About the Farm

Huckleberry Hill House:

We came upon a quirky old house on Key Peninsula with a little piece of overgrown land where we saw the possibility for a small farm.  The house was built in 1920 probably as a beach type cabin.  It was later added onto in 1952 (and not done very well).  The house and property both required serious help, but we needed the house to be livable right away, so that is where we focused our efforts when we first arrived.  We completed most of the work ourselves using many re-purposed materials.  It has been slow going, but gradually the house has started to come back to life.  Its charms are beginning to emerge.  From the first month we started work on it, people have stopped to peer at this once neglected spot on the Earth.  It was terribly overgrown with tangled Laurel, and when we cut it back, a gentleman once commented, “We didn’t even know there was a house back there.”  Our work still continues, but now we’re turning our attention to the outside because the plants need to get into the ground and growing.

 

Our Herbs:

We have started our culinary and medicinal herb garden.  Knowing that many culinary herbs used for cooking are also medicinal in nature, we enjoy creating recipes that are not only delicious, but also restorative to the body.  Additionally, we make herbal teas that are healing, relaxing and tasty.  We love making green tea blends and see a demand for them, so we are increasing our green tea garden.  We are currently working on a Huckleberry Hill cookbook to share our recipes.

Our Fruits:

Many of the fruits that grow here are time-tested and much-loved such as red raspberries and apples, which are known for their highly nutritious properties.  We also plan to offer unusual fruits like mulberries and kiwi that are powerful foods in their own right.  We're fortunate that many superfoods can be grown in our area.  We have just begun adding fruit to our farm with the planting of paw paw, wolf berry and figs.  We are now focusing our time and energy on getting these fruits in the ground and growing, along with building our herb inventory. 

Land Stewardship:

In a time of unsustainable deforestation, overharvesting and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, we believe in, and practice, responsible land stewardship to keep the synergy of this small, but bountiful place intact.  We grow crops that replenish nutrients in the soil, as well as adding compost and mulch.  We tend animals that are given no harmful antibiotics or hormones and are allowed to roam…cage-free.  Their manures continue the cycle of a healthy and fertile soil.  We use open-pollinated, heirloom plant varieties when possible, and definitely no GMO’s! Our wooded area is home to endangered plants such as Trillium and Goldenseal.  To protect the heritage of native North American medicinal plants, we continue to add others to ensure that future generations will have access to these at-risk historic plants.

Education:

Having taught for many years, I believe education can be empowering, so we hope to educate others in our community about the powerful healing foods grown at Huckleberry Hill.  We want them to be excited about using them and possibly growing their own fruits, herbs and vegetables.  Feeling welcome at the farm and seeing it as a place they can come to for information, relaxation, and connection, is important.  We have gotten a good start with people stopping to chat about about the progress they see here.  

Many opportunities to learn at Huckleberry Hill for both children and adults are in the works.

It is critical to nurture in children a love of gardening and care of the Earth from a young age.  Additionally, with obesity rates and lack of exercise plaguing the youth of our communities, we need to encourage and guide them into a life of wellness.  We are:

• Creating a children’s garden at Huckleberry Hill where children will feel the soil in their hands, learn about bees and butterflies, and watch worm farms in action.
• Planning ways to collaborate with the local elementary schools to bring seeds and plant starts to the children in the spring, so they can experience the wonder of growing plants themselves.   

For adults:

• Classes are planned in - Tea Making, Growing and Using Herbs, Building the Soil, Homesteading Skills and others. 

• At farms stands and events (like the Key Peninsula Farm Tour), we will have the opportunity to chat with people, hand-out samples of our herbal teas and other products.  We will distribute fun and useful information such as our recipes and growing tips for these wonderful healing foods.

For us, this farm is about connecting…connecting responsibly with nature, connecting with our community and connecting the powerful healing properties of food with our everyday lives.