We are blessed this year to have an enthusiastic, hard-working, crew. Three of them, Jack, Taylor, and Dane, returned to us in March. It was wonderful to have them back as they were familiar with our place and our practices. So, rather than spending days getting to know the place and learning the basics of our operation, these young men got straight to some of the big projects, including installing four new high tunnels for crop production. Joining the crew this year is Mattias Holzer, who is not a stranger to our farm and family. Mattias used to help us process chickens in the past but, this year, he took over his brother, Hans, as a regular farm help. My Dad continues to help as much as his health allows. You usually find him weeding, doing animal chores twice a day, and controlling the irrigation system. He has been out of commission for a few weeks now but eager to return to the farm pretty soon. One of the highlights of this season has been our stepping up our pasture poultry operation. We are grateful for the extra help we get from friends Saskia Holzer and Sam Hottinger, who have joined us on busy chicken processing days to lighten the days and bring in the fun. Our daughter, Amanda, has been taking care of CSA deliveries. And the younger children, Samuel and Ana, have been helping at Greene Farmer’s market every single weekend since April. Our youngest, Santiago, has taken upon careful watching of all the animals. It won’t be long until he will be farming… And my bride, Maria, egg cleaner extraordinaire, lights everything up with her beautiful smile. My sincere gratitude to all of these people for keeping the farm running strongly. If/when you see any of them, make sure to thank them for the wonderful work they do. Blessings from the homestead.
About the farm
We are a small family farm located in Grottoes, Virginia, serving the city of Harrisonburg and the counties of Rockingham, Augusta, and Greene. We produce high-quality food using sustainable practices and ethical principles of care for the common good. Having witnessed the healing power of good food in dealing with family health issues, we started farming in 2015 in an effort to sharing with others the benefits of fresh, nutritionally-dense food, grown in a clean environment, using integrative agricultural methods. We believe that in order for food to be healthful, the environment in which it grows has to be healthy. To that end, we integrate animal and plant systems in ways that, in their natural interactions, they create an ecological balance leading to abundance and quality.
We grow over 50 different vegetable crops, perennial vegetables and fruits, and raise pastured pork, as well as ducks and chickens, for meat and eggs.
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We grow over 50 different vegetable crops, perennial vegetables and fruits, and raise pastured pork, as well as ducks and chickens, for meat and eggs.