• @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 15/15 Thanks Thank you for watching our story this weekend. Tomorrow @OldCityAcres will be here @LocalFoodSummit. It’s Year Two for our small family. Every time I walk into Argus Farm Stop I read their sign that says greater than 50% of new farms do not survive past their 5th year. We’re very grateful to be part of a local-loving community where that statistic does not have to be our fate. Growing food and marketing it is very hard work, but I’m grateful to be doing this earth work with the ones I love and to be building connection and community around good food and the beauty of nature. Please stop by and say hello at Local Food Summit on February 16th and/or follow the rest of our story @raindanceorganicfarm. With love for the earth and this community, Kristen Muehlhauser #lfs2019 #localfoodsummit #annarbormichigan #slowfood #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #dancingfarmer
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    @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 15/15 Thanks Thank you for watching our story this weekend. Tomorrow @OldCityAcres will be here @LocalFoodSummit. It’s Year Two for our small family. Every time I walk into Argus Farm Stop I read their sign that says greater than 50% of new farms do not survive past their 5th year. We’re very grateful to be part of a local-loving community where that statistic does not have to be our fate. Growing food and marketing it is very hard work, but I’m grateful to be doing this earth work with the ones I love and to be building connection and community around good food and the beauty of nature. Please stop by and say hello at Local Food Summit on February 16th and/or follow the rest of our story @raindanceorganicfarm. With love for the earth and this community, Kristen Muehlhauser #lfs2019 #localfoodsummit #annarbormichigan #slowfood #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #dancingfarmer
  • @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 14/15 Heading into our Second Season This spring will begin our second growing season on the farm. This last week we built a walk-in cooler, and pounded rebar and put up the hoops of our second passive solar tunnel. This weekend has been a crop planning extravaganza as I sort through cut flower varieties and make calculations about space and yield for the 35+ vegetables and fruits we hope to offer our Family CSA members. We are so grateful to be part of this community of growers and eaters who care so deeply about our collective future and about this good earth we share. #lfs2019 #FamilyCSAProject #localfarm #beginningfarmer #storytelling #localfoodsummit #wellness #annarbormichigan #slowfood #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #certifiedorganic #dancingfarmer
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    @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 14/15 Heading into our Second Season This spring will begin our second growing season on the farm. This last week we built a walk-in cooler, and pounded rebar and put up the hoops of our second passive solar tunnel. This weekend has been a crop planning extravaganza as I sort through cut flower varieties and make calculations about space and yield for the 35+ vegetables and fruits we hope to offer our Family CSA members. We are so grateful to be part of this community of growers and eaters who care so deeply about our collective future and about this good earth we share. #lfs2019 #FamilyCSAProject #localfarm #beginningfarmer #storytelling #localfoodsummit #wellness #annarbormichigan #slowfood #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #certifiedorganic #dancingfarmer
  • @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 13/15 Barefoot Princesses Survey Their Tomato Kingdom We put “Organic” right in the farm’s name. It was a commitment. We wanted it to be immediately clear to anyone visiting or purchasing food from our farm that our growing practices are grounded in caring deeply for our good earth. Every creature on the planet is fed from the soil, air, and water we share, and these common resources on this tiny sliver of biosphere around our planet are literally all we have to survive. And all our children will have. We do this work because we want a whole, clean, peaceful world for these next ones who follow us. #seventhgeneration #forourchildren #sustainablenow #regenerativeagriculture #cleanair #waterislife #soilgrown #organicvegetables #organicgarlic #organicflowers #dancingfarmer
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    @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 13/15 Barefoot Princesses Survey Their Tomato Kingdom We put “Organic” right in the farm’s name. It was a commitment. We wanted it to be immediately clear to anyone visiting or purchasing food from our farm that our growing practices are grounded in caring deeply for our good earth. Every creature on the planet is fed from the soil, air, and water we share, and these common resources on this tiny sliver of biosphere around our planet are literally all we have to survive. And all our children will have. We do this work because we want a whole, clean, peaceful world for these next ones who follow us. #seventhgeneration #forourchildren #sustainablenow #regenerativeagriculture #cleanair #waterislife #soilgrown #organicvegetables #organicgarlic #organicflowers #dancingfarmer
  • @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 12/15 Baby Bunnies in the Garlic Patch One of the joys of farming is the opportunity to become long-term stewards of one small corner of earth. We can create habitat for an abundance of biodiversity-- bees, monarchs, snakes, birds, toads, turtles, and earthworms. We can add important infrastructure to extend our growing season. We can offer hospitality to our community and do the important work of educating the next generation about good food, sustainable agriculture, and community building. #babybunnies #lfs2019 #dancingfarmer #biodiversity #beginningfarmer #storytelling #localfoodsummit #wellness #annarbormichigan #slowfood #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #oregontilth #certifiedorganic
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    @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 12/15 Baby Bunnies in the Garlic Patch One of the joys of farming is the opportunity to become long-term stewards of one small corner of earth. We can create habitat for an abundance of biodiversity-- bees, monarchs, snakes, birds, toads, turtles, and earthworms. We can add important infrastructure to extend our growing season. We can offer hospitality to our community and do the important work of educating the next generation about good food, sustainable agriculture, and community building. #babybunnies #lfs2019 #dancingfarmer #biodiversity #beginningfarmer #storytelling #localfoodsummit #wellness #annarbormichigan #slowfood #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #oregontilth #certifiedorganic
  • @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 11/15 The Fruit of the Hoop One awesome thing about making the transition to farming was building season extending tunnels. Tunnels don’t use any extra fossil fuel energy. They’re passive solar. The plastic allows high light transmission and concentrates life-giving solar heat, allowing plants to grow much faster. The materials were inexpensive. The time commitment to build was relatively short (about 1.5 days for two people). The design was so elegant even I could build it (Thanks, @farmersfriendllc)! All the sun-loving summer crops we planted in the tunnel this year matured a month earlier than their field-planted sisters. There is a generation of young and beginning farmers deeply committed to sustainable agriculture who are innovating all the time, finding ways to use less fossil fuel while feeding their communities. I’m excited to see what other sustainable infrastructure we can adapt as our family farm grows. #lfs2019 #localfoodsummit #passivesolar #caterpillartunnel #beginningfarmer #storytelling #wellness #annarbormichigan #slowfood #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #oregontilth #certifiedorganic
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    @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 11/15 The Fruit of the Hoop One awesome thing about making the transition to farming was building season extending tunnels. Tunnels don’t use any extra fossil fuel energy. They’re passive solar. The plastic allows high light transmission and concentrates life-giving solar heat, allowing plants to grow much faster. The materials were inexpensive. The time commitment to build was relatively short (about 1.5 days for two people). The design was so elegant even I could build it (Thanks, @farmersfriendllc)! All the sun-loving summer crops we planted in the tunnel this year matured a month earlier than their field-planted sisters. There is a generation of young and beginning farmers deeply committed to sustainable agriculture who are innovating all the time, finding ways to use less fossil fuel while feeding their communities. I’m excited to see what other sustainable infrastructure we can adapt as our family farm grows. #lfs2019 #localfoodsummit #passivesolar #caterpillartunnel #beginningfarmer #storytelling #wellness #annarbormichigan #slowfood #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #oregontilth #certifiedorganic
  • @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 10/15- We Love to Cooperate The Michigan Flower Growers’ Cooperative (@miflowercoop) is a collective of 20 local farmers working together to offer an incredible diversity of blooms and foliage to local floral designers, flower shops, and brides. Did you know 80% of cut flowers sold in the US are imported? Imported blooms travel by jet fuel & require lots of packaging & preservatives to make it to our dinner tables before their petals wilt. We are working to change that because we care about the environment and because we believe a sustainable future is local. The Michigan Flower Growers’ Cooperative exists to increase the number of Michigan-grown blooms gracing our celebrations & dinner tables. These local flowers are fresher and most often last longer! Local flower farms are also able to offer a greater diversity of blooms because some varieties simply cannot endure shipping. The Cooperative is a new organization that opened for wholesale business just 18 months ago, and the opportunities for growth (and for hosting a public flower market?) are just emerging. #lfs2019 #slowflowers #grownnotflown #localfarm #beginningfarmer #storytelling #localfoodsummit #annarbormichigan #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #dancingfarmer @miflowercoop
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    @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 10/15- We Love to Cooperate The Michigan Flower Growers’ Cooperative (@miflowercoop) is a collective of 20 local farmers working together to offer an incredible diversity of blooms and foliage to local floral designers, flower shops, and brides. Did you know 80% of cut flowers sold in the US are imported? Imported blooms travel by jet fuel & require lots of packaging & preservatives to make it to our dinner tables before their petals wilt. We are working to change that because we care about the environment and because we believe a sustainable future is local. The Michigan Flower Growers’ Cooperative exists to increase the number of Michigan-grown blooms gracing our celebrations & dinner tables. These local flowers are fresher and most often last longer! Local flower farms are also able to offer a greater diversity of blooms because some varieties simply cannot endure shipping. The Cooperative is a new organization that opened for wholesale business just 18 months ago, and the opportunities for growth (and for hosting a public flower market?) are just emerging. #lfs2019 #slowflowers #grownnotflown #localfarm #beginningfarmer #storytelling #localfoodsummit #annarbormichigan #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #dancingfarmer @miflowercoop
  • @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 9/15- The Blooms My friend, Alex Cacciari, at Seeley Farm (@seeleyfarm) generously let me into her zinnia field to cut wedding flowers with her one summer day. I’d never stood in a flower field before. It’s amazing! So much color and joy! I planted my first blooms the following season, and my love for all these new and interesting inedible species has grown greater every year. I used to think of flowers as a luxury that didn’t deserve to supplant edible vegetables in my garden. But after watching tired mothers of young children exclaim over the colors and wonders in the flower field as they harvested bouquets to take home, I’m sold on flowers’ importance. Blooms & vines, sticks & foliage bring nature inside. Maybe they spark a little of the awe and peace and gratitude we feel looking at nature’s vast unspoiled beauty. #lfs2019 #dahlias #slowflowers #grownnotflown #localfarm #beginningfarmer #storytelling #localfoodsummit #annarbormichigan #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #certifiedorganic #dancingfarmer @miflowercoop
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    @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 9/15- The Blooms My friend, Alex Cacciari, at Seeley Farm (@seeleyfarm) generously let me into her zinnia field to cut wedding flowers with her one summer day. I’d never stood in a flower field before. It’s amazing! So much color and joy! I planted my first blooms the following season, and my love for all these new and interesting inedible species has grown greater every year. I used to think of flowers as a luxury that didn’t deserve to supplant edible vegetables in my garden. But after watching tired mothers of young children exclaim over the colors and wonders in the flower field as they harvested bouquets to take home, I’m sold on flowers’ importance. Blooms & vines, sticks & foliage bring nature inside. Maybe they spark a little of the awe and peace and gratitude we feel looking at nature’s vast unspoiled beauty. #lfs2019 #dahlias #slowflowers #grownnotflown #localfarm #beginningfarmer #storytelling #localfoodsummit #annarbormichigan #puremichigan #locallygrown #womenwhofarm #certifiedorganic #dancingfarmer @miflowercoop
  • @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 8/15 We grow garlic-- 24 varieties! Garlic is like apples or grapes in that way. Each variety has its own flavor profile. Some garlic is spicy, some is sweet, some has a higher sugar content so it caramelizes well. We grow hardneck varieties that you just can’t find in a grocery store. They have large, easy-to-peel cloves with amazing flavor. We also grow softneck varieties that will store well and keep us in garlic through winter. We bring our garlic haul on Saturdays from mid-July through September to the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market with baskets, labels, and garlic menus. In winter Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor (@argusfarmstop) also stocks our garlic bulbs and lovely little gift tins with samplers of spicy & sweet varieties. We also post all of our varieties and offer online ordering on our website for local gardeners who’d like to tuck new garlic varieties into their own growing spots.
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    @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 8/15 We grow garlic-- 24 varieties! Garlic is like apples or grapes in that way. Each variety has its own flavor profile. Some garlic is spicy, some is sweet, some has a higher sugar content so it caramelizes well. We grow hardneck varieties that you just can’t find in a grocery store. They have large, easy-to-peel cloves with amazing flavor. We also grow softneck varieties that will store well and keep us in garlic through winter. We bring our garlic haul on Saturdays from mid-July through September to the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market with baskets, labels, and garlic menus. In winter Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor (@argusfarmstop) also stocks our garlic bulbs and lovely little gift tins with samplers of spicy & sweet varieties. We also post all of our varieties and offer online ordering on our website for local gardeners who’d like to tuck new garlic varieties into their own growing spots.
  • @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 7/15 Our CSA: The Family Farming Project Last season we began the Family CSA Project. Its goal is to welcome families into growing spaces in a supportive way. It can be tough to rent a community garden plot and get out there with little ones to weed all summer. We know it's hard because we've tried it! Our farm does the crop planning, weeding, and succession plantings to keep the good stuff coming. Parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends, and kids come to the farm to do the fun stuff! They put on their boots and harvest their share of delicious, organic produce each week. We soak up the beauty of nature together. We give kids shovels so they can dig for purple potatoes. We admire each others cut flower bouquets, cut fresh from the flower field. Folks ask garden questions. We share the joys & woes of doing this family thing. Toddlers eat lots of cucumbers. There are so many awesome farms offering great CSAs in our county. Here is our niche: Member-harvested. The farm opens each week for folks to bring their buckets, baskets, bags and clippers to pick their share. We always have a printed harvest list and a map available so visitors and newcomers know what to pick, dig, snap, and sample that week. They take all the good stuff home. More choices. We have over 30 vegetables in more than 100 varieties in our crop plan. But we know that one difficulty reported nationally about farm shares is that food goes to waste. We do not want to burden anyone with rotting-food guilt. We create the harves list, but let folks choose what they’d like from the harvest list, and pass over anything they don’t eat. Outdoor experiences. Our farmland is relatively new to us, and we are very grateful and excited to be stewards of this land. We have hammocks and chickens, a small play structure and play house, and an abundance of frogs, toads, caterpillars, butterflies, and earthworms.
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    @RaindanceOrganicFarm Story Part 7/15 Our CSA: The Family Farming Project Last season we began the Family CSA Project. Its goal is to welcome families into growing spaces in a supportive way. It can be tough to rent a community garden plot and get out there with little ones to weed all summer. We know it's hard because we've tried it! Our farm does the crop planning, weeding, and succession plantings to keep the good stuff coming. Parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends, and kids come to the farm to do the fun stuff! They put on their boots and harvest their share of delicious, organic produce each week. We soak up the beauty of nature together. We give kids shovels so they can dig for purple potatoes. We admire each others cut flower bouquets, cut fresh from the flower field. Folks ask garden questions. We share the joys & woes of doing this family thing. Toddlers eat lots of cucumbers. There are so many awesome farms offering great CSAs in our county. Here is our niche: Member-harvested. The farm opens each week for folks to bring their buckets, baskets, bags and clippers to pick their share. We always have a printed harvest list and a map available so visitors and newcomers know what to pick, dig, snap, and sample that week. They take all the good stuff home. More choices. We have over 30 vegetables in more than 100 varieties in our crop plan. But we know that one difficulty reported nationally about farm shares is that food goes to waste. We do not want to burden anyone with rotting-food guilt. We create the harves list, but let folks choose what they’d like from the harvest list, and pass over anything they don’t eat. Outdoor experiences. Our farmland is relatively new to us, and we are very grateful and excited to be stewards of this land. We have hammocks and chickens, a small play structure and play house, and an abundance of frogs, toads, caterpillars, butterflies, and earthworms.