Stonehedge Farm Produce

Today I'm talking with Adrienne at Stonehedge Farm Produce. You can follow on Facebook as well.

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00:00

You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters.  I'm your host, Mary Lewis. Today I'm talking with Adrienne at Stonehedge Farm and her three little kittens in the background. Good morning, Adrienne. How are you? I'm doing just fine.  Awesome. You're in Kentucky? I am. Okay. How's the weather? Hot and humid. Here too in Minnesota. It is disgusting. Yeah.

00:29

Yep. You walk outside and immediately start sweating.  Yeah. And, uh, I got a double whammy going on because our corn is, is tasseling and putting out the  silk on the ears. So I have an allergy to that. And so I am just a disaster this morning. My head hurts.  My head hurts. My nose is stuffed up. like, Oh, I'm going to sound amazing on the podcast. It's going to be great.  Okay. So tell me about what you do at Stonehedge farm.

00:58

Well,  in a nutshell, we raise vegetables. Nice. What do you raise?  A little bit of everything. start our markets generally in April with like lettuces and green onions and spring turnips and radishes and  peas and that sort of thing. And then we continue through the summer with squashes and eggplant and peppers. And that's where we are now. And then we pick up the

01:26

winter squashes like the acorn and butternut and spaghetti squash. do them a little earlier in the season  because they're so good  as a cold soup  or on the grill  and so I like to have them available in the summer. yeah,  absolutely.  So why is it called Stonehedge Farm?

01:50

My  late father-in-law named it because it is bordered on three sides by the old stone fences. Nice. So it is a play on Stonehenge, but it's Stonehedge.  Yes. Great. It sure is. So  this is a family farm? My late

02:13

in-laws bought it in the mid-90s. So it's been, you know, it's been in my husband's family since then.  But,

02:24

So it's not really a family farm. I do come from family farming though. Okay, tell me about that.  My  mom married my stepdad when I was six. My stepdad's dream was to be  a  cattle and tobacco farmer. So at six years old, I was plopped on a tobacco setter and  taught how to set tobacco. And I was tied to more calves than I can remember.

02:54

you know, taming them  to be able to be walked on lead.  And  grew up with a huge vegetable garden and then tobacco went out of fashion. So my dad  took the tobacco buyout and we started raising vegetables together.

03:14

Awesome.  So you're a country girl. Yes, I am. I am an old farm girl. Nice. OK.  So do  you grow your produce just for you or do you sell it at farmers markets or to  restaurants?  We sell  directly to some restaurants. And then  our main outlet is the Lexington Farmers Market in Lexington, Kentucky.

03:40

We sell there four of the five days of the week that it's open. The guys, know, some of my employees do the weekday markets and instead of paying them by the hour or, you know, per market, you know, a lump sum fee, they get half of the sales because I feel like that incentivizes staying on your feet and engaging with potential customers and, you know, the more

04:09

The more  the farm makes, the more they make. So.  I think that's more than reasonable. That's a great marketing plan. Yep.  And it seems to work. But  and then with our leftover vegetables, we have a table at our farm gate that we call the pay what you can table.

04:33

There's a little drop box there you come and you get you know, you get your peppers in your eggplant and  or your bag of lettuce or whatever and then you drop whatever your budget allows in  to the cash box and then that gets that gets given to the crew Fantastic. So you're helping the community and the crew gets paid. Yep Love that. That's great.  So I have a question about

05:02

the produce that you sell to restaurants. I don't know what the regulations are here in Minnesota, so maybe I'll look it up later because we don't do that with our stuff.  Are there certain things you have to do to sell to restaurants?  Not really.  Be eye-catching.  That's about all I can  come up with is to catch the chef's eye because the chefs come to the farmers market.

05:32

I have some chefs that have been buying from me for years,  you know, through multiple restaurants  or through beginning as, you know, as a, as a line cook  coming along with the head chef to now they're the head chef, but there's really no state or local regulations. It's good to have your produce safety.

06:03

your FSMA training done,  but it is not a requirement.

06:11

Okay,  I still have to look into what they are here because we're gonna have metric but tons of tomatoes coming in in about two weeks. My husband planted over 250 tomato plants this year. That's  a lot of tomatoes.  Uh-huh,  and I don't wanna have to throw out a quarter of them, so  I'm gonna look into it and see what's required to see if restaurants want them, because they're going to be amazing.

06:40

And I don't want to throw them out. So maybe some restaurants in the area need to start running the caprese salad. Yeah, absolutely. Or bruschetta. Bruschetta is amazing too. Yes. I'm dying. I can't wait for our first tomatoes to come in because with our first tomatoes, we always make a batch of bruschetta. it's like...

07:06

It's like cold food. mean, yes, you toast the bread to put the stuff on. No, but it's cold food  when it's 9 million degrees outside. Yeah. And it's like, it's like in  May when the first rhubarb comes in,  I get strawberries and I make a strawberry rhubarb compote to put over ice cream.  And then when tomatoes come in, the first thing that I eat with tomatoes is bruschetta. Like these are traditions that are long held in our place.  That's wonderful.

07:36

I wish my husband would eat a vegetable.  Uh huh.  I wish my husband would eat more vegetables. I don't know what it is about men and not wanting to eat vegetables. I don't get it. I don't understand. Now right now my grandson will eat vegetables. If we're eating them,  if mama and Gigi are eating them, he'll eat them.

07:59

So, he's so cute though. So you're Gigi, not grandma? I am Gigi. I love that. have not had any grand babies. I have a grand stepdaughter who I met when she was six. So I haven't had any grand babies. I've got a grand kid. Yeah. So nobody's named me yet. My nickname is Lynn.

08:27

And that's what family knows me as. So she calls me Lynn. So I'm not even grandma Lynn. I'm just Lynn. Just Lynn. Yeah. I can live with that. That's okay. Yeah. Okay. So are you the gardener or are you the director of the gardens or how does that work? I am a little bit of both. I have some things like the eggplant that I just picked though. I'm going to be out of town for

08:54

almost a week, so I'm going to have to teach somebody how to pick eggplant. But I have on any given day between five and eight employees. Okay. I have a couple that I can call in clutch. So that have worked for me for a year. Well, one of them is my daughter. She's worked in a garden since she was four. So.

09:21

You know, I can call her in to help if we have a particularly big harvest day or if some of my regular employees are out of town. See, I employ two sets of brothers. So  when something in the family goes on, I lose both.

09:40

Yep. How big is the farm, Adrienne? The farm is 198 acres. And is that, how much of that do you grow on? We run cattle on the majority of it. Some of it is wooded, know, kind of as a nature preserve that we've left it wooded and we've cut out the invasive honeysuckle and the other invasive plants and left, you know, planted.

10:10

native plants instead, you know, planted golden rod and cone  flowers and butterfly weed  and  native plants. So we've left it natural except for that. And then  about three acres is garden. Okay, cool.  So it's not like you have 40 acres of crop fields. You have a garden. No. Okay.

10:36

We intensive garden about three acres. Very nice. That's a lot of work. It is. A lot of  hand work. Yeah. Especially since our tractor has been down or in the shop since  late May.  So we got the garden in before the clutch went out and  now it's been in the shop for two months.

11:06

Oh no, that's not great.  No.  Okay. So you said you run cattle. Are they your cattle?  No, they are. We lease a lot of the property to  two 30 something guys. They also rent a house from us, but we lease some property and they run steers.  They bring in feeder steers when they're just weaned or just a little bit older.

11:36

and raise them until they're ready  to go out west to feed lots and slaughter lots. Okay, so you're diversifying your sources of income from your land. you  have to. Yeah, I was going to say I would recommend that to anyone who has more than 10 acres. There's a lot you can do  that you don't have to do the work for. My parents have 14 acres  and they have

12:04

two fields, one in front of their house and one behind their house. And  they don't actually rent out the land, but there's a guy who comes and cuts the hay on both fields.  he barters with them. He either gives them beef or venison every fall. So there are lot of ways to make your land work for you.  Yes, there are. There are more ways than you can think of on your own.

12:34

Yep. We're trying to figure out a way to hire a couple of teenagers next summer or actually the summer after this coming summer. Maybe not, but the two summers from now  to help us pick black raspberries because we have black raspberries growing wild in our tree line and inevitably it is really hot and gross when they're ready. And my husband has a full time job and  I don't pick black raspberries. I'm not going out there. It's not my job.

13:03

And I told him, said,  I said, I have things that I am doing, but could we maybe figure out a way to barter produce or pay a couple of teenagers from the high school to pick black raspberries in the mornings  when it's cool? And he was like, that's a good idea. Let's look into that this fall. said, okay.  So maybe we can find some, some, uh, enterprising young people to come do some of the work.  My suggestion is the FFA chapter at the high school.

13:33

Uh huh. Yup. And then he can teach them a little bit about gardening when  they pick berries. Almost all of my employees  have started work either while they were still in high school. I have one that's,  that's just about to turn 16  and, or just after high school, the summer after high school.

14:01

Yup. it's so, this is going to sound really self-serving. It is not the way that I mean it. It is so good for kids to be exposed to this stuff in their teens because I like it plants seeds in their heads about what they might want to do when they get to be a grownup. Yes. Yes. I made a Facebook post about, you know, us not just raising vegetables, but raising young men of women too.

14:31

Uh huh. Because they have, I have watched them  mature.

14:38

much faster than their peers just by the sheer amount of hard work that they're putting in. comparing their take-home pay to their friends' take-home pay at McDonald's, my crew is doing just a little bit better. Good. Because I pay them adult wages. They're doing adult work, so they get adult wages.

15:08

Good, and I worked at a McDonald's when I was 18, 19 years old.  I would much rather work outside than working at a McDonald's any day. Me too.  That constant grease smell about killed me. Yeah, worked in,  well,  while my kids were little, you know, I was trying to raise three kids on my own.

15:35

I worked as a bartender or as a server. I ended up at an Italian restaurant. The smell of garlic still turns my stomach.

15:48

That is so sad because garlic is God's gift. It's not fair.  No, it is not fair.  I still use it and I still eat it. It still tastes fine. It's just the smell of it. Like when I'm cooking, you know, and I have to put the garlic with something else. I cannot just saute garlic by itself.

16:11

It's so strange.  It's a food aversion and it happens.  It took me 20 years to decide that I liked cherry tomatoes because I ate too many of them when I was little and got sick to my stomach on them.  took me 20 years to finally try one again. So yeah, it's a thing. It's definitely a thing.

16:34

stuff imprints on you. It's amazing.  The weirdest things  will make you think of other things.  So, okay. So do you sell your produce at your property too? Or you said you have the pay what you can table? Just pay what you can table.  We do bags of produce on Monday and Saturday. So that's the way a lot of local folks

17:02

that don't want to come to Lexington to the market will get produce from us. It's just  a surprise bag.  On Mondays it's $10 and  it's a bag full of groceries and then on Saturday for Saturday it's 25  because it's fresh from the field. The Monday bag is the things that are left from the market.

17:30

from the Saturday and Sunday markets. That's phenomenal. How far are you from? Is it Lexington that's the next biggest city to you? Yes,  we're only about 25 minutes,  but traffic and parking  for the farmers market can be a pain. So a lot of folks just go to the  Woodford County market, which we don't participate in because I don't have the

17:59

I don't have the folks that want to do market consistently available.  Understand. We're really lucky here because we live in a very small town. Well, we live outside of a very small town  and where the farmer's market is, it backs up to a parking lot that is huge and it's usually pretty empty. So if people want to drive to the farmer's market, there is a parking lot right there. We're so, so blessed on that one.

18:29

Very, very blessed.

18:32

And it's a really thriving farmers market. It didn't used to be, but over the last four or five years, the people that run it have brought in a whole bunch of interesting dynamics. had, I think they had a painting thing for kids this past weekend at the farmers market. Fun. Yeah. And I know they brought in master gardeners.

19:00

back in June, I think, so they could answer questions for people.  So they've been trying to be really creative  on  having something to draw people to the market besides just produce and  meat and flowers.  People want to make the farmers market an event. Yeah. And  that's perfectly fine. That's wonderful if it brings them out and gets them shopping local.

19:28

Yeah. And the other thing is, that it's, it's basically right in town and it's right across the way from the grocery store, which I think is funny because we're basically competition for the grocery store. But if people are coming in town to get bread and milk and they want produce, they, go to the store and then they go to the farmer's market after. Yep. Um, on Sunday where we have our farmer's market, it is in the same parking lot as a butcher shop.

19:58

You know, it's a grocery store, but mainly it's a butcher shop. It's in the same parking lot. And then just across the street is the grocery co-op. So everybody comes and  gets their produce, gets their meats and gets the rest of their groceries just all right there on the same corner.  Exactly. It's a one stop shop. Awesome. Great.

20:27

Do you have any animals  on your property other than the cows?  than the cows?  We had a barn cat who is now an office cat with her kittens. Yeah.

20:43

I have a pet pigeon.  I used to raise quail. I have one remaining quail rooster. He's very lonely. His buddy died about two weeks ago. Oh no. Yeah.  And a fish tank.  No chickens, huh? No chickens because we have a red-tailed hawk who nests right in the middle of the farm.

21:13

who would love to eat chickens.  Yup, that's a good reason to not have chickens. I want chickens so  badly. I love chickens.

21:28

Yep, but it won't do any good to get them if the hawks gonna pick them off. Yeah, I'll just pick them off because she's a very good huntress. And how great is it that you have a hawk that you can watch? have a hawk, have foxes, we have coyotes, lots of raccoons, unfortunately. Lots of snapping turtles in the pond.

21:58

Yep, just an update for anybody who's been listening lately.  We think that our raccoons have vacated the premises on their own. We had a mama and three babies show up a week or so ago. Oh no.  And we got rid of the  sources that we thought they might try to get into and we  shored up our chicken run and chicken coop  and we have not seen the raccoons for at least five mornings now. So I think maybe they moved on to better sources of food. I'm hoping. Hopefully, yes.

22:28

Those babies, oh my god,  so  cute and such  little mischief makers. Yes.  I personally do not like raccoons  because they're destructive just to be destructive.  They'll kill chickens and not eat them.

22:52

Yep. We lost four chickens to these guys, so that's why  I'm doing the update and why I'm thrilled that I think that they have moved because I didn't really want to have to shoot these guys because they were really cute.  Okay, so the mama cat that you have. she a pet or is she an outdoor cat? Well, kind of a combination of both. If you're sitting out on  the patio,  she'll come over and jump in your lap and want some attention.

23:22

But my husband is violently allergic to cats, so she can't be an indoor cat.

23:30

Okay, and I'm assuming that I'm assuming the litter was a surprise.  Yes, very much so.  aren't they sweet though? They're adorable.  How old are they?  About five weeks.  Oh, so they'll be ready for homes here in about three weeks. Yep. I've started posting pictures of them on my Facebook.  Yeah, I wish you luck because I don't know what kind of kitten season Kentucky's having. Oh.

23:59

I have seen so many posts of people having kittens since May that are ready to go. Yup. Yup. It's been like that here too. Yup. And we were going to get some kittens from a friend, but they can't catch them because they're, they're barn cats. Yeah.  And then they had a line on three from a guy whose cat or his barn cat had kittens. And then they decided they wanted to try to find people who would  take them in as actual house cat pets.

24:27

And I was like, no, I'm not looking for a house cat pet.  have two outdoor cats and I want at least two more.  And I said to my husband yesterday, said, you know, maybe we just stick with the two male cats we have this year and we look at kittens next year.  He was like, that's okay. They're keeping up with the mice. I said, okay, we're just going to stick with the two. We're going to stick with the two guys.  Yep. One of them we got at the Humane Society four years ago.

24:55

And they told us that he was feral, he was  mean,  and no one would ever be able to touch him. And he's my son's best friend.  And then the other one is almost a year old. He's from the last litter we got from the mama cat that disappeared last year. Yeah.  And his name is Fluffy Butt because when he was a baby, he was exceptionally long-haired. And he blew his coat this spring and he looked naked.

25:24

And he's super friendly too, so we're good on cats, right?  They may be my favorite thing outside. We have a dog too, who is my favorite creature that lives inside. She's a pet. She's a watchdog. Yeah. But the cats, I just, love watching them play. They just, they eat the hell out of each other and then they curl up and take a nap. Yep.

25:53

Yep, the kittens  are  at that stage where they'll,  you know, they'll bite hard enough that they'll make the other one squeal.  And, but yeah, they're, they just  absolutely beat the heck out of each other. then,  you know, curl up a nap, curl up the side mama.  All in a ball. Yeah. It's crazy.  Okay. Well,

26:20

Other than that, I can't think of any more questions, partly because my nose is driving me crazy and my head hurts. I'm sorry.  Where can people find you, Adrienne? They can find me on Facebook, Stonehenge Farm Produce, or Instagram  at S.S. Produce. Okay.  Or they can find me at the Lexington Farmers Market. Awesome.

26:47

Thank you for your time today. really appreciate it. No problem. as always, people can find me at atinyhomesteadpodcast.com.  Thanks again, Adrienne. Thank you. Have a great day. You too. Bye. Bye.