Open Air Farms

04/11/2024

A Farmer’s Lament & Tribute to…

GREENS 🥬🥬🥬

Last year (2023) we were focused on getting water to the farm, cover cropping, planning bed space, figuring out power, building infrastructure, and other not so fun and tasty things. While we did experiment with some field potatoes, squash, and pumpkins, we had… NO GREENS!

By no exaggeration, we have truly missed our beloved GREENS! There’s nothing like harvesting fresh greens for a meal just minutes before you sit down to eat! YUMMY! We grow for community AND that includes US, too. So this Spring (2024), as our very first batch of greens come in, we have been adding them to EVERY MEAL! The FLAVOR, the CRUNCH, the FRESHNESS! How does it get better than this?!?

Sharing is caring and we can’t wait to get out greens and more to your home! See you soon in TC 🥬🥕🍅

❗️We might even make a couple appearances . We’re still traveling between Detroit and Up North (if you need a lift sometime, let us know)

09/28/2023

Just before Summer’s end, WE DID IT! And we’re still buzzin with excitement and gratitude! 

Last week the FARM FAB 5, a magical team, came together to construct the LARGEST structure to date on Open Air Farms… a 30x72 high tunnel!
🚛 That’s the length of a SEMI-TRUCK
🏈 That’s 1/4 the length of a FOOTBALL FIELD
🌱That’s over 2,000 sqft of year-round GROWING SPACE

We quite literally worked from dawn to dusk putting this tunnel together in 1 DAY:  
- Digging trenches 
- Assembling arches 
- Connecting purlins & baseboards 
- Securing walls 
- Pulling (with ALL our strength) the roof over the top of the tunnel 
This team of magical✨humans has laid the foundation of years worth of produce to come! Thank you doesn’t even begin to express our gratitude. 

🎉Hip Hip HOORAY🎉 to the : Jaz’s Mom, our friend Claira, Tom, Ris & Jaz 

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Open Air Farms is for sharing, the door is always open to join us. We love hosting folks on the farm, showing the vision, and welcoming support to bring that vision to life.

You’re invited! 

08/25/2023

JOIN US 9/21…. in 3 WEEKS we’ll be RAISING A BARN- kind of!

✨Well it’s actually a HIGH TUNNEL but barn raising sounds pretty cool (one day). will be guiding us and 6-10 friends and fam through a FUN DAY of building. This high tunnel will be the LARGEST building on our farm to date!

❓Why… high tunnels are ESSENTIAL tools for how many smaller farms our size make it ALL happen. They allow us to (1) grow into the chilly snowy Winter months of Michigan and (2) get a jumpstart to Spring. And with a changing climate that increasingly rolls in heavy down falls and strong storms, tunnels (3) offer needed protection for our crops (aka your future crops). For these reasons, we have plans for building several more tunnels in the future.

ℹ️THE DEETS
When: Thursday, September 21st
What: BARN RAISING (aka high tunnel)
Where: Open Air Farms (Cedar, MI- 20 min. from )
Who: YOU! Our friends, fam, and community
How: With the guidance of our friends

🏠Lodging: We have a couple of options for friends coming from down state (and out of state)… CAMPOUT ANYONE?

➡️DM us to RSVP and/or ask questions. SHARE and invite a friend!

Pictured: Jaz, Ris, and friends that came up for a week to prep beds, ride tractors, attempt to assemble a walk-in cooler, and take in the beauty of Thank you Addie & Rory 💗

(📸 .hejtmanek )

01/08/2023

Happy New Year y’all! We’ve missed you and hope to see more of you in 2023💗 Before we put the pedal (and petal🌻) to the metal this year, we want to share our 2022 wrap up with everyone via a good old “Roses & Thorns.”

As some of you know, we’ve had to step away from the farm for the past few months. To be honest, we’ve been in over our heads- quite literally with tomato vines climbing over our heads and not so literally with piling priorities and life changes. So here we go…

2022 - Roses & Thorns

🌹Roses = felt good!
- We grew MORE flowers, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes than we have ever grown
- Jasmine found a better fit for work and accepted a NEW remote role back in education
- We made the largest purchase of our LIVES - 20 acres of agricultural land just minutes from Lake Michigan
- An opportunity to contribute to .detroit

🌵Thorns = not so great…
- Lots more flowers grown than shared
- We struggled to manage growing at multiple properties and with multiple distribution outlets
- A lot more pressure and stress from our full-time jobs
- Underestimating developing a raw piece of land in a new community hours from our home
- Stepping away from community and support systems, not asking for help

We’ve been working on a vision for 2023 (and beyond). And when we know more, we’ll share more and possibly ask for your help. What we can say… New Year. New Farm… kind of :) Thank you friends, talk soon!

06/27/2022

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own. And I am not free as long as one person of colour remains chained. Nor is any one of you.”

-Audre Lorde

We farm for community and our community urgently needs ALL us right now. Help protect reproductive freedom in Michigan, sign the petition to amend Michigan’s Constitution and vote this Fall

We have lots of farm updates. But like so many, our hearts are heavy right now. We are doing what we can to fight for reproductive freedom and support our community

05/28/2022

How do we ever leave the farm?! We wet our PLANTS (and sometimes our pants).

Water automation y’all, that’s how. Our irrigation system consists of 100ft rows of drip tape and several overhead sprinklers all intricately connected to a timer. It’s a multistep priority project at the beginning of each growing season. And between testing water connections and adjusting sprinklers, IT GETS WET- plants, pants, and shoes! But sooo worth it 🙌🏾

Having automated irrigation allows us to sneak away from the farm, like this weekend 😊 While we celebrate the nuptials of friends (and our own anniversary) we’ll be rest assured that the farm will stay in operation even without us. When we get back, we hope to be met with lots of peas, kale, and beets to harvest… and of course some pesky weeds to pull

We wish everyone a safe extended weekend ☀️🕶

05/11/2022

Farm to YOUR table 🍽
TASTE the seasons with a weekly CSA (aka fresh veggie box) 🥬🌶🧄🥦🍅

All of our produce is chemical-free and sustainably grown right here in Detroit, MI. This is our 3rd growing season and we’re excited to share all the fruits (well mostly veggies) of our labor!

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) AKA weekly veggie deliveries are our way of sharing the array of FLAVORS that come from the growing season. Eggplant, bell peppers, shish*tos, snap peas, cherry tomatoes, salad greens, kale, squash and more.

Enjoy locally grown seasonal produce EVERY week! Share with a friend and DM us with any and all questions. Every bit of support counts. Thanks so much to everyone that keeps growing!

Signup link in bio ⬆️
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FULL SEASON (20 WEEKS + bonus week)
June 6 - Nov. 7

HALF SEASON (10 WEEKS)
June 6 - Aug. 15
*Sept. 5 - Nov. 7 (available in July)

DELIVERY
Thursdays 1pm-4pm
Saturdays 9am-Noon
*Delivery included throughout Metro Detroit

05/02/2022

Seasonal eating? What is it? Do you do it? 🌶🥦🥕🍅

Well let’s start with the fact that for many of us, we don’t have to think twice about eggplant or pineapple being available in December (in Michigan). Large grocery stores and e-commerce have made it so we can access just about anything at any time. We can pretty much prepare any meal all year long. Thinking about what’s in season based the time of year and where we live, isn’t all that necessary.

To simply put it, ‘seasonal eating’ is just that- eating with the season. It’s similar to how we innately know to layer up when weather gets cold and trade in our insulated snow pants for shorts when things heat up. Eating seasonally, is adjusting our meals to embrace the unique flavors of each season.

If you’re thinking…hmmm this doesn’t sound like a novel idea 💡 You’re RIGHT! But in a world where we have any and everything at our fingertips, seasonal eating requires a bit more intentionality in our meal planning. And that extra bit of intention can have HUGE impacts…
- FRESHNESS // seasonal produce is often harvested within a couple of days (even HOURS) before sale
- LOCAL // purchasing from local farmers is an investment in the local food eco-system, jobs, and community
- ENVIRONMENT // with seasonal produce being close home, it doesn’t require as many resources and fuel to make it to market

Even if ALL our produce isn’t ‘in season’ a little goes a long way! Seasonal eating is an opportunity to add fresh produce and meal diversity while also supporting local agricultural. It’s pretty cool what can happen with a little extra intention. So, as you begin trading in those snow boots for sandals, maybe start considering what you’ll begin to trade in at the dinner table too…leafy greens are great options this time of year 🥬

04/16/2022

A ‘done’ something is better than a ‘perfect’ nothing
- Many, many wise folk

Embracing the imperfect is something farming continues to teach us. And it is a lesson we NEED to learn. It’s been a lesson of grace, humility, and kindness. We’re all measured against so many unrealistic expectations or compared to levels that took folks years to build up to; in addition to the ever-present systemic inequalities.

So yes… of course we have all said “When I get to it” “One day” “It’s not the right time.” We get it! I mean starting the farm with full-time jobs and no training wasn’t ideal, we’re still failing forward and figuring it out everyday. And before that, the little step we took was raised beds in our backyard. So maybe it’s not about one BIG step but more about doing anything to begin taking the little steps, even if sometimes we stumble.

⬆️ This was Jaz yesterday at 11pm wrapping bouquets… we had to be up by 5am today.

Our first Saturday this year, first time growing tulips, and first time processing and packing them. Is it perfect? No… Is it done? Yes… Will we get better? YASSS!

Let’s try show a little more kindness to ourselves and those we encounter; commend action over perfection; and honor our future selves by taking the little steps today.

Happy Market Saturday y’all! 💐💐

04/09/2022

Spring is FINALLY Here!

And so are the tulips! We are so excited to see the tulips starting to bloom! Reserve your delivery- we think you’ll love them just as much as we do!

Click here for an update from Open Air Farms!

03/07/2022

It’s been a while since we’ve introduced ourselves, so before the season gets incredibly busy, we are going take some time to help you get to know us- the people behind the farm🥬🥕🌷🍆🥒🌻

First up is Farmer Ris. Ris is a person of few words so this will probably be short and sweet 😊 Ris likes a lot of things (and is kind of a jack of all trades), but being outside kind of sums it up. Growing up in Hawai’i shaped their perspective on how intertwined we are with the environment.

The outdoors looks A LOT different in Michigan than in Hawai’i, but Ris has made the best of it. Now why would someone from Hawai’i take up residence in Michigan (a state that gets 4 good months of weather- if we’re lucky)?!?! Seasons ❄️🌷☀️🍂 It’s the anticipation of our backyard peonies blooming in Spring. Enjoying patio beers and BBQs with friends. Camping Up North. Slowing down and bundling up in the Winter (especially since Ris keeps the thermostat at 58 🥶)

But why farming??? According to Ris, farming has given them the connection to the outdoors that they’ve been missing. It’s also allowed Ris to grow some of the food they grew with back home- ginger, bok choy, bitter melon, eggplants, and some of the peppers we grow are inspired by foods commonly used in dishes in Hawai’i.

It’s been a labor of love these past couple of years and we are both excited to continue growing and sharing produce with all of you! Aloha 🤙🤙🤙

03/02/2022

Hi friends! As we begin to creep out of our semi- farmer hibernation, we thought it was about time for pre-spring ‘hello’ 😊

Over the years we’ve grown more and more appreciative of Winter. We hope everyone has had the opportunity to slow down a bit and sink into these cool months. We’re grateful to be able to take this time to reflect and recharge.

We’ve also quite literally taken Winter to get our house in order with 🔨 And in between projects we’ve been reading, researching, participating in virtual classes, crop planning, and ordering seeds! We’ll be growing some “new to us” crops and varieties… even some FLOWERS 💐

One of our BIG goals this season is to share more about our farm (and life), who we are (dedicated and a little goofy) and what we do (regenerative farming and lots in bee-tween). So if you’ve ever been curious about how that salad made it to your dining room table, lettuce show you 🥬

Hip-hip-hooray to our 3rd growing season🎉warmer days☀️ even more 🌽-puns and fresh Open Air Farms produce + flowers in your homes very soon!
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Please consider donating to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine 💙💛

10/13/2021

National Farmer’s Day was yesterday🧑🏼‍🌾👩🏾‍🌾And in celebration we’d like to share more about our BIG NEWS…

While we have been fortunate to begin our farming journey through leasing, it has been a goal to purchase land. Just a few weeks ago we became land stewards of 1/4 acres on Linwood St, right off Grand Blvd and just West of Henry Ford Hospital! We are so looking forward to getting to know our neighbors and hosting folks at our new location very very soon…

In fact, come plant some tulips and garlic with us THIS Saturday🌷🧄 🌷🧄We’re inviting neighbors and friends out to help prepare for an amazing Spring 2022!

Open House + Farm Day // October 16, 11am-4pm
- Tulip and garlic planting
- Cider + Coffee + Donuts

10/07/2021

It’s Fall y’all🍂And as the seasons change so does the harvest. Anyone interested in seasonal eating?

Our sustainable farming journey has made us think a lot about this question. Seasonal eating offers the opportunity to enjoy the freshest produce, grown by local farmers- LIKE US! It’s also a great way to change things up throughout the year.

We’ve probably prepared eggplant 100+ different ways this summer, so it’s about time for some change. On to leafy green salad, bok choy stir fry, and lots of soup.

Embrace Fall and eat with the season by:
- Joining our 10-week Fall CSA! Weekly or bi-weekly. Home delivery or pickup. CSA starts THIS weekend - link in the bio ⬆️
- Visiting us at on Saturdays! Please come with recipes to share😊

10/07/2021

It’s Fall y’all🍂And as the seasons change so does the harvest. Anyone interested in seasonal eating?

Our sustainable farming journey has made us think a lot about this question. Seasonal eating offers the opportunity to enjoy the freshest produce, grown by local farmers- LIKE US! It’s also a great way to change things up throughout the year.

We’ve probably prepared eggplant 100+ different ways this summer, so it’s about time for some change. On to leafy green salad, bok choy stir fry, and lots of soup.

Embrace Fall and eat with the season:
- Join our 10-week Fall CSA! Weekly or bi-weekly. Home delivery or pickup. CSA starts THIS weekend - link in the bio ⬆️
- Visit us at on Saturdays! Come with some recipes 😊

07/26/2021

Calling all farming friends! Last week gave me the most amazing birthday gift- a choose your own farm gift! Now the question is- what to get? What did you find to be the most impactful tool on your small farm?

(Sugar included in the pic because she’s the cutest!)

07/23/2021

Year 2 of farming has definitely been a tough one. Our spring crops were devoured by pests and the first summer crops destroyed by heat/rain. But of course the weeds prevailed. Luckily with farming, every season is a chance to start fresh and it looks like this fall will be our best season yet. This week we have been focused on getting the fall crops ready to go and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s about to come.

If you would like a sneak peak (and would like to get your hands a little dirty 😊), come by the farm on Saturday from 2-5PM for some Farm Olympics. We’d love to see you!

04/27/2021

Tomorrow is supposed to be 80 degrees here in Detroit- and it's still April!!! So, what better 'thyme' to release our Early Summer CSA Sign Up!

Our first CSA of this year will begin June 12th and run thru August 14th. But, what can you expect from the CSA?

Each week of the CSA, members will receive a generous bag of produce (enough for 2 people). For this round, we will have a lot greens, roots, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and other specialty produce. There will be options for farm pickup and for delivery (delivery options available for Detroit, Ferndale, Royal Oak, and surrounding areas on the Woodward Corridor).

If you'd like to learn more, sign up for our mailing list below and we will get you added to our weekly newsletter. You will receive updates on what's happening on the farm as well information on veggies being grown for the CSA. Billing will be in late May prior to the start of the first week.

https://forms.gle/nJZ1noWisZaQ2wrt9

Thank you for supporting our local farm!

03/21/2021

Happy (Belated) Spring Equinox!

We spent the day getting beds ready and moving tarps- there’s no workout like moving a 30’x100’ tarp! Here’s a sneak peak at our future flower and herb beds🌻

03/20/2021

Thyme to turnip the beet!!! We are back at it!

We got a slower start to the season as our lease was up in the air, but we feel confident we will be able to continue farming at our current location for the duration of the year- while we wait for the sale of our new farm land to close 😊 Lots of things are in the works and we couldn’t be more egg-cited! (Even the chickens are helping prep beds)!

Be on the look out for late spring and early summer CSA information coming out this weekend!

02/05/2021

Meet Rosy and Bitty! These two Brahmas are MASSIVE. But don’t let their intimidating size fool you- these girls are the sweetest, calmest hens!

Even though they rarely leave each other’s side, they have their own distinct personalities. Rosy is an extremely gentle bird with a very soft coo. Bitty, on the other hand, has a squawk so loud that we can hear her in the house (with all the windows shut)!

And while they generally don’t move that fast, there is nothing more entertaining than watching these two run towards some fresh fruit 😂

02/03/2021

That look when the groundhog determined we had another 6 weeks of winter 😳

While we wait for spring, we figured now would be the perfect to introduce ourselves and our furry/feathered friends!

Meet Caroline, the olive egger! She’s our most prolific egg layer- even during the winter, she’s laying 5 eggs a week! She brings the personality to the flock and will even fly 40+ ft to avoid touching the snow. She loves long walks through the garden, but watch her carefully because she’ll steal the treats out of your hand!

02/02/2021

Happy Imbolc! This week marks the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. We are excited for new growth and the new season upon us.

We have been pretty quite this winter as we reflected on last year and planned for the upcoming year. Speaking of which.... today is a fitting time to announce that we are taking a leap and submitted an offer to purchase a permanent plot of land in Detroit. After renting for a year, we feel that having a permanent place to call home will help us better serve our community.

Look out for much more to come as we embark on this new journey. None of this could’ve been done without all of your support and for that, we are forever grateful ❤️

12/22/2020

Happy Winter Solstice! Today we celebrate in darkness, but look forward to the longer, brighter days ahead. The Solstice marks a time of rest- where we slow down and prepare for the upcoming year. This has been a long season and this weekend will mark our last harvest of 2020. Cheers to you and yours during this season! Wishing you all health and happiness! Also, here are some fun pics of the farm showing how we keep our spirits bright- courtesy of Peter Buhr 😊

08/28/2020

You know what’s super awesome? These evening views from the farm. You know what else? Reaching 200 followers for our small farm! This year has been absolutely crazy, but I’m so excited to see what takes root here 😊

08/26/2020

This season has been a season of learning, growing, learning, sweating, and learning some more. There have been many ups and downs and I’ve had to constantly remind myself to stop worrying about being a perfectionist. Luckily we’ve figured a few things out and this fall is going to be super exciting!
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This week, most of the fall crops we started as transplants will be put in the ground and we are officially ready to launch a mini-CSA in Mid-September!
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We will be offering 15 shares for $150. Each share will get you a bag of produce each week we have a harvest through the end of the year.
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Produce on our production list for fall: Lettuce mix, butter crunch lettuce, Spinach, Arugula, Root Veggies, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels, Chives, Peppers, Onion, Herbs, Fall sunflowers, Edible Flowers, Kohlrabi, Kale, and a variety of other smaller crops.
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Reach out for more details and to reserve your share!
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#313

08/21/2020

We’ve ‘bean’ very busy but it’s time to ‘celery-brate!’ Tomorrow we will be hosting our very first farm stand at our farm! We are located on E Kirby St between Chene and Dubois. Looking forward to seeing you there!

This weekend we will have:

•Fairytale Eggplant
•Asian Eggplant
•Various types of Peppers
•Ground Cherries
•Cucumbers
•Kale
•Beans

08/21/2020

Check out this awesome farm stand today! You’ll also find our peppers and eggplant here!

08/14/2020

Check out this awesome farm stand today! We also have some of our eggplant and peppers available here!

07/10/2020

Hey Everyone! This Sunday we will be starting a bunch of seedlings and getting some crops in the ground! If you'd like to come and visit, we'd love to see you! And we will even send you home with some seeds!