The Woven Trifecta

01/31/2025

Cheers to the little things ☀️

The world is feeling weird, and wild, and wicked in so many ways. The heaviness of it all has been creeping in hard this past week.

Amidst the things that are far out of our control, I find myself embracing the beauty of this space and indulging in the dreams of all that 2025 will bring!
Crop plans are complete, seeds are being seeded, and our energy for this season is high. These are the last minutes of the seasonal slow down before life gets realllllly busy again.

I hope that this season not only brings bountiful food + flowers + fiber to share with you all, but that the farm can provide you all with a bit of an escape with each visit this season 💛🌱

01/26/2025

We’re past the bitter cold days, and into the beautiful blue skies of winter! ❄️

There are a lot of assumptions that farmers hate winter, and while those single digit days are filled with a bit of extra work and a tinge of fear, the average winter day is something to enjoy!

Winter is a pivotal time for the farm - it is where dreams are turned into plans, and where the next season becomes really, really real. While busy with desk work, winter offers a nice slow down, and reset - rest and recovery from the season prior to prepare for the season ahead.
I’ve been curled up reading, writing, and dreaming of all that is to come this season!

I’m grateful to say that we fared the cold snap well - the cats toasty in the greenhouse and the buns enjoying the shelter of the highly tunnel…and the sheep left unphased, as if it were just another day.
I’m hopeful that the cold snap aided us in killing off a fair share of “bad bugs” that we have battled in seasons prior…and maybe some of those pesky annual weeds too.

While a thick blanket of snow still lays over the field, the plans for it in the coming months are as vibrant as ever 🌱

Feeling full from the rest of this season, and eager as ever to welcome spring

01/20/2025

We are embracing rosy cheeks, numb fingertips, and lots of layers as we navigate the forecast!

All of our sweet critters are loaded up with shelter, mountains of fluffed straw, extra food, a few treats, and fresh water fills throughout the day ❄️

Everyone is snuggled up and cozy, looking forward to warmer days ahead ☀️

01/16/2025

“So…what do farmers do in the winter?!”
A common question in the snowy season ❄️
We rest, we plan, we prepare, we thaw frozen troughs and show the critters on the farm some extra love…and if you're this farmer, you luge! 🛷
The past several farm seasons I have offset the traditional winter tasks with working at the Winter Sports Complex… and I LOVE it!
A nastolgic place with so many childhood memories, and now a space to get me outside even on the coldest of days to earn a little extra seed money going into the season 🌱 This place is truly a hidden gem as we embrace the winter in our little lakeshore town.
If you’re looking for some winter fun, sign up for the luge and hang with me and the luge crew! …or lace up your skates on the rink…or step into your XC skis or snow shoes…or just sit by the fire and toast some marshmallows!
Winter is short and this is a great way to enjoy it 🩵

01/10/2025

Trial and error is the name of the game here on the farm. You'll always find me pushing a deadline, crunching a number, or exploring growing out of my zone…sometimes it works great..and other times its a lesson learned 🌱

This past season our tomato crop was late…like really really realllllly late…what should have been a glorious midsummer crop ended up being a delayed (but lovely) fall crop. With the majority of tomatoes existing in our high tunnel, I had to make the choice - keep our tomatoes in to receive a worthwhile harvest, or rip them out to keep on track for fall/winter greens.

Typically I plant out our fall crops in the tunnel around the fall equinox, providing them time to establish in the mild fall climate + the last days of extended daylight.
I chose to keep the tomatoes..and had high hopes that the warmer than normal fall would allow that late planted fall crop the opportunity to catch up on time to flourish.
…and I was humbled! Hoophouse harvests have been small and seldom due to it, but were still grateful for what green exists.. And have some big bolded notes to prioritize our fall succession timing in 2025 🌱

01/10/2025

It’s the last day to snag this deal…and we only have a couple shares left! Help us sell out for the season! 🌼

For additional details + to sign up:
https://thewoventrifecta.com/shop/csa-shares

Lets Celebrate the New Year with FLOWERS 💐

As the holiday season slows down, the planning season is at its peak…and flower season will be upon us soon enough!
The month of Janurary always brings the biggest bills for the farm - securing our seeds, soil, and necessary tools to start up the season. It adds up quick!

Lets see if we can offset these costs by sellin’ out of these flower shares this week!
Head on over to this link for additional details + to purchase

https://thewoventrifecta.com/shop/csa-shares

ANDDD if you are thinking ahead to gifting a share for Valentines Day, Mothers Day, etc, I would be happy to mail you a certificate explaining the gift 💛

This sale is good through Friday!
Looking forward to growing you big beautiful, chemical free flowers this season! 🌻🌻🌻

01/07/2025

Lets Celebrate the New Year with FLOWERS 💐

As the holiday season slows down, the planning season is at its peak…and flower season will be upon us soon enough!
The month of Janurary always brings the biggest bills for the farm - securing our seeds, soil, and necessary tools to start up the season. It adds up quick!

Lets see if we can offset these costs by sellin’ out of these flower shares this week!
Head on over to this link for additional details + to purchase

https://thewoventrifecta.com/shop/csa-shares

ANDDD if you are thinking ahead to gifting a share for Valentines Day, Mothers Day, etc, I would be happy to mail you a certificate explaining the gift 💛

This sale is good through Friday!
Looking forward to growing you big beautiful, chemical free flowers this season! 🌻🌻🌻

01/04/2025

Sweet Poppy girl 🐇
A very welcome surprise to the farm!
We welcomed Poppy to the farm shortly before the holidays and she has been the sweetest addition. She has been enjoying days filled with attending meetings, hopping around with the greenhouse kitties, and relaxing at my feet as I crop plan. - quite literally the most relaxed and loving bun I have ever met!
She has had many adventures as a preschool rabbit and family pet, and now gets to live out her days munching on fresh veggies and enjoying life on the farm 💛
Poppy looks forward to seeing folks at CSA pick up + farm events and visits this season!

01/01/2025

New Year, New Logo ✨

6 seasons in, and the farm has grown and evolved into a bigger, more beautiful version of the dream I started with, and it only seems fitting to give it a logo that represents that.
This logo had been with us since our urban farming days - so much has changed and evolved, that this is hardly the business that it once was.
When I started the farm, I was freshly ✨fired✨from a farm to institution program, managing production for prescription for health programming.
At the time, farming and partnering with the medical system seemed like a sure way to success and stability while living out these farm dreams.
Early on, I learned that health and wellness have mannnnnny different definitions, and that each and every persons definition differs. I found it nearly impossible to align. I also found myself creeping further and further away from that system. Between the chaos of the last few seasons, and the struggle for partnership, I finally looked at the bigger picture and threw in the towel on those plans. These days, I’m growing good food for the community in a way that feels good to me, and that is enough of a definition for me.

As my original plans faded, my true dreams for this trifecta have evolved - field, fiber, and folk. And gosh does it feel good to give up what wasn’t working for what I have really always wanted to work toward.

The field represents all of the good things we are growing - food, flowers, and more🌱

Fiber has been a small part of the trifecta that is quickly evolving, with some fresh endeavors for 2025. Fiber currently represents about 10% of the overall business. However I have plans to ramp it up to 40%. While I’d love to spill the beans on this, that is for a different post on a different day! 🐏 🐇

And folk…bringing together all of the wonderful folk in my community through the Woven Words Blog+Podcast and of course farm events and workshops 🫶🏽

Going into 2025, my visions for this season and the longterm of the trifecta are crystal clear, and I am feeling so so soooo dang excited to share in this new chapter with you!
Happy New Year, Friends 💛

12/31/2024

2024 reflections ✨
Have you ever been deeply invested in a TV show or book series? The kind of investment where you binge-watch episodes on repeat or devour chapters late into the night because you can’t tear yourself away. And then, just as you’re eagerly awaiting the next season or sequel, it finally arrives—and it’s downright underwhelming. So much so, you start to wonder: Is this it? Has the magic that once captivated you dissapeared? Was all the build-up for nothing? Was it even that great to start with? Do you stick it out and hope the next one is better or call it quits right then and there?

That’s how the 2024 season felt for me. I went into 2024 assuming it would be a redemption season, a normal season, and a successful season. I expected 2024 to be the season that would have everyone captivated by the changed landscape and shear success. Nothing like the previous two seasons.
The past couple seasons were nothing shy of an action packed drama, and I was sure that 2024 would bring lots of action, little drama.
Wowie was I wrong.
While 2024 brought about some game changing components, it definitely lacked in outward results. We got our well, we expanded our growing space, we extended our growing seasons, we made strides toward organic certification, we sent our story off to a publisher, and we spoke on a number of panels. And while these things are set to shine in 2025, they did not provide many outcomes in 2024.
What I’ve come to realize is that every good show.. every good book… every good story line pulls you in with action, keeps your attention with drama, and often has a little plateau right before it reaches its resolution.
This underwhelming season, like that of many books and movies, was filled with the parts and pieces needed to bring success in future seasons, and I’m concinced that is exactly what is supposed to happen. We look forward to sharing the outward success in 2025 from the inward efforts of 2024. Thanks for stickin’ by our side for another season y’all. I am feelin’ so lucky to be able to do this work and spread the good food…and flower…annnnd fiber love💛
Heres to simplicity, stability, and soooo many good things in 2025✨

12/29/2024

As we wrap up 2024, I find myself in awe of these numbers.
2024 was downright hard - to see these numbers shine through gives me endless amounts of hope and excitement for 2025 ☀️
We hope this next season is filled with more land being used, more crops being grown, more folks being fed…and less buckets being hauled!

Thanks to all who helped make these numbers happen for us 🌱

12/25/2024

Happy Holidays from our little nook of the world to yours 🎄✨
Wishing you all celebrations filled with good fam+friends and good fun, and good food💛

12/21/2024

Happy Winter Solstice! ❄️

The shortest night of the year and by far one of my most celebrated - a true holiday in my heart!

Solstice in many ways is a turning point for the farm, marking the shortest day of the year. While the short, cold days of winter provide rest and recovery from the season prior, the days after solstice will become longer and longer…and eventually warmer and warmer. The perfect recipe for bringing back to life 🌱
Our winter rest will soon balance out with cultivating early spring crops and seeding away for the 2025 season.
It has become tradition to gather amongst good friends, and good food over a farm fire, celebrating the good intentions of the season and the gifts it provides ,all while providing a short escape from the hustle and bustle of the mainstream holidays.
Wishing you all a wonderful, peaceful winter solstice - and looking forward to nourishing you in the days ahead ☀️

12/16/2024

The holidays are right around the corner, and my little farmer heart is so full with early season CSA and market card sales!
These sales are helpful in ensuring I have the funds to purchase the resources I need to make this next season successful + can celebrate the holidays without the added stress of farm financials!
And then there is always the added bonus knowing the gift of good food is being shared 💛

If you too would like to share the gift of good food, CSA shares and market cards are available!
I can mail out certificates and cards through Friday + meet locally up through the holidays!

Head on over to the shop tab of our website or DM to send your food+farm loving friends the gift of good food 🌱

12/15/2024

Reduce🌀Reuse🌀Recycle🌀Repurpose

A theme here on the farm, always, but especially headed into 2025.

As I plan for 2025 I have been finding themes surrounding my values in underconsumption and sustainability playing into the plans.

As the build up and build out of this space continues, it seems as if the projects never end and that the resources are often just out of reach. Creativity has come into play as we navigate these projects, and slowly but surely this place is coming together in a beautiful way.

A big and unexpected project to check off the list this fall was to build out a pump house for our well. Initially we had planned to have all of our well components buried below the frost line, where they would be safe from the elements and out of the way. However, water woes came back to haunt us one last time, with the water table being too high to proceed with these plans. This led us to the decision to build a pumphouse to safely shelter these components from the elements.
As we priced out options, it quickly became evident that a building of a favorable size was well out of my budget and a building “just big enough” seemed pointless to pursue.
Perusing the resources I had on hand, my gaze turned to the mobile market - a dreamy way to sell produce during the pandemic, that has since slowed down in use.
My sweet dad built this for me in between my first and second season. It is an artifact of the early days, and a project I hold close to my heart for both the sentiment, as well as thinking back to that younger version of me, making big irrational dreams a reality.
In recent years, the mobile market has not been very mobile, and while I have high hopes of it once again hitting the road, I realized that at this time it could serve a bigger, better purpose here on the farm - protecting our big expensive well!
So with that we spent the first snowy day of the season unsecuring the building from its chassis, adding insulation, and placing it where it quite literally fits *perfectly*
While not a forever solution, it provides a sense of relief, and has been a lovely reminder that sustainability often begins with reimagining what’s already within reach.

12/12/2024

It has been a busy week off the farm!
We are at the height of conference season, which seems almost as busy as the growing season.
Each winter I try to attend a few conferences to connect with folks, explore opportunities, and learn about the best and brightest things happening in the world of food and farm🌱

This week I was able to attend where I was able to partake in some great learning sessions, network with some stellar folks, AND I had the opportunity to sit on a panel to share my experience in the TOPPS program and the process of transitioning into the USDA label.
Today I am thrilled to be back in the field + behind my desk putting some new ideas on paper! While the next few weeks are bound to be filled with the hustle and bustle of holiday cheer, I look forward to sharing many exciting updates in the new year 💛

12/05/2024

WOW WOW WOW

There is SO MUCH to celebrate today! 🌱

First - it’s World Soil Day! While I could live without a Hallmark holiday, I will certainly go out of my way to celebrate soil! Everything starts at soil level - it nourishes the earth, which nourishes us.
It is such a privilege to be able to work with soil in the way that I do. To connect with it each and every day, and watch it cycle through the seasons. To steward soil is a true gift🪱

AND….

Speaking of gifts, I am celebrating a little extra today after finding out the farm is a grant recipient of a grant ☀️
The financial aspects of farming are often my biggest challenge in navigating the future of this farm - I have big, big dreams - I want to do it all, I want to do it right, and I want to do it with the best intentions. If you’ve followed our story over the past few years, you know we’ve been hit hard with some pretty insane and unexpected struggles , and that it has been challenging to navigate even the most basic of resources, more or less working toward those big dreams. As we work to get back on track, we have a number of BIIIIG investments!
To receive funding in the form of a grant to help offset these investments is truly life changing as a little farmer in a big field, and the gratitude for this opportunity is overflowing in my little farmer heart 💛
We can’t wait to share more on how this funding will benefit the farm this coming season! 🌿