Our connections to the community
We are a proud member of Lakeshore Harvest Country, Inc., a collection of family farms sited between South Haven and Saugatuck along the Lakeshore. We are #15 on the LHC map, and hope you'll visit Lakeshore Harvest Country's website to see the delightful collection of farms and special events planned for 2011. One biggie is the Family Farm Fest on July 23, when our gate will be open and we'll have activities for all ages. Yes, the trebouchet will be operating!
Julie manages the special events for Lakeshore Harvest Country, so here's brief mention of the other ones: Wednesday August 24 through Sunday August 28, all 11 farms plus two delightful quilt shops are hosting a Barn Quilt Shop Hop. Julie has been working on some sewing projects with Cameroonian cloth, and hopes to see avid sewers & quilters at the farm for the Barn Quilt Shop Hop at the end of August. Plus, stop by and see our groovy "pinwheel"-esque Barn Quilt Block because we love wind energy!
Lakeshore Harvest Country is also sponsoring a Bike Tour for the first time ever, on Saturday September 10. There will be a long & short route, with opportunities for farm visits, plus a t-shirt and catered lunch. It's a win-win-win--on your Schwinn!
The Fifth Annual Road Rally takes place Saturday afternoon October 8. This wacky event sold out last year and it's a hoot. The doorprizes are so numerous, I think people get bored, but I think it's safe to say at least 50% of the attendees won something.
Finally, we're having an Autumn Harvest Dinner to raise funds for Lakeshore Harvest Country, slated this year for the lovely Fenn Valley Vineyards & Winery. Surely some of our food will be on your plates, cooked up by our favorite caterer Christine Ferris. Tickets are limited, and $40 per person, available through the LHC Website.
Julie manages the special events for Lakeshore Harvest Country, so here's brief mention of the other ones: Wednesday August 24 through Sunday August 28, all 11 farms plus two delightful quilt shops are hosting a Barn Quilt Shop Hop. Julie has been working on some sewing projects with Cameroonian cloth, and hopes to see avid sewers & quilters at the farm for the Barn Quilt Shop Hop at the end of August. Plus, stop by and see our groovy "pinwheel"-esque Barn Quilt Block because we love wind energy!
Lakeshore Harvest Country is also sponsoring a Bike Tour for the first time ever, on Saturday September 10. There will be a long & short route, with opportunities for farm visits, plus a t-shirt and catered lunch. It's a win-win-win--on your Schwinn!
The Fifth Annual Road Rally takes place Saturday afternoon October 8. This wacky event sold out last year and it's a hoot. The doorprizes are so numerous, I think people get bored, but I think it's safe to say at least 50% of the attendees won something.
Finally, we're having an Autumn Harvest Dinner to raise funds for Lakeshore Harvest Country, slated this year for the lovely Fenn Valley Vineyards & Winery. Surely some of our food will be on your plates, cooked up by our favorite caterer Christine Ferris. Tickets are limited, and $40 per person, available through the LHC Website.
Other items to note about our life & the Farm...
We'd like to reiterate a few items and explain a few other matters right here.Contact us at 269-639-1970 or Julie's cell is 269-214-1227 (the signal can be lousy at the house and at the farm, life in the boondocks). The farm is located at 991 62nd Street just north of 109th Avenue in Casco Township. If you're using GIS, the mailing address is Pullman, MI, 49450. When coming by highway (I-196), take the Pullman Road exit off of I-196, Exit 26, and go east about 4 miles, then turn north. First driveway on the right, about 1/8 mile down.
Produce Bags: If you are interested in receiving produce grown & produced by us and farmers we know, sign up for our emailed announcements by sending us your email address. There is never an obligation to buy and the bag contents and price change week to week. And we also ask you to book your purchase each time: "Deliver every time" is flattering but it makes us nervous (in a good way). We are interested in expanding our bag delivery to Douglas/Saugatuck. If you have a cottage or home there and would like fresh produce conveniently delivered, contact us!
We have beef for sale a few times each year. To get on our "beef" list, contact us by email or call us at 269-639-1970.
Julie is not selling at the South Haven Farmer's Market in 2011. Julie WILL be selling at the YMCA Farmer's Market in downtown Grand Rapids each Thursday from 3 pm to 7 pm. The YMCA Farmer's Market is located near the GVSU downtown campus, off of Lake Michigan Drive, visible from the "s-curve" through downtown. The address of the Y is 475 Lake Michigan Drive NW, or visit their website.
Julie Cowie & Will Hart, despite having different last names, are happily married to each other and have been for five years+. They have two lovely teenaged daughters, Anastasia & Marina, who have little interest in farming. Which is fine.
A commercial kitchen is in the works for the farm, and the septic field has been completed. Demolition of the old farmhouse has begun, and the ordering of a new dumpster is imminent (or so Will claims). We hope to be cooking on site in 2012. Until then, we are licensed to cook at McIntosh Orchards & Winery's approved kitchen.
Both Julie and Will have other jobs. Will is the Improvisational Craftsman and his welding skills have recently been put to use on jobs for the US Government and the City of Holland. We are excited that a piece of artwork he's been working on with a designing friend may be entered in ArtPrize. Stay tuned! Will has also designed a Temple-Grandin-blessed (well, we think she would love it) goat gate/milking apparatus, and a very smart and affordable cheese press. If you are a farmer with a technical/mechanical need, contact the Improvisational Craftsman who can customize a tool for your need! Will's cell number is 269-214-2249, or better yet, contact us at 269-639-1970.
Julie Cowie is the Clerk of Casco Township, an elected office she has held since 2004. She has been an ordained minister for nearly twenty years (contact her if you're planning a country or beach wedding) with an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. She is a skilled mediator and teaches General Civil Mediation as a State-approved trainer (when not weeding). Julie was a Kellogg Fellow for three globe-trotting years and continues to offer her leadership and organizational skills to a variety of endeavors. If you need facilitation, conflict resolution, or community project management, contact Julie at 269-639-1970.
Thank you for your interest in Improvisational Farmer LLC. We hope to see you at the farm, at the market, or on your back porch when we deliver fresh produce to your home sometime this season!
Produce Bags: If you are interested in receiving produce grown & produced by us and farmers we know, sign up for our emailed announcements by sending us your email address. There is never an obligation to buy and the bag contents and price change week to week. And we also ask you to book your purchase each time: "Deliver every time" is flattering but it makes us nervous (in a good way). We are interested in expanding our bag delivery to Douglas/Saugatuck. If you have a cottage or home there and would like fresh produce conveniently delivered, contact us!
We have beef for sale a few times each year. To get on our "beef" list, contact us by email or call us at 269-639-1970.
Julie is not selling at the South Haven Farmer's Market in 2011. Julie WILL be selling at the YMCA Farmer's Market in downtown Grand Rapids each Thursday from 3 pm to 7 pm. The YMCA Farmer's Market is located near the GVSU downtown campus, off of Lake Michigan Drive, visible from the "s-curve" through downtown. The address of the Y is 475 Lake Michigan Drive NW, or visit their website.
Julie Cowie & Will Hart, despite having different last names, are happily married to each other and have been for five years+. They have two lovely teenaged daughters, Anastasia & Marina, who have little interest in farming. Which is fine.
A commercial kitchen is in the works for the farm, and the septic field has been completed. Demolition of the old farmhouse has begun, and the ordering of a new dumpster is imminent (or so Will claims). We hope to be cooking on site in 2012. Until then, we are licensed to cook at McIntosh Orchards & Winery's approved kitchen.
Both Julie and Will have other jobs. Will is the Improvisational Craftsman and his welding skills have recently been put to use on jobs for the US Government and the City of Holland. We are excited that a piece of artwork he's been working on with a designing friend may be entered in ArtPrize. Stay tuned! Will has also designed a Temple-Grandin-blessed (well, we think she would love it) goat gate/milking apparatus, and a very smart and affordable cheese press. If you are a farmer with a technical/mechanical need, contact the Improvisational Craftsman who can customize a tool for your need! Will's cell number is 269-214-2249, or better yet, contact us at 269-639-1970.
Julie Cowie is the Clerk of Casco Township, an elected office she has held since 2004. She has been an ordained minister for nearly twenty years (contact her if you're planning a country or beach wedding) with an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. She is a skilled mediator and teaches General Civil Mediation as a State-approved trainer (when not weeding). Julie was a Kellogg Fellow for three globe-trotting years and continues to offer her leadership and organizational skills to a variety of endeavors. If you need facilitation, conflict resolution, or community project management, contact Julie at 269-639-1970.
Thank you for your interest in Improvisational Farmer LLC. We hope to see you at the farm, at the market, or on your back porch when we deliver fresh produce to your home sometime this season!