Willow’s Story:
I grew up in Nevada City, California, moved away to go to college and pursue other endeavors, and moved back here two years ago with the strong intention of creating a sustainable lifestyle tied to the land that feels like home.  My agricultural passion began with a bite from a Cherokee Purple tomato warm with afternoon sunlight, and was solidified by the feeling of ecstasy in the shower after a hard day’s work outside.

My first growing season I spent working on a homestead farm in Northern California, harvesting blueberries, selling flowers at the farmer’s market, and eating the best peaches in the world.  I   then felt the urge for the expansive views of the desert and spent a year in Boulder, Utah.  I worked at Hell’s Backbone Grill a restaurant devoted to growing a large portion of their own produce.  This experience instilled a deep respect for growers who try to make a go of it in high desert short seasons, and sandy, sandy soil.  I was fully hooked on growing at this point and decided to participate in the six month apprenticeship at UC Santa Cruz known as the Center for Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems.  My time there convinced me that I could possibly have my own farm one day, and I moved back to Nevada City to see if I could make that a reality.  I spent the next season working at Riverhill farm, a local family farm, and began to dream up my own plot of land….

I was delighted last year to finally be my own boss on the one acre “Honey in the Heart” field.

Plan for 2010 and beyond:

Honey in the Heart farm is now part of a new project, a women’s farming collective known as “Soil Sisters.”  This year I am partnering with Maisie Ganz to create a business with the intention of supporting and empowering each other and inspiring other women to trust their own abilities within the context of sustainable agriculture.  We are farming the Honey in the Heart Field, as well as another one acre field known as “Misty Meadows.”  This project arose from the desire to challenge ourselves as women taking leadership roles in small-scale agriculture, and integrate other facets of our lives into the farm such as art and music.  We hope to eventually include as many women as possible who want to start their own agricultural endeavors.

Another extremely exciting aspect of this project is that we are a part of Living Lands Agrarian Network, a non-profit organization set up to support new farmers, create community around growing food, steward agricultural land, and educate eaters and growers .  We are running an educational internship program through this non-profit which will rotate the interns through the four main farm sites, and provide inspiration and community for us all.

Soil Sisters will have a 25-30 person CSA this season and sell at the Nevada City Farmer’s market in a booth with the other Living Lands farmers.  We will also have a cow on the Honey in the Heart field, and be expanding the flower operation.  We will do a 10 week flower share in the mid-summer and hopefully provide flowers for events and weddings.