March 2025 Newsletter
Hello Mama!
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself since you’ll be hearing from me monthly—and I can barely contain how excited that makes me! My name is Sarah, and I’m one-half of Rainfield Farm. You may have already tasted some of the goodies I’ve contributed to our beautiful program—baby carrot purees, apple muffins, prepared salads, and, most recently, the apothecary products in December’s box and now you’ll be getting to know my “voice” as well!
Nothing has put a pep in my farmer step quite like the FarmHer to Mama program! When the council asked me to be a part of it, it felt like the produce goddesses had smiled upon me, giving me a new way to pour my time, attention, and love of produce into something truly meaningful.
I’ve been farming for 12 years now, and let me tell you—it’s been a real rickety roller-coaster. By year 10, burnout hit hard, and I started questioning whether I wanted to keep going. I got into farming because I love growing gorgeous, vibrant, and unusual vegetables—those heirloom varieties you just don’t find in standard grocery stores. The colors! The flavors! But, as I quickly learned, most chefs, grocers, and market customers weren’t quite as excited about the quirky stuff as I was. To make a living, I had to shift my focus to what sold, and over time, that took a toll on my passion for growing. I’ve always said that if I won the lottery, I wouldn’t stop growing vegetables—I’d just give them all away. Growing food is my passion, feeding people is my love language, and nurturing my community is what I believe the stars have aligned for me as my life’s path.
Enter the NWI Food Council and this incredible program—cue the happy tears and celebratory cheers! Two years ago, I joined as a grower, and now, I’m thrilled to take on an even bigger role, not just growing for our amazing members but also helping this program evolve—including chatting with all of you!
I love this program because I truly believe women hold the key to fixing so much of what ails our society—and at the heart of that are moms and their villages. While I’m not a mom myself, this program is deeply personal to me as I was raised by a single teen mom, who was also raised by a single mom. Growing up, I saw firsthand the strength, resilience, and love that moms bring to the table. The victories, the struggles—I lived them right alongside my mom, and those experiences shaped who I am today.
So, in many ways, growing for you and helping connect FarmHERS with moms feels like my love letter to the women who came before me and to all of you incredible readers of this newsletter. I can’t wait to share in this journey and getting to pop up in your reading boxes each month!
Looking forward to all that’s ahead,
Sarah
Food Justice For All,
The FarmerHer to Mama Team
Anne, Anna, Virginia, Becca, Allyssa, Veronica, & Alyssa
March Goodies
Calendula Cream from Line In The Sand Farm (Hanna, IN)
Bagels from Yeastie Boy Baking Co. (Valparaiso, IN)
Weeknight Chili from Perkins’ Good Earth Farm (DeMotte, IN)
Microgreens from Baby Greens Family Farm (Merrillville, IN)
Eggs from Six Day Farm (Dyer, IN) and Tanglewood Acres (Mill Creek, IN)
Apples from Garwood Orchard (La Porte, IN)
Greens Mix from Artesian Farm (New Buffalo, MI)
Tulips from Rainfield Farm (New Carlisle, IN)
Baby’s Applesauce from Rainfield Farm (New Carlisle, IN)
Foodie Tips
Eggs should be kept in the refrigerator.
Calendula Cream is made with an infusion of oils and the calendula flower. Calendula is a gentle medicinal flower that will help with rashes and is safe to use on baby’s bums or newborn acne. For any moms who are breastfeeding, this is also a wonderful salve. Chapped lips, hands, feet, you name it!
Bagels - Store wrapped on counter if they will be consumed in a few days or in the fridge or freezer if you’ll need more time.
Micros - stir into chili to wilt down or have a protein-packed open faced sandwich with bagels, micros, chili, and an egg or two.
Greens Mix - cubing the bagels and toasting to add to greens makes for a satisfying, easy salad. A hard-boiled egg can really help turn it into more of a meal!
Baby’s Applesauce - keep frozen. Defrost overnight in the fridge, and use within 48 hours of defrosting. Easy to cut to use as you go while keeping frozen in case little ones are new to solids.
From Our Staff
It’s Me Again!!
During the burnout phase I mentioned earlier, I decided to tiptoe into the world of growing flowers. I was never the type to “ooh and ahh” over a bouquet, and as a veggie farmer, my mantra was always, “You can’t eat the flowers!” But somehow, they kept sneaking into my life—first subtly, then suddenly bulldozing their way into my heart and my need as a grower to get to know them better.
In an attempt to bring more flowers into my world—especially during those drizzly late winter and early spring days—I discovered basement tulips! Last October, I planted them in crates and let them chill in the cooler, tricking them into thinking they were in their natural wintry habitat. Then, after a few months, out they came into the basement, where they grew under lights for about four weeks. It feels like cheating, but wow, am I grateful for my little underground tulip club!
These tulips are harvested before they’re fully “ripe” so they can be stored dry, bulbs still attached, in the cooler, until it’s time to hand them off to their recipients. To get the most out of your tulips, snip the stems at an angle and refresh the water every other day, keeping them out of direct sunlight. A fresh cut and clean water are key to keeping them drinking (and yes, even growing in the vase!). If all goes well, you should be able to enjoy a little burst of color indoors for up to two weeks. 😊🌷
Think spring!
Sarah
Recipe Time!
March is certainly an interesting time for Midwest produce. It’s a month where most farmers’ winter storage crops have all sold and where the only items growing are greens for those fortunate enough to have greenhouses. How can we jazz these items up? Try this month’s recipe that does a new take on micros and hard-boiled eggs to do a riff on one of my favorite dressings... warm hard-boiled egg vinaigrette! Finely chopping the micros into itty-bitty pieces acts as an herby element to replace the usual tarragon this recipe calls for. Usually a Dijon mustard is used, but if you don’t have that, any mustard besides hot dog yellow mustard works... even mustard powder!
Check out this month’s recipe card in our FarmHer to Mama Connections group on Facebook!
A Look Ahead
April - pork chops, eggs, yogurt, granola, radish, spinach, turnips, micros, & spices
Join our FarmHer to Mama Facebook Group for support, recipes, tips, & community.
Questions or feedback about the program? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to Anne (info@nwifoodcouncil.org, 219-313-8828) or Becca (becca@nwifoodcouncil.org, 219-928-3225).
