Those of you who follow us on Facebook or Instagram may have already seen the exciting news that a building was delivered mid-June that will soon house our in-town Farm Store! This is a huge step for us and something we have dreamed of doing for years. With Gage making the transition this fall from teaching to farming full-time, the time seems right.
We will use the store to sell all of the goodies we currently sell at farmers markets and more. (We will still be at farmers markets, too btw). We will be scaling up production of our produce, especially off-season, to be able to have fresh food to sell for as much of the year as possible. We will also be scaling up the variety of our canned goods we offer as we finalize certification on our kitchen facility at the farm. Lastly, we will be looking to add new products to our store, either ones we make or grow, or products produced by other small-scale farmers and makers.
What we love most about what we do is growing and creating great products and connecting with the people who purchase them. We could not be more excited about the prospect of connecting with more people at the store and offering more great local products for people to purchase. In our current economic climate, we also believe this tiny store can offer locals a little peace of mind that, even if the grocery store shelves are sometimes limited or partially bare, we remain committed to producing food and making it available to those in our community. Food shortages are scary, and we hope the opening of our farm store will help provide some peace of mind that we are committed to continuing to producing good, wholesome, delicious food.
Fact – we would not have made this leap so soon without the awesome partnership and support from our good friends at Ladybird Brewing. Our tiny store is located on their property at 523 Main Street in Winfield. We are excited to introduce some of our farm product-loving customers to their delicious brews and vice versa.
Time line on the opening of our store remains fluid. We are already operating at full-steam this time of year, so scratching out time to finish the interior of the building and get everything up to code is iffy at best. Stay tuned later this month for more info on an opening date.
We would love to hear your input on what hours you would be most likely to shop. We plan to be open at least a few late afternoons/evenings a week, and then on Saturdays and a few hours on Sundays. But we want to make it convenient for our customers, so please tell us when you would be most likely to stop by the store.
Also, if there are local products you would like to see us carry in our store, please let us know.
Prime vegetable season
We have had some of the best produce we have ever grown this year. We had radishes for a few weeks, spinach and lettuce for a bit longer, and we continue to have carrots, kale, swiss chard, beets, potatoes and onions. We have started harvesting the sweetest cucumbers you have ever tasted, delicious green beans, plump and juicy blackberries, summer squash, and finally … TOMATOES! Winter squash, okra and fresh cut flowers are coming soon.
Goat Update
Here comes the news that is hardest to share. After nearly ten years of raising goats, we made the decision this spring to sell our goat herd. We sold all but four goats – Daisy, Peaches, Frankie, and Beast, a few of our bottle babies from this year and last. The decision to sell our herd was a financial one, we need more time to focus in on the areas of our farm that are most profitable, since we are hoping that the farm can support one of us full-time.
As soon as the goats were gone, our 8-year-old daughter asked me why I was so sad. I explained to her that just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right decision. It’s always hard to let go of something you have cared for, and these goats received a lot of our attention and care over the last ten years.
We will have a goat herd again some day. But for now, we will enjoy the easy maintenance and companionship of our little bottle babies.
We continue to be at the Walnut Valley Farmers Market every Saturday morning from 7:30-11:00 and the Ark City Farm and Art Market on Tuesdays from 4:00 – 6:30 pm. Looking forward to seeing you all soon at farmers market or the farm store!
From Sarah at Werner Creek Farm
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” Audrey Hepburn
wernercreekfarm.com 