The Land
Nick, Cassie, and baby Juniper of Flowerfield Farmstead live on a small farm in a township called “Flowerfield”- hence their farm name. They bought the old abandoned farm house and the property in 2017 and having been building a home there ever since. Interestingly enough, the land was once home to Flowerfield Mills, a company which made stone ground whole wheat flour and was established in 1832. According to locals, the mill caught fire and was burnt down and then rebuilt on three separate occasions. They took us on a walk around their property, which backs up to a small creek, and showed us what is still left on the mill. They told us about a time in which they canoed down the creek all the way into Three Rivers. We looped around and passed by the barn, which they spent time fixing up last year. Outside the barn, the old stone where the flour was ground still sits.
The Methods
This is Flowerfield Farmstead’s first year being “full-time farmers”, and their first year growing both their flowers and veggies using Certified Naturally Grown practices. This peer-reviewed certification serves small-scale farmers and beekeepers who produce food for their local communities without synthetic chemicals or GMOs. In addition to their CNG certification, they also utilize other sustainable agricultural practices, like using human power and simple hand tools instead of heavy machinery. They are constantly learning and striving to find the best ways to provide their local community with high quality flowers and produce.
The Flowers
Flowerfield Farmstead specializes in handcrafted cut flower bouquets and mini arrangements. We walked through rows of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths on our spring visit. When pulling tulips for bouquets, they pull out the entire bulb. The tulips in this state can be stored in their walk in cooler for a few weeks. This spring, they have been selling their bouquets at several grocery stores in Kalamazoo including the Hardings on Centre, Hardings on Westnedge, Sawall Health Foods, and Midtown Fresh Market. Later in the year, their bouquets will contain a few varieties of sunflowers, poppies, and ranunculus among others. In addition to their beautiful flowers, they will be selling seasonal ready-to-eat salad packs, greens, radishes, snow peas, tomatoes, and small cucumbers.
