The idea of opening Tenfold Farmstand came about because I got addicted to growing our own food and went way overboard! I was growing more than we could eat, can, freeze and dry, and my friends were tired of being given gifts of zucchini. Of course, it's not as simple as putting extra produce out on a table by the road and hoping honest people will leave you money in exchange for it. Here in Sonoma County, CA there are various licenses, permits, training and certification required in order to start a farm-based business. And each category of food requires an additional permit, such as refrigerated items, eggs, honey or canned goods. My stand is kept simple by the fact that it does not have electricity (another permit!), so I harvest the evening before and the morning of farm stand days and sell fresh produce. Tenfold Farmstand is a one-woman business. I do all the farming, harvesting, washing, processing, packaging, accounting, cleaning, stocking, etc. Because of how busy I am growing and preparing the produce, I decided to make my farm stand a self-serve honesty stand. Customers can pay into a lock box or online. When the farm stand is open you'll usually see me working outside, and I try to pop in regularly to chat with customers and restock, but this way I don't need to be continually working in the stand as a cashier.

Figuring out what crops to grow has been an interesting challenge. A few factors play into my decisions: 1) if it doesn't sell will I eat it myself (no thank you, eggplant), 2) is it a product that can be given a second life as a dried/canned/ processed good, 3) is it shelf-stable enough to still look fresh after sitting in the stand for several hours, 4) is it a crop that requires a reasonable amount of time and labor for the return it provides, and most importantly, 5) does it bring me joy to grow it and offer it to my customers? Fresh herbs can be dried and packaged, tomatoes and chiles can be sun-dried, onions and garlic can be powdered, and most of the flowers I grow were chosen because they dry beautifully and can be used in winter arrangements. At the close of business all that fresh produce has to be dealt with. I make a lot of stir-fry dinners and soups with whatever is left over! What has brought me the most joy has been growing fun varieties of pumpkins and seeing families having a great time together picking out their favorites. I hope to expand on the pumpkin varieties next year, but they need a huge amount of space to grow, so I'll need to decide what crops they'll replace.

On New Year's Day my husband and I choose a word we want to be our focus for the year, and my choice this year was "community". Tenfold Farmstand has brought together an amazing community of people who share the same values as I do of locally grown, organic produce with a very low carbon footprint (my produce travels feet, not miles). It has been such a joy to meet neighbors and make new friends and create a community around my little stand. The online social media community has been incredible as well. Friends on Instagram have been so generous with their comments and posts, and that has truly been the backbone of the growth I've experienced. The love and labor I have put into my business has definitely been returned to me "tenfold".

Maria Romo Photography ~ Photo Credit

A lesson in good ol’ fashioned tender and flaky pie crust.

How does a critical care nurse go from a cardiac CICU to owning a 100 year old farm , opening a pumpkin patch, and starting a little pie company offering lessons in pie making? It’s a story as long as that sentence but much more full of joy, passion, dreams and hard work!

Baking runs like sap thru our family tree. My grandfather owned a bakery on the “ave” of our little town in Washington state. My father was a beer drinking electrician, who decorated cakes for the linemen, Girl’s and Boy Scouts, demolay, rainbow girls, church events and all our birthdays. My baking story starts with a membership in high school to the baking club. It was in that club, “busy bakers” that I went as far as to teach a group of grade schoolers how to preplump your raisins to keep their oatmeal raisin cookies moist. A trick my gramma taught me. Baking was my jam!

Gardening moved into my pocket of passions when I was in college and then exploded when I completed the Master Gardener program at WSU. And it’s when the farm was bought in 2001 that it all seemed to be a plan already in place. Just waiting for me to find, follow and enjoy!

A 5 acre 100 year old farm was a perfect investment for my husband. For me,

It was what I’d always wanted. A perfect background for all that was me. With a milking barn and a mulberry tree, the 2 geese were included. I saw it all while we walked the property with the real estate agent. I tugged on her sleeve like a little kid and whispered in her ear just that!

The farm was rich with fruit trees. And with my Master Gardener certification and love for gardening I started adding whatever was missing. Preserving and baking with my bounty. An open field just seemed to expect something to be planted. With all the farm animals I had smuggled in past my husband, it seemed pumpkins were it. Making the whole kit and kaboodle a fun experience for my community. So I opened my gates.

I just completed my 16th year of the pumpkin patch. 16 years of families visiting. I continued to work as an RN until 4 years ago after an injury made me assess my future and off the “real job” cliff I jumped!

And oh my pie! Once I started selling my pie at the farmers market I was always asked how I did it. Like it was magic!

Linda swenson

Coeur d Alene idaho

Thanksgiving on Capon Crossing Farm is a marathon of a few days of meals with family, and friends that are as close to family as you can get. We're likely to have a beef roast on the farm in lieu of turkey, because according to my cattle farming dad, beef is the only "real meat". If our boys have anything to do with it squirrel will be the type of gravy served this year.

My name is Aliza Dunlap. My husband Buddy and I manage and run our multigenerational family farm, Capon Crossing Farm, along with our 3 wild boys in the mountains of West Virginia. We raise grass fed, grass finished, dry aged beef and 100% pastured lamb. We are a family farm in the big transition from one generation to the next. Buddy and I are taking in my parents experience and know how, while implementing our new ideas and motivation. We spend most days together around the kitchen island planning, dreaming and working things out. Thanksgiving on the family farm looks much the same. We're more likely to grab our plates of food and stand around the kitchen island eating and talking, than we are to sit down around a set table. We often joke how Thanksgiving feels like any other day sometimes with maybe a better meal though.

Gardening is one of the most rewarding activities that one can engage in. It’s an activity where your labors are rewarded with bountiful harvests that can be turned in tasty meals for your family. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and besides the opportunity to count our blessings, it is also an opportunity to utilize items that we grew in our gardens this growing season as part of the meal. While most of our Thanksgivings will look different this year because of COVID19 our celebrations can with careful planning include some of our favorite dishes made a bit healthier but just as delicious. If you opt to eat your current version of a Thanksgiving meal do not feel guilty. It is one day out of 365 and if you follow a generally healthy diet one day in the greater scheme of things will have limited impact. If however, your diet could benefit from some changes this article is for you.