Friends of Field and Farm Co: Tiny Tempest Farm
So many of our conversations lately involve people asking us about rural living and small scale farming. They wonder why we chose to leave the Chicago suburbs and pursue the everyday challenges of organic farming. It's because of individuals like Sheri Doyel, who owns and operates Tiny Tempest Farm.
We first encountered Sheri as the facilitator of a year long Stateline Farm Beginnings class we took in 2016 through Angelic Organics Learning Center. In addition to years of knowledge and experience, Sheri brought together producers, distributors, chefs, restaurant owners, marketing companies, and financial experts from all over the region to educate us on the whole picture of small scale organic farming. Coming from corporate America, where everything is held so close to the vest, this format was incredibly refreshing. Certainly a novel thought...work together for the betterment of the entire industry.
Many people have a glamorized view of living in the country and running a farm. The reality is that it's incredibly difFicult, both day to day, and as a means of Financial stability. Sheri was the perfect plumb line for our class, a mixture of dreamers, those trying to Figure out why their farm hasn't been profitable in 5 years, and others just beginning to explore what farming full time looked like. Sheri toed the line of endless encouragement but also instilled the perspective of a realist. She explained the ins and outs of Finances, proFitability, land access issues and so much more. In doing so, she helped us to incorporate those realities into our goals and dreams. We saw her help save a farm from having to close their operation and she inFluenced the core fundamentals of our farm, along with many others.
We had the chance to get out to Sheri's farm a couple times last year for her plant sale and then again for the barn dance she and her husband put on. We fell in love with the environment they have created and the barn dance was one of the highlights of our summer. Many of you will head up to Lake Geneva this summer, so mark down a few dates to go check out Tiny Tempest Farm and support LOCAL!
- PLANT SALE (Saturday/Sunday 10am - 4pm) Organically grown vegetable, herb, and flower plants for your garden. 99% are grown from seed (Rosemary is tricky). Great mix of standards, heirlooms, and always a few new quirky varieties. She'll help get your garden off to an excellent start!
- May 12/13
- May 19/20
- May 26/27
- CLUCK CLUCK CABARET
- Saturday May 19th, 7pm
- $5
- See the latest excerpt from Blair Thomas & Co.’s “Buried Alive with Edgar Allen Poe,” plus pieces by Chicago musician Mark Messing, puppeteer Tom Lee and playwright Greg Allen. This is not a kids show, but kids are welcome.
- BARN DANCE
- Saturday, May 26th, 7pm
- $5
- Lynn Garren caller with Just Us Chickens featuring Howard Strong on Fiddle, Gary Rotramel on banjo, Jordan Wankoff on guitar. All dances taught, no experience necessary. Mostly simple and traditional contra dances, square dance Figures, but also waltzes and other couples dances. No partner needed. Y'all come on out! Soft drinks available. BYOB