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2016
City Kids to Farm Interns
Neil grew up near Peoria and Becky grew up in Macomb. We were raised more as city kids and then in college met as interns on Carroll's Timber Edge Farm. Over the next two years, Chuck & Kathy taught us everything they could about how to start our own farm, about community, and they introduced us to the work of Joel Salatin & Polyface Farm.
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2017
War Memorial
We grew the first large garden of our own in our backyard and on some land we borrowed from Neil's parents. Neil's boss then allowed us to set up a farm stand along War Memorial in Peoria, across the street from Alwan & Sons. We also had our first baby.
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2018
Permaculture
We visited the intentional community of Stelle and talked to Becky Wilson of Midwest Permaculture, who gave us some direction and insight into food forests and how they use permaculture in community. That year, we collected as many perennials, fruit trees, and nut trees as we could and grew our corn, beans, melons, and pumpkins using the Three Sisters method of gardening.
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2019
Springboard Market
Using some shelves and grow lights in our basement and a makeshift greenhouse in our backyard, we grew our own garden starts and held a plant sale in our old farmer's market spot. We also raised our first 100 broilers, learning how to butcher them ourselves. Later that summer, we began selling at the Springboard Market, a farmer's market in the Peoria North Valley near downtown, organized and run by Andres & Kathryn Diaz and Rigo & Maria Diaz. That winter, we also moved to Glasford and rented a house and 12 acres from some new farmer friends, Jeremy & Anna Estabrook.
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2020
Polyface & Back to Eden
We travelled to Polyface Farm for the "Lunatic Tour" and got to chat with Joel Salatin. We established a new garden plot, planted several fruit & nut trees, and experimented with the Back to Eden method of deep mulching. We raised about 400 broiler chickens, butchering and processing them ourselves. We also grew to a family of four.
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2021
Elderberry Syrup & Handmade Soaps
We held our first Farm Party, planted into our now more-established, mulched garden, sold lots and lots of organic elderberry syrup, organic handmade soaps, jellies, and partnered with Becky's sister who made organic elderberry gummies, candles and wax melts. In the fall, we moved to the North Valley neighborhood in Peoria, closer to our friends at the Springboard Market.
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2022
Community-Focused Growth
We built a few raised beds in the backyard of our small rental and did some ministry, some community building with the Springboard Market & Peoria Grown 309, and some learning while we saved and searched for a little farmstead of our own.
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2023
Home
We bought a little homestead with two acres and put in a huge garden the very next week, before we had even unpacked our boxes. Two people then offered us chickens, so we built a chicken tractor and began collecting eggs again within the next few days. In the fall, we welcomed baby #3.
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2025
The Good Soil Food Hub
We tried to find a way to combine our love for:
- local, organic and chemical-free food
- regenerative farming
- community and ministry
We decided the best way to do that was to build our own food hub.
It seemed fitting to name it the "Good Soil Food Hub" after the parable of the good soil in the Bible and the seeds that were planted in us as interns and also after the life-giving, carbon-sequestering, and rich, microbial soil produced by regenerative farming.
We offer marketing, sales, and delivery services for our farmers. We also offer direct-to-consumer home delivery and wholesale services to restaurants, schools, churches, and other institutions.
We look forward to working with you!
Join Our Network
Do you love farming, farmers markets, and local, nutrient-dense food? Do you enjoy gardening, but aren't sure how to scale things up? Our network of farmers is always expanding and we truly want to help you succeed.
Like you, we once had the dream to farm and have had to adapt, grow and learn along the way. We believe there is room for everyone to grow what they love and collaborate to make a healthy, sustainable market selling to those who don't really enjoy farming or supply institutions that don't have time or resources to grow their own.
If you want to:
- start farming
- grow your sales
- network with other farmers
- share farming strategies & resources
Then we want to talk to you about how we can help you succeed. Click the button below to contact us.
When you grow, we all grow.