Cultivating Connections
Family, Growth, and Community at York Meadow Farm
Welcome back to the second part of our blog post series titled "🌱 Celebrating Our Journey" In our inaugural post titled “Roots to Market”, we took you back to the very beginning, detailing the history of York Meadow Farm, how it all started, the journey that led us to our first appearance at a Farmers’ Market in 2011, and the return of all the kids back home to Northeast Ohio in the following years.
Now, we extend the invitation to join us once more as we unravel the subsequent chapters of our story. In this segment, we immerse ourselves in the initial seasons at the market, the beginning of our homestead adventure, and the family collaboration that brought our barn and cabin projects to fruition. Discover how our engagement with the community blossomed, from facilitating beef butchering workshops to launching our tenant farmer program. Furthermore, we explore the roots of our journey into fermented foods and the establishment of a commercial kitchen within the barn at York Meadow Farm.
Today’s post brings us all the way through the conclusion of the 2023 season and the end of the year, market by profound changes with the passing of our beloved father and husband. Yet, the legacy initiated by "The Kraut Guy" perseveres, laying the groundwork for the future we envision and were blessed to discuss together as a family. Before unveiling the dreams and vision for the future, we want to provide an opportunity for everyone to understand what led up to what we’ll share in our concluding blog post.
Again, welcome to the second part of our series. We hope you enjoy our story.
Thank you for being a part of it.
In the seasons of 2012 and 2013, Bob and Denise forged ahead with their journey of growth and experimentation. Amidst the successes, there were also inevitable setbacks and failures. Yet, from each challenge emerged valuable lessons. Bob and Denise approached each crop failure as an opportunity for growth, making the necessary adjustments along the way. The kids were a big part of the growth and development of the homestead, helping with various tasks around the homestead and lending a hand at the farmers' market whenever possible. From the very beginning until today, it’s been a family affair.
When Rob moved back to Ohio in late 2013, he immersed himself into the homesteading, small farming, and permaculture communities to learn how to grow and develop the farm and homestead. Over the next few years, Rob assisted with various facets of the growth and development of the business. He began digitizing the market garden planning and working with organizations like Local Food Mondays and Medina Permaculture, hosting events to promote the business and the local food community.
In 2014, Rob learned about, applied for, and was accepted in the High Tunnel Initiative program through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and with help from our local community built a 30 x 96’ high tunnel in 2015.
In 2016, Rob continued following his interests wherever they led him as he explored the world of egg-laying ducks, microgreens, beekeeping, different market gardening techniques, and more... While he had a tremendous interest in all things homesteading, there was a little bit too much diversity entering into the equation, too little focus, and he began to realize something needed to change.
The 2016 year was also the year where all construction plans were finalized and ground was broken in June. The excavation for the cabin site began, and the construction of the barn began simultaneously. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the crews, Jim Capron and his team completed construction of the barn in less than a month. With the concrete poured in both the barn and on the porch, the crews seamlessly transitioned to the completion of the foundation of the cabin that was to be built.
It's worth noting that during the hustle and bustle of the barn construction and cabin planning, our market gardens continued to grow and thrive, and we participated in the farmers’ market as often as possible. The summer of 2016 also marked the beginning of Bob's experiments with fermented foods, sparked by an abundance of pickling cucumbers and dill harvested that season. As you'll soon discover, pickles were just the beginning of the fermented foods that were to be produced by York Meadow Farm.
Seizing the Moment: Building Dreams
With the conclusion of the 2016 market season and cabin construction temporarily on hold as we waited for delivery of the logs, we swiftly shifted our focus to the next project.
The barn project took center stage, with plans to create an office space and a secondary living space inside the barn. This marked the beginning of the long-term vision for full-time residency, employment, and more on the homestead.
In the winter of 2016, and contributing to the holiday cheer, the long-awaited logs for the cabin finally arrived, kicking off construction just days after Christmas. With the first logs set on December 27th, we were fortunate to experience a mild winter, enabling Jim Capron and his crew to get all four walls constructed by New Years Eve! It was very impressive to witness the progress being made.
As the new year dawned in 2017, anticipation filled the air. By February, the cabin's roof installation was underway, followed by the framing of walls in March. Collaborating closely with construction teams, we navigated through inspections, ensuring compliance with codes. Yet, the true magic happened when Bob took control of the project, working with the family to transforming the cabin into a warm, inviting home.
From tongue and groove paneling to intricate tile work, every detail was meticulously crafted by our own hands. Together, as a family, we forged lasting bonds and acquired invaluable skills along the way, making the cabin's construction not just a project, but a cherished journey of growth and togetherness.
We began to realize that we weren’t simply building a cabin and a home. Through connections cultivated at the farmers’ market and other local small farms and homestead, we were building community. It was beautiful.
Hosting Workshops
Working with our local community, helping others learn and grow.
Throughout the 2017 season, we maintained our presence at the bustling Medina Farmers’ Market, albeit as part-time vendors. Often times, this meant Mom and Kate were at the market while Bob, Matt, and Rob dedicated themselves to the meticulous task of completing the interior of the log cabin.
By September of 2017, significant progress had been made on the cabin, allowing Mom and Dad to officially move in. As our own homestead flourished, we found ourselves in a position to extend a helping hand to our friends at Royal Fare Farm who were busy building their own homestead.
Together, we hosted a beef butchering workshop, a memorable event where Jeff Reusser invited Brandon Sheard (The Farmstead Meatsmith) to demonstrate the art of home butchering using one of his exquisite grass-fed and finished heritage breed Dexter bulls. It was an incredible hands-on learning experience.
The beef butchering workshop was a great and successful event, so much so, that Jeff and Shari from Royal Fare Farm asked us if we would be willing to host another event the following year. In October of 2018, we all welcomed Andy and Doug from Hand Hewn Farm (located in Fresno, Ohio) for another hands-on experience where we all learned more about the forgotten skills that have produced some of the finest foods in the world. We are grateful for these opportunities and hope to host more workshops in the future.
During the 2018 season, Rob also moved out the homestead with York Meadow Farm. He realized that juggling his own business and helping out with the family farm in the way he was doing so wasn't sustainable. So, he decided to put more hours into his day job, focusing on paying off the debt he'd accumulated while chasing various dreams over the past few years.
With his own business taking a backseat, Rob's role at the family farm shifted. While he still pitched in with farmers’ markets setup and teardown, most Saturdays were spent working full time with his employer. This change allowed him to craft a slow but deliberate plan to eventually work full-time with the family business.
Though it was tough, Rob knew it was the right move for the long haul. To ensure a smooth transition, he leased the high tunnel and surrounding gardens to a tenant farmer and spread the word about the opportunity. Once a tenant farmer was found, Rob transferred ownership of the high tunnel to York Meadow Farm, who now oversees the lease agreement with the current tenant farmer.
Tenant farmers had entered into the operational model of the farm enterprise at York Meadow Farm. Over the years, there have been several people who have been involved in working the land, growing their own crops and business, while we continue to grow and develop other businesses here on the homestead.
All during this time, Dad continued his experiments with fermented foods – and they were growing in popularity. It was during the 2018 season where he was first given the nickname “The Kraut Guy.” People began talking about the incredible hand-made, small-batch sauerkraut that he was making…and would routinely refer inquirers over to “The Kraut Guy” so they could experience it for themselves.
2018 was the year where we first began participating in off-season markets and began experimenting with retail sales. We made our first appearance at the Medina Candlelight Walk in November of 2018. The long hours during The Candlelight Walk event was a family affair. Kate was integral in the success experienced during this event as she spearheaded the decorations and artistic design for the booth.
In December of 2018, we first experienced retail sales when DeSimone’s Country Market began carrying the fermented foods made by The Kraut Guy. The business continued to grow, and during the winter of 2018 and 2019, Rob worked on developing the website to promote the business as it gained traction and the website at www.yorkmeadowfarm.com was officially launched in early 2019.
The website served as a great mechanism to help grow the business, as did all of the appearances at the off-season markets we attended. Due to the popularity of Mom and Dad’s products, and the new fermented food lineup, we were invited to attend an indoor winter market at Twiisted Restaurant in Medina. While Dad was still baking bread during the 2019 season, it soon became clear that there was more demand for the various fermented foods that he was making which consisted of 5 different types of sauerkraut and a Latin American ferment called Curtido – a personal favorite of The Kraut Guy.
In the latter part of 2019, we revisited The Candlelight Walk on the Square in Medina, achieving record-breaking sales for all our products. This event, like many others, was a true family affair. Throughout the long yet rewarding weekend, the booth was skillfully managed by a dynamic team composed of Bob, Denise, Rob, and Kate working together at different times during the long days.
The events in early 2020 were what they were, and that facilitated some additional change in how many vendors conducted business during that year. We were blessed to participate in a partnership with Yellow House Cheese as they began selling products online. Moreover, we were honored to be invited to participate in a NEW farmers’ market, established by the Farmers’ Market of Medina County and held at the Medina VFW Post 5137. By this time, “The Kraut Guy” had made a name for himself.
Rob had been working with and learning Bob’s recipes during the past few years and was watching the interest in the product grow. The decision had been made to scale up operations and grow the business. It was time to build a commercial kitchen inside the barn. Bob’s younger son, Matt, began planning the construction of the kitchen space, while Rob reached out to other large-scale fermented food producers to inquire about touring their facilities to see what was necessary to scale up The Kraut Guy’s operation.
Work on the commercial kitchen commenced in July of 2020, a tour of a large-scale fermented food operation took place in September of 2020, and in November of 2020, we launched an email campaign to accompany our website which launched the year prior. Growth and development continued and the commercial kitchen was inspected and licensed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) for operation in Early 2021. Production of the fermented foods became much easier and scalable.
Our presence at the Farmers’ Market of Medina County continued during the 2021 year, and we began to increase sales through various small retail locations. Demand for the product grew. Experimentation with various fermented foods continued as we tried to home in on what customers preferred and why. It was clear there was a reason why “The Kraut Guy” had obtained the name he had obtained. People had grown to love the various types of sauerkraut he made, with pickles being a close second.
Rob had been assisting as much as possible while pinching pennies and saving money, and by May of 2022 – he found himself in a position where it was “now or never.” There’s always a lot of fear involved in venturing out into uncharted territory, but Dad was struggling to keep up with the demand for the products and during the 2022 season, we were able to quadruple production from the previous year. In September of the 2022, we launched our online store and have shipped products to dozens of states and we continue to grow our online marketplace.
2023 was a pivotal year here on the homestead. We began the year with our first appearance at the Indoor Winter Farmers Market at Boyert’s Farm & Greenhouse. This was a memorable market season for us, because our first market of the 2023 year happened to be the biggest retail sales at a market event EVER in York Meadow Farm history. We closed out the Winter Market Season on March 11 of that year. Less than three weeks later, we received news that Dad had been diagnosed with cancer.
The family rallied strong and began taking care of The Kraut Guy as he battled lung cancer. While news of the beloved Kraut Guy’s cancer diagnosis spread rather quickly amongst our wonderful local community, we decided to share the news publicly in a blog post and on social media on May 16…and just four short days later, Dad passed away on his 77th birthday, surrounded by the family he so deeply loved – taking his last breath as we sang him happy birthday together as a family. May his memory be eternal.
The outpouring of support from our beloved community was overwhelming, and we were graciously welcomed back into the market season with an invitation to a “Rock The Dock” event at Keller Market & Café Bistro, followed by a return to the Medina Farmers’ Market on the Square just one week afterwards. Later on that month in June, we again achieved record setting sales at the farmers’ market.
Dad’s passing was bittersweet, but the legacy continues with Rob taking over the fermented food operation and beginning the rebranding process that was discussed with The Kraut Guy in 2022. During the month of July, the fermented foods were released and rebranded under the “Natural Ferments” product line; the same month, our fermented products became a staple in a new retailer – Krieger’s Health Foods Market in Cuyahoga Falls.
During August, we were actively stocking our Natural Ferments products in three different retail locations: Keller Market & Café Bistro and Richardson Farms in Medina, along with Krieger’s Health Foods Market in Cuyahoga Falls. We also began the process of developing a new logo to accompany the Natural Ferments name. Old recipes, new look. While it is bittersweet that he did not directly experience the beginning of the transformation, we are confident it is what The Kraut Guy had envisioned. His legacy lives on.
The market season continued, and we attended several additional events such as the Whispering Acres Art for the Animals fundraiser at Das Weinhaus, Oktoberfest in October at Goldhorn Brewery, and returning to the Medina Candlelight Walk in November for the first time since 2019. These were all wonderful events, giving us the opportunity to connect with new customers and cultivate deeper relationships within our local community and the greater Northeast Ohio area.
Following the whirlwind of the 2023 season, the Advent and Christmas season offered us a chance to pause and reflect. The moments shared with loved ones and our community have provided some additional clarity on how to build upon the strong foundation established over the past decade.
Since Dad’s passing, we’ve rallied together as a family, offering support, encouragement, and love to one another. The outpouring of support from our community has been truly heartwarming as well, motivating us to continue pressing onward and bringing these new dreams to life.
We look forward to sharing all of this and more in the final installment of our series “🌱 Celebrating Our Journey.” Thanks again for being a part of our homestead and our community.
Stay tuned for what’s to come.
