Our last class of the season is in one month. Join us! Dahlia Flower Arranging Class Thursday, September 7, 2017 | 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. September boasts some of the season’s most luscious blooms: dahlias. Bring your favorite bottle of wine and come create a farm fresh dahlia centerpiece at Finding Eminence Farm.   Though our farm is normally closed to the public, during this class you’ll get a farm tour and be able to harvest giant, fluffy dahlias as the golden sun soaks over you as it sets. Audra will then lead you through each step of creating a stunning, abundant centerpiece to take home and enjoy. This is a beginner level course and guests are welcome to bring their favorite adult beverages. Space is limited. Class will be held through rain or shine. Photos by Rachael Schirano Photography.

Mwelp. It happened. Lincoln went almost four years without an Emergency Room visit. Almost. He fell on his arm Friday night, he cried and we consoled him, but also told him to walk it off. After snapping pictures of one of the bridal bouquets from this weekend, I gave him his bath and he couldn’t put his arm into his shirt. I called the 24 hour pager hotline of our pediatrician (which I’m pretty sure was solely set up for first time parents) and the Dr. said if he were her child, she’d taken him in to be x-rayed. Of course, this is all occurred after Prompt Care was closed. We took him to ER, they told us he was fine, no breaks and sent us home. Fast forward to today….we receive a call from the ER charge nurse. An Orthopedic Dr. had taken a look at his x-rays, he does indeed have a small fracture. We drive back into town to get an arm sling, which is a hilarious suggestion that a three year …

One of our most exciting new ventures on the farm this year has been growing micro greens. As we continue to try to identify and establish markets for our micros, we’ve found that quite a bit of education of consumers is needed.   So here’s the deal with micro greens.   Micro greens are immature versions of the fully grown plant. Most of our micro greens are harvested within two weeks of being planted. Most are still in what is called the “cotyledon” stage, which means that the plant hasn’t even gotten its first “true leaves.” These little beauties are jam-packed with flavor, and perhaps more importantly, all the nutrition in that seed that was intended to help the plant fully grow. Studies have shown that micro greens are loaded with nutrients, such as vitamins C, E, and K, lutein, and beta-carotene, 40 times that of the mature leaves of the same plants. At this moment, we are growing a “mild micro mix,” which is a mix of all sorts of vegetables like kale, cabbage, broccoli, …

**Edited 7/4/17** I received an email from the family that helps to maintain this church and property and would like to apologize. I originally called this church abandoned, which wasn’t fair. While services are not held regularly at this church, it still remains a staple of the community and many people have helped to maintain it, including raising the funds needed for a new roof. We very much understand how hard work and determination are key elements in keeping something special. Calling it abandoned on my part undermined the progress of many people. Just because I didn’t see people in the church, doesn’t mean it’s abandoned.** Tucked in the corn and soybeans is an 150 year old church that sits on the prairie of central Illinois. This church is where Arden and Josh decided to exchange their vows. Sara Gardner Photography joined us and captured what it takes to make something sacred look overgrown and loved. The flower installation for this church is one of the most magical things we have been trusted to do. …

How do you run a small farm and have sanity at the end of the day to be a good family unit? I’m not really sure, we’re very much running this show with a “fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” mentality. We don’t have it all figured out, I’m not sure we really want to have it all figured out. And quite frankly as grey hairs keep creeping onto my head I’m pretty sure NO ONE has it all figured out. But we’re slowly learning how to make this farm work for us instead of us constantly working for this farm. I can’t stop thinking about this article I read a few weeks ago called “Darwin was a Slacker and You Should be Too”. To save you the time of reading the article heres what it’s about: Charles Dickens, Henri Poincaré, and Ingmar Bergman showed an almost superhuman ability to focus on their work This superhuman ability comes from only focusing on something for four to five hours a day and napping, walking, and resting your brain for the rest …

During the school year, I usually go to bed with a tired mind and a restless body.  These days, though, I’m typically going to bed with a tired body and a mind full of ideas for what needs to get done the next day.  I’m not that old, but it only takes so many 10-12 hour days in a row to remind myself that I’m not getting any younger here.  The work is good, though, and usually provides a tangible result that teaching doesn’t often give to those of us crazy enough to keep at it.  Right now, though, this farming thing seems pretty crazy.  After a wet and cold spring, we were a little behind on our planting schedule.  Now, though, we’re struggling to get seeds to germinate with all this incredibly hot and dry weather we’d had so far in June.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s been absolutely beautiful weather, but a little moisture would go a long way.  And it’s amazing how different 80 degrees feels compared to 90 degrees, especially when …

Chris has been hauling major keester in the farming department. We purchased a BCS tractor and it has been a major game changer for us. We’re able to turn stuff over quickly and get plants in the ground more efficiently. We are in major prep mode as we head into wedding season. Our peonies are in their second year and we are SUPER excited to be able to finally cut on them next year. We have even squeezed in a little fun during this holiday weekend. Have a fun, safe holiday weekend friends.