Purplebrown Farm Store

10/23/2026

Theme: fermented foods are more nutritious.  We are more bacteria than we are human. It's easier than you think, & less scary. Just try it. You'll feel better. And, eat at least one wild foraged food everyday. Yup. Harvest when available. Preserve so simply. Enjoy all year, daily.

Sourdough. Yogurt. Lebneh. Water kefir. Dairy kefir. Sauerkraut. Kombucha. Buttermilk. Pickled veggies. & More.  What if? 

I can't wait to get more into it sooooon, at the new shop 🤩

LDE London Darina Allen Les Dames d'Escoffier Intl The Julia Child Foundation

10/22/2026

Theme for another day: animals.
Lesson 1, from livestock farmers (lol): eat less meat. Eat better meat. Know your farmer or butcher. Ask questions. Do more. You can get a ton of value from an 'expensive' local organic whole bird. Joint a chicken and use all the parts. Soup, stock, roast, tenders, pate, casserole, stew, crispy skin, noodle salad, wings.... Most of the nutrition and flavor comes from not from the chicken breast. Also: consider hens & eggs. What if?

Jacqueline Mcdonald

10/20/2026

Theme of day 1 with Ballymaloe Organic Farm School
Practical homesteading class was of course to embrace the foundational connection between our health, the health of our food, animals, plants, and soil. The few inches of healthy complicated nutritious earth that we take for granted. & Everything that goes into this understanding.

Beautiful. Meaningful. Reminder that we can each do more. To stay actively engaged with what matters most.
& We will enjoy it too.

Thanks to LDE London Darina Allen Les Dames d'Escoffier Intl The Julia Child Foundation for making this happen!

Stay tuned for my daily impressions, lessons, take aways this week 💜🤎 albeit a day late or not in straight order ... But isn't that the way....

10/17/2026

Counting my lucky stars, my blessings - to live in a place and with people so good, that I don't need to get away - I am leaving for an adventure today & already looking forward to the return - with fresh perspective, deeper understanding & appreciation.

& Knowing that is well taken care of. It's really got a life of its own now & isn't that what it's all about?

Counting on each of us to keep doing our part.

And, y'all, look forward to my (Sasha) posts from Ireland
& England in the coming days.....

10/08/2026

Okay okay it's time to talk about me 😊 since the last burst of growing attention on purplebrown, it's really time to reintroduce myself, and tell you that I'm counting down the days to my big adventure!

I am the original and central human behind purplebrown, with the big ideas: that we can shape the world, serve our community, and eat really good food.

I've been called many things, and I own up to most of them :-) Ambitious. Busy. Hardworking. Farmer. Mother. And a few more sharp descriptors. But I'm most proud of being called idealistic.

I've never let go of the ideal vision for what life on earth looks like for the billions of us, in our separate but connected communities. Paradise. Heaven on earth. Peaceful. Enlightened. Well fed.

My idealism pushed me to start purplebrown farmstead 10 years ago, and purplebrown farm store 5 years ago. It's a practical step for us to see what the future can look like, so long as we participate in it today.

I started something that garners so much positive feedback from folks, it means I am on the right track.

And to help solidify my confidence, this year I received the Legacy award, from Les Dames d'Escoffier Intl & The Julia Child Foundation It's an honor, to say the least.

And so, my next step: take a trip to Ireland, to study with Darina Allen at Ballymaloe Cookery Schooll

Then, travel some more in the UK, for a curated tour of farms, markets, orchards, tasting foods and meeting people - organic farmers, homesteaders, orchardists, cooks, chefs, foodies, leaders, women, entrepreneurs... w shared ideals. To learn from, be inspired by.

Yes, I will surely share a lot of this journey with you, with the next series of posts 💜🤎 & I'll surely return w more good work to do!

Counting the days!
Counting on me and you,
to see this thing through.

10/01/2026

Happy October! It's our 5th anniversary month! We are counting what matters - more nutritious meals for more people 💜🤎

A core goal of purplebrown is to increase access to nutritious wholesome foods, for more folks to experience food in positive ways. So what?

The month of October we will phase out the current loyalty program, and phase in a new one. In this change, consider: to redeem your loyalty points for gift cards, that we will share with folks in need.

You shop = you earn points = you redeem cookies, $10 or $30 credits = you've enjoyed this reward! In October these points can be shared, in the form of gift cards, with someone in need, by simply choosing this option at the check out.

With ongoing SNAP cuts, and so much more, this is a small way to incorporate positive action into our daily operations, & turn what could be a frustrating change into something good.

Counting what matters: the change, every dollar, each point, all the small actions, that together add up to the future we are indeed counting on.

(But definitely redeem your points this month - they will expire & we will start sign ups for new program soon.)

Up next: counting the many hats that Sasha/me wears

09/24/2026

Counting on the future!
Real hope lives in action, right?

And so, we are taking another step forward, propeled by the confidence the community has bestowed in us.

Purplebrown is expanding with a new building!

Why?

✅ More space for good local food and farm products
✅ ADA access!
✅ Summit Hike & Bike trail access 🚴
✅ Big kitchen 🔪
✅ So many possibilities 💜

& It's near-by! All the details will be spilling out here in the coming weeks and months, as we plan, organize, hussle, create, build, sweat, and put all the parts into play. For certain, our beloved shop in Peninsula is staying put, she's nearly perfect already 🤎. Woohoo! So happy to share this with you all!

Nothing ever stays the same, so let's ride this wave together. Counting on our future. Counting on me and you. No limits. 🌊

09/17/2026

Counting what matters.

This October - purplebrown farm store is 5 years old!

It all started on the farm. After several successful years at the farmers market, 2020 forced us to take a leap. Out of need, we operated a small market in our barn , about a dozen producers, and hundreds of neighbors coming through, dawn to dusk, self-serv on the honor system. More than a year of this, and a serendipitous opportunity later, we took the leap & signed the lease in Peninsula.

Now, in what seems like a blink of an eye, the historic freight depot building has been The place for 5 years! Steps away from the Cuyahoga River. A perfect meeting spot for everyone in Northeast Ohio, in Peninsula.

We opened with about 30 northeast Ohio producers. Now, near 100 Northeast Ohio producers, and growing!

Turns out we have everything we need right here the whole time. Dairy, meat, produce, pantry staples, good folks, organic values, and every dollar stays in Northeast Ohio.

It matters - because it's the best of our community, showing up, organically & IRL. It's a glimpse of the inevitable future for our thriving region, an active and resilient culture, rooted in the best of our traditions and abilities. Investing in ourselves and our neighbors.

5 years into this, and just getting started.

Stop in to see what it looks like now.
Open 9-7 daily (except Mondays) & year round.

Stay tuned for counting what matters - our next steps & the folks that make it go.

09/14/2026

Fyi

Music on the Porches 2026