Hellwig Farm is the spontaneous combustion of many generations of farmers, two people madly in love that like to play in the dirt, worry and concern for our food sources, and a crazy love of hard work. To my accountant it is a business. To my lawyer it is a liability. To me it is my happily ever after. I have always had a love of homegrown or homemade everything. Let’s face it there is nothing bet
ter than a home grown tomato! I also love the challenge of doing it organically. Yes, it is more time consuming. Yes, it can be more frustrating. In the end it is also very rewarding. I am excited to work towards my certification. I have spent my life doing what the pressures of society have expected of me. I spent my teens graduating from high school and going to college. I spent my twenties getting a “real” job and sitting in traffic. I started my thirties sacrificing all of my dreams to take care of everyone else. This was necessary and rewarding, but lonely. I learned more about life from age thirty to thirty-five than I had all the years prior. I also lost my father to lung cancer during these years. Talk about putting life into perspective! Hold your fathers hand as he enters the gates to heaven and you realize what’s important in life. My family and their happiness is all I need. All they need is a mom who loves life. Hellwig Farm has given me that. Since the day I was born I have loved dirt! I was raised on the theory that you eat what you grow. It’s what I know and understand. Nothing and I mean nothing gives me more joy than passing this on to my children. Not forcing it on them, but nurturing them with the knowledge to make their own decisions. I am not trendy. My favorite shoes are my muck boots. My husband only wears boots and jeans and I love that about him. Putting up corn is hard work but fun. I eat tomatoes like apples. My son eats sugar snap peas until he gets a belly ache. My daughter calls sunsets a “good goodnight show.” I believe veggie soup cooked over an open fire while you weed is heaven on earth. I believe you should know your farmer. I believe local produce is better tasting and better for you. I also believe that at age thirty-six I finally know what I want to be when I grow up. It doesn’t include traffic, vending machines, a drive thru, a time card, or stop lights. It does include giving back to my community. It does include an awesome children’s garden program, sweet tea Saturdays in August, fun workshops, and a couple farm dinners. I want to be more than a farm market. I want to be a place you feel good about coming even on your worst days. Come visit me at Hellwig Farm our first season and learn more about our story. We would love to have you. Jennifer Boren
