Hi! We are Amy Yahna and Brian Musician of Alambria Springs Farm!
10 years ago we moved to this beautiful land to build our off the grid timber-framed straw-bale home and establish an organic vegetable farm. For our farm operation to be successful it required building additional infrastructure, establishing markets, expanding our growing plots to meet those markets, and the knowledge to accomplish all of the above. Now, we grow over 200 varieties of organic vegetables, herbs, and fruit using bio-dynamic and organic practices on 12 acres of land. Presently, we grow for our local community supported market share members, restaurants, colleges, and farmers markets. Recently, we have made a connection with a wholesale distributors in NYC. We are passionate about building our local economy an passionate about what we do!
Our passion to feed our surrounding communities healthy and nutritious foods led us to discover the benefits of fermented foods, most particularly sourdough breads. We then built a small earthen oven because the nutritional value of the sourdough breads are enhanced by the traditional baking environment of an earthen/masonry oven design. The response has been so great that we have outgrown our little earthen oven and we need to replace it with a larger masonry oven and support building to continue to meet the ever growing demand for our nutritious artisan sourdough breads. The many benefits of our bread baking are enjoyed by people living in over 5 counties in our surrounding area. By building our oven we will be helping to support the local farmers, millers, masons, carpenters, as well as provide nutritious food for our local communities. How supporting our project also has a larger impact is by helping to build grain production in the NE as an alternative to the mid-western grain belt. This also improves soil health when small grains are grown on farm land in a sustainable manner that would otherwise be used for corn, soybeans, etc. This encourages the local small sustainable farmer to choose small grains as an alternative. This stimulates the building of local mills that have the capacity to freshly mill small grains and alternative grains upon demand which leads to a greater variety of healthy flours available for local consumption. As this demonstrates our project multiples your contributions on many levels! This is community building, food security, and health all in one!
Initially, we thought we would grow the grains and mill them on the farm but recently discovered a local initiative already underway that has created a team of artisan crafters who are growing and milling the grains in the NE. Two members of this team include Elizabeth Dyke of Organic Growers Research and Information Sharing Network www.ogrin.org and Greg Mohl from Farmer Ground Flour www.farmergroundflour.squarespace.com and his supporting farmers.
Additionally, other members of our project team include John Sullivan and Sons Inc, the masons who will construct our masonry oven, Ron Jones of Ron Jones carpentry who will build the support building that will house the oven and additional work space.
Funding
Our funding goal is $30,000 to complete our project. Your contributions will be used to construct a larger masonry "white" oven, a building to protect the oven and provide work space around the oven, additional butcher blocks, counter space, coolers, a large elliptical mixer, and other necessary baking supplies.
We have some exciting perks to offer our contributors! Our exciting perks include some of the following: recipes for your own sourdough loaves, donations to the local food bank, bags of freshly milled Farmer Ground Flour, your very own "Bread Share", personal invitation to our Farm to Table dinner, and a "Bread of the Month" club and more!
If for some reason that we do not reach our funding goal the money that we raise will be applied to the construction of a new "black" masonry oven. The traditional black oven is an oven where the burning chamber and baking chamber are one in the same and is less expensive to build. This is in contrast to the "white" oven where the burning chamber is separate from the baking chamber which allows for a continuous fire and uninterrupted baking session. We prefer the "white" oven design as it is a more efficient use of our resources(wood, time, and energy)!
Additional Impacts
Today the small family farm is in decline with more often than not one partner working off farm to help support the farm operation.
Our oven project will further diversify our income stream thus allowing both of us to continue to remain on the farm. And in turn will help keep Alambria Springs Farm viable into the future and help support and save a host of other small businesses in our area. This is rebuilding of America from the "grain" roots up, empowering people to take back their communities and their lives and to create abundance for all! This is true community building!
Multiple Ways You Can Help
In addition to your financial contribution, we would ask you to please share our project with all of your contacts. You can use the "share tools" located on the Indiegogo site to help you do this.
If you are unable to make a financial contribution we like to ask you to pass this along to all of your contacts who may be able to do so at this time. In addition, you may wish to volunteer your time at Alambria Spring Farm this season. We are always excited to share our adventures with others who come with willing hearts and hands!
Our communities are ours and we thank you deeply for helping in our efforts to build our "collective" community!
