September…PUSH…PUSH

September…PUSH…PUSH

Let’s Keep Those Heads Above Water

IF I HAD AN ORCHARD, I'D WORK 'TIL I'M RAW
IF I HAD AN ORCHARD, I'D WORK 'TIL I'M SORE

I remember listening to this Fleet Foxes song called Helplessness Blues when we were learning how to farm…thinking ‘I don’t know if we will ever get the chance to run our own farm, but if we do, I’d throw my whole self into it’.  Rich and I took a rest after a long day this week and realized…we are here!  Despite the fact that we have yet to build the farm into what we truly want it to be, we are here on our own farm, working the land for a living and raising our kids amidst it all.

And in fact, we are working until we are raw and sore…especially this time of the year and especially THIS year, when we brought a new little guy into our lives and also undertook a very huge project…building a hoop house with 1 1/2 of us while keeping up with market season.  Sacrificing time, energy, and even physical well-being is all worth it to us.  Pushing hard through these first few years has felt a bit like a sprint.  But we are making our way to a sort of finish line which will give us peace of mind and allow us the freedom to enjoy more down time and restore more balance…even during our busy season.  We have been hustling so hard in order to pay off our debt incurred to start the farm…equipment, tons of compost, seeds and supplies, a tractor, a trailer, certification fees, building materials for a cooler…

Part of our deal to each other in jumping in with all four of our feet was that we wouldn’t allow ourselves to feel that stress and continue the non-stop hustle for too long.  If the farm was not able to pay for itself and for us to live comfortably in good time, we would go back to the drawing board of life.  The lifestyle that tending the land together affords us, as well a superb quality of life for the little ones were probably the biggest motivators pushing us to find the way Foxhole Farm could fit into the Dayton economy and thrive.

It takes time to assess what a specific piece of land grows well and what our local market demands…We continue to try to listen to that demand, to make the call to quit growing something that does not prosper in our climate or soil…to become more efficient and smarter farmers while improving the soil…which in turn makes our job of growing healthy food easier.  But we now feel like we are grooving with this land and this community…finding our place in it all.  And it feels like this place is the right place right now and here.  Ah…it feels good.

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PRIME MARKET TIME

To me, this is the time when it is most fun to cook…you can get soooo much locally as summer crops are just right and fall crops are just getting to the market table.  It is the best of both worlds.  Our tables will be heavy with produce at both of our markets through October 18th.

We are working on a pick up location (likely in the Oakwood or Centerville area) so that you can continue to order online and pick up goods through the end of the year.  Rich plans on continuing to bake sourdough and may even dabble in bringing other varieties of bread to market when there is not as much field work to be done.  Shoots and microgreens will be available as well as granola.  We are planning to seed the new hoop house so that we have fresh produce into the late fall and winter.  Stay tuned for what we are going to get in the ground.