Seeding the Future
As a society, we are bombarded with endless gimmicks and gadgets that promise to make life easier. We search for shortcuts and get frustrated when something takes 10 seconds instead of six. So when Eva Worden, co-founder of Sarasota’s beloved Worden Farm, casually—no, scratch that—contentedly mentioned how “effortful” the process of researching, sourcing, and creating a tea towel with famed designer Sigrid Olsen was, the word caught my attention like a thunderclap in a quiet room.
Edible Sarasota is full of folks lovingly and passionately explaining the arduous systems and techniques that took them from the ground level to the top floor, but Eva’s relaxed acceptance of the process hit a different note. It must be the farmer in her, who is at ease with long, hard days and setbacks in order to achieve a beautiful outcome. Add to the mix Sigrid Olsen, who comes across as carefree but is one of the hardest-working women you’ll meet—like a swan, who seems to simply glide across the water but is furiously paddling beneath the surface, and you’ve got yourself quite a pair.
“Sigrid’s sensibility and energy is very aligned with ours and we worked beautifully together,” says Eva.
Now, this isn’t just any old tea towel. Created from U.S.- grown organic cotton and dyed with sustainable inks, as well as incorporating many other mindful choices, the soft and vibrant towels are so much more than a kitchen accessory.
“It’s not easy to obtain these items,” says Worden, before explaining the painstaking steps it took to bring the textiles, which are just one arm of Worden Farm's “Seeding the Future” campaign, from conception to completion. The project was a natural extension of Worden’s commitment to organic and sustainable living.
“We wanted to create a product that is as healthful as our organic veggies and we wanted to support fellow organic farmers and the U.S.-grown-and-sewn textile industry. The availability of U.S.- grown organic cotton that hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides, that is then spun into yarn, woven into fabric, sewn, and printed with seaweed-based inks here in the States, is difficult to find,” she continues. “That whole supply chain required a lot of research, but we stayed with it because it matters. It matters to us.”
“Eva approached me about designing organic kitchen textiles,” says long-time Worden Farm devotee Sigrid Olsen, whose iconic namesake fashion brand was one of Liz Claiborne’s biggest labels but has since morphed into a lifestyle brand that can be found in stores from coast to coast. “I love what the Wordens do and I love designing, especially when there is passion and meaning behind what I’m creating.”
The duo chose tea towels because they are so versatile. They can be used as rustic napkins, they’re good for kitchen prep, you can even use them to wrap and store veggies in your crisper drawer. “You’re using organic materials to clean your organic produce, so it’s organic all the way to consumption,” explains Eva.
The Worden Farm “Seeding the Future” initiative is teaches Charlotte Technical College culinary students about organic farming and sustainable ingredients, from cooking to creating foodsheds, and why that matters to the future. “Right now, if you want to eat well, there are few places to do so in the public realm—institutions like schools, hospitals, airlines,” says Eva. “These students are the future of those professions.” The profits raised from the tea towels and future projects will go to directly to support the culinary arts education programs.
“We have more projects underway,” explains Sigrid. “We want to extend the home textiles collection. There’s much more to come.”
Oh, and p.s.: Though the towels are neither a gimmick or a gadget, they will totally make life easier.
