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greenwich

Beneath a Small Farm Lies a Big Dream

July 20, 2022 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta

 

Bursts of tiny pink, white, and blue hepatica wildflowers signify spring.

For Arthur Kraamwinkel and Melanie Seserman, spring is their farm, Hepatica Farm, a new Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendor. Kraamwinkel and Seserman are in their 50s; the farm is a vision they plan to build in what they call their “third spring” – after earlier careers, after children became adults.

They raise chickens and turkeys on land in Greenwich protected by a conservation easement. The chicken meat they bring each week to market is certified organic, as are the grains the birds eat and the pastures where they roam. The turkey they’ll offer during the holiday season is being produced in a similar way.

This is only the beginning.

“We are trying to make a biodynamic farm,” Seserman says. “In a biodynamic farm, everything is harmonious. So you don’t just have one product.”

“Right now, we have chickens because chickens are a way that you can bring money into your farm and start to build infrastructure.”

As the infrastructure is built, they plan to raise pigs, then cows, and perhaps goats as well as sheep.

The cows eat grass, and the milk from the cows with the fat skimmed off feeds the pigs. Manure from all animals helps nourish the fields, making way for beneficial flowers, grasses, bees, butterflies, and other living beings to thrive.

“It’s about more than raising all these different animals for meat to make money,” Seserman says. “We have a vision. It’s a little ecosystem we’re creating.”

As we talked, Kraamwinkel drove us up the hills to where the chickens and turkeys are pastured. We stepped over low electrified fencing and greeted the birds.

“Why, hello,” Seserman exclaimed. The chickens clucked in excitement.

The birds reside in several large, airy, open coops. They run about, feast on organic grains and water, and forage in lush grasses below them. 

Each day Kraamwinkel hitches each coop to a tractor and moves them to fresh grass. This practice gives them clean grasses daily and helps the full pasture get the beneficial effects of foraging.

The couple sells their meat at farmers’ markets and small farm stores. They also make it available to those who are food insecure through Capital Roots and the Saratoga Farmers’ Market contributions to the Franklin Community Center and Comfort Food Community. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: biodynamic farm, chicken, greenwich, hepatica farm, Saratoga Farmers' Market, shop local

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A wonderful sunny market day! We have plenty of p A wonderful sunny market day!

We have plenty of produce in season, with tomatoes being the star of the show 🍅✨ With dozens of different varieties from our vendors, you’ll find plenty to make shakshuka (recipe on our website from last week!), sandwiches, soups, and more 🙂 

Corn and zucchini are also in season, perfect for a summer salad 🌽🥗

We hope to see you at High Rock Park today from 9-1!
It’s National Farmers’ market week! Stop by an It’s National Farmers’ market week! Stop by and celebrate with us tomorrow from 9-1 at High Rock Park! We will be joined by Saratoga’s Office for the Aging, CDPHP Comfort Food Community, Bicycle Benefits, the Academy for Life Long Learning and CCE Master Gardener! Tomorrows musicians are the Acorns and Running the River 🎉 Hope to see you there!

#saratogafarmersmarket #shopsmall #farmtotable #summer #agriculture #tomatoes #sweetcorn #saratogasprings #farmersmarket
Join us for POP Kids’ Club week 6! 4-H Robotics Join us for POP Kids’ Club week 6!

4-H Robotics Group will be bringing plenty of robots for kids to watch, play with, and even operate 🤖 Along with a larger robot that can be driven around!

We’ll also have supplies out for kids to construct their own designs with some produce and toothpicks 🍎🥦🛠

We hope to see you at High Rock Park tomorrow, Wednesday 8/3, any time between 3-6pm!
🫐🫐🫐 There are so many great vendors and p 🫐🫐🫐
There are so many great vendors and products here today for our Blueberry Festival!

We have…
Blueberry Lime jam from Kokinda Farm
Blueberry Lavender Lemonade from Slate Valley Farm
Blueberry hand pies from Nightwork Bread
Blueberry “woofles” from Mugsy’s Barkery
Adirondack Jill PB (with blueberries!) from Saratoga Peanut Butter Co.
Blueberry stickers
Fun crafts
And more!

We hope to see you today at High Rock, we’ll be here until 1! ☀️

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