia Farm. It is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation. That means von Puttkammer and Hoza sell shares and deliver the produce to shareholders.

Each share currently priced at $550 for 15 weeks of produce entitles the holder to weekly box of the farm’s harvest.

Artemisia Farm is also working to get restaurant clients who will buy the produce. So far, one in Bonanza Park has signed up for fresh herbs. But Artemisia Farm will never become a commercial operation, von Puttkammer said.

Summit County is home to several CSA farms producing organic food for local restaurants including High Star Ranch, Ranui Gardens and the Copper Moose. Artemisia Farm is and will stay a smaller operation than these, he said.

“We don’t want to get like a business. I consider it more like a co-op than a business,” von Puttkammer explained. “It’s a personal choice not to be a commercial farm. We want customers who endorse our concept rather than our business model.”

Calcium Springs Farm in Parley’s Canyon was experimenting with some techniques to produce high-quality produce year round in a mountain-top environment. They were inspired by indigenous farmers in Peru. But Salt Lake County would not permit their greenhouses.

The techniques developed from three years of working that land have now been transferred to Brown’s Canyon. One day, von Puttkammer said, he would like to travel to third-world countries and share his techniques for producing vegetables in cold ground with inexpensive greenhouses.

“We’ve definitely ironed out a lot of the quirks and benefited from a lot of our experiments,” he said. “We’ve now implemented and use them on a regular basis.”

In addition to quality produce, shareholders are supporting this innovation and experimentation, he said. not focusing on becoming commercial, Artemisia Farm will put its shareholders first, and in exchange, the shareholders will support their goals.

“We’re looking more for people who really want us versus our product. Our product is secondary,” he said.

It’s not about getting cheaper food, it’s about getting better tasting, and better-produced food, he said.

Unlike other CSA operations that provide a box of whatever is ripe, von Puttkammer said Artemisia Farms will give shareholders more choice. They can place “orders” online of what they’d like to receive that week. If they leave on vacation, they can get more produce another week to make up for it.

Shareholders will receive their first delivery mostly salad greens June 21, or close to it, he said.

To learn more, call 801-509-2829 or email [email protected].