Do you know what you can do with one of those deep irregular lots that dot the Cleveland property maps? Start a local farm. That’s what Eric Stoffer and Annabel Khouri, owners of Bay Branch Farm at 3612 W. 114th Street, did.
They began on land in Lakewood but sold that property to move to their current location. From the street, you would have no idea the farm is there. It’s amazing to walk into the sloping backyard behind the house and see greenhouses, rows of vegetables and tall flowers.
When Eric and Annabel began their farming business, they didn’t have farmer backgrounds. Annabel worked in higher education, nonprofits, consulting and recruiting, and her current job involves career advice, but she grew up gardening with her parents and siblings in rural Vermont. Eric’s parents grew up on farms, but during a long career as a software developer, he was moved to become a farmer after reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
Now, Eric says he’s “never been happier in my life,” and Annabel says her “favorite part about farming is getting my hands in the dirt (despite my hatred for dirt under my nails!) and watching seeds grow.” They learned by reading, working with a mentor, and learning how the soil, sun and seeds come together to grow plants. Farming “takes a lot of effort, knowledge and diverse school sets to make a farm productive and profitable,” Annabel says.
It takes special people to create the space, learn and adapt, nurture seedlings, nourish and sustain growing plants, and end up with a garden of fresh food. I had many questions when I surveyed that backyard that is alive with life, most of them having to do with risk, focus, perseverance and lessons learned.
Farming is an opportunity to become an entirely different person. They had visions, they learned, they persevered. Eric and Annabel use the small plot intensive method to grow vegetables in a small space, a method they settled upon through research and consulting with a mentor. The farm is organic and requires vigilance to promote biodiversity using practices like crop rotation and biological controls when issues arise. On the website, they say they simply pay attention to the “health of the plants and the soil to ensure everything is in balance.”
Farming requires a supportive community. On the evening my husband and I visited the farm, we met other farmers. We met their friends and neighbors. We met people who care about what Annabel and Eric are doing.
Annabel and Eric are not alone in the garden rows — Heather, the assistant farm manager, is right in there with them. She is as new to farming as the Bay Branch owners are. She worked with her father in his vegetable garden, and after working in community development and conservation, she found New Farmer Academy with Countryside Food and Farms, which lead her to dive into a farming career in sustainable agriculture. Good thing — the farm is a big operation.
New this year is a 92′ X 20′ high tunnel that was built to primarily grow greens. “So far this season,” Annabel says, “as a result of this tunnel, we’ve managed to keep a consistent weekly supply of lettuce on hand, which is one of our top selling products.” Business can sometimes be a struggle, as Annabel reflects. “I think coming out of the pandemic, people who can afford to eat out more are doing so, while others may be tightening their food budgets.” She and Eric are grateful for their regular customers, but she says, “Identifying new customers when we don’t sell via farmers markets can be difficult. The seasonality of products and educating customers on that takes time.”
Customers can purchase vegetables, herbs and flowers through the online store, and products can be delivered within a certain distance or picked up at the farm. The online store is open Tuesday at 7pm until Friday at noon, and quantities are limited. Offerings this past week included Swiss chard, leaf lettuce, cauliflower, tomatoes, eggplants, squash, peppers and an array of herbs.
The farm also provides food to local chefs and food businesses and hosts an annual plant sale to help others get started on their own gardens. At the plant sales, they sell a variety of plants in three-inch cow pots made of composted cow manure and High Mowing Organic Seeds. Seeds are still available.
Bay Branch Farms hosts evenings at the farm where people can chill and unplug. Surrounded by the feel and smell of plants, you can nourish your creative self, read, or get to know the Bay Branch supportive network. In addition to the “chill” evenings, the farm offers workshops in flower bouquet making, using dahlias, zinnias, amaranth, ageratum, feverfew, gomphrena and coneflowers.
Go here for more information: baybranchfarm.com
https://www.instagram.com/baybranchfarm
Claudia J. Taller has been writing for Cool Cleveland since shortly after its inception. She is the author of four books and has written many articles for local and national magazines. Find out more about her at http://claudiajtaller.com/.
3612 W 114th St, Cleveland, OH 44111