Do you remember when you were younger and those shows would come on? You know the ones picturing what they thought this time period would look like?
Weren’t we all supposed to have flying cars by now? Well that didn’t happen, but what did? What has 2019 brought you? What plans do you have for 2020? Lets stroll down memory lane as we share our year in review and what plans we have for 2020.
We started out the year in January when our farm entered a contest along with Bain Home Gardens (BHG). The winners would be awarded a grant. Our goal was to win funding for a greenhouse which would allow us to create a CSA for the Wiregrass.
Everyone knows that we didn’t win that contest, but we did win! We saw the love and support of our community through many votes and this made us realize just how many of you wanted better access to clean food.
As a result, Kith & Kin CSA was born! We originally had this idea in 2018, but honestly we were scared! Shena of BHG and I researched, we prayed, we planned out a schedule and everything for the Fall of 2018. We even talked to our husbands about it. Ultimately the timing wasn’t right and there were just too many what ifs…..so our idea was put on hold.
When we finally did launch Kith & Kin in February, the community response was overwhelming! It was just so humbling to see how people trusted US to feed them and their families. Honestly, it still really is! Every time our current members renew or someone new signs up, it confirms just how much we’re meant for this farming life.
Planting was done all of February and into March with the exception of our yearly break and then in April, Kith & Kin began. We grew food and we fed families, thanking God all along the way! Every delivery was a success and we were in awe of the things we learned and how much we grew!
Speaking of learning, this is an ongoing process for us and we’ve been able to meet some wonderful people from it. Both Brandon and I have gone to conferences, forums, and classes.
Farming is a science and learning to work within the boundaries of nature and chemical free has truly been amazing. Thank you to those of you who personally went out of your way to contact us, make space for us, and who made sure we knew what to do and how to do it. We appreciate you more than we could ever say!
WE FOUND LAND!
We’ve searched for 2 years and the land we found was a blessing just waiting for us! It was full of trees, but virgin ground was a must. Why? Well because healthy soil is the foundation of life for plants and animals? Hence, this was not something we could be flexible on. Not to worry, we will share our progress with you as it further develops in 2020.
This past September, Kith & Kin had its Fall season and we were ecstatic to have returning members and new ones too! It closed in November just in time for a much needed hiatus, but of course the planting never really stops. Pictured below is just some of what we produced throughout this year.
In the coming months we will continue to baby these greens we have growing and more will be planted. Much colder days are needed for crops like garlic and this usually happens in January. The colder temps help them produce those big garlic bulbs in the Summer.
By way of root vegetables, carrots will be succession planted in January along with radishes, and turnips. We will also have some surprises going into the ground that will be for our members only.
We have acquired some new animals by accident on the farm in the form of moles. We started to see trails of land that was burrowed through and asked some questions. In the 3 years that we’ve farmed on this property, we’ve never had one mole, but now that we do Brandon and I are looking at chemical free ways to evict the uninvited squatters.
Apparently they are looking for bugs….Those they can have, but we don’t want them anywhere near our roots. Our research tells us that they will also feed on roots of plants growing underground and we can’t have that!
If you’ve had experience with moles, please share. We are taking suggestions, ideas, really any chemical free way to prevent them. So far we’ve seen coffee grounds, castor oil, and garlic….all things we CAN do, but we want to do what works!
We have been busy taking inventory of our seed stock and ordering more. Please remember that we grow to order, so if you have a request, let us know. If we can find the organic or heirloom seed and it will grow in our area, we will try our best to do just that.
Our Winter harvest will take place in just a few short weeks. Many of you will be able to grab your chickens that you’ve waited so patiently for and some for the first time. Please let us know your thoughts! If you’ve been looking for a better chicken option, look no further! You can reserve yours here.
Thank you for supporting our family farm this past year! Thank you for trusting our family to feed yours. Thank you for supporting local and spending your dollars in your community.
We hope to bring you so much more in next year, so please stick around for the journey and I will see you next month. Until then…..