Featherstone needs your help to make this year a success!
#77: Winter Happenings @ Featherstone Garden
Welcome to Featherstone’s Garden Happenings Newsletter. Each week we will share a rotating variety of garden updates: from farm fresh subscriptions, plant-centered recipes, community partners, events and more. As a subscriber, you will be the first to know about our Garden Happenings. If you’re not a newsletter subscriber but would like to be, click below to signup.
Help us grow!
A note from Annie Hakim: Co-Owner and Grower at Featherstone since 2018
Hello Featherstone friends,
Happy New Year! 2023 is the start of our 6th season on the farm. What began as a microgreens operation in a vacant parish hall building on the Eastside of Detroit has grown into a multi-faceted business that produces microgreens, vegetables, herbs and cut flowers for our neighbors and local restaurants, year-round. Starting in 2020, through organic growing practices, we transformed 4 vacant lots in MorningSide Detroit into a buzzing ecosystem of healthy plants, honeybees, and other beneficial insects. We produced over 5,000 pounds of produce last year, all of which was consumed locally. We can’t wait to grow even more fresh, yummy produce this season!
This year we will also continue working closely with our non-profit partners Motor City Grounds Crew, Bees in the D, Disability Network of Wayne County, MorningSide Community Organization, and Brilliant Detroit to help educate our community about the health and wellness benefits of plant-centered cooking and natural gardening. We do this via our free weekly newsletter and also a variety of community education courses that we offer during the warmer months.
I am reaching out in this newsletter to ask a favor. Like all businesses, ours is subject to the ups and downs of cash flow. At this time of year, we are ordering all of the supplies (soil, seed, packaging, etc.) that we will need for our growing season. Of course this happens during our slowest revenue generating time of year. Based on your loyalty, we know you enjoy your microgreens, veggies and flowers during the warmer seasons. With this in mind, we are asking that you sign up for our 2023 CSA/Subscriptions TODAY! By investing in your locally grown produce NOW, you will help us remain financially strong to better serve you throughout 2023. Please don’t forget to recommend Featherstone to friends and neighbors. The more healthy we all are, the better. And it tastes great, too!
2023 Subscription Details & Signup
For the next 6-week cycle of our Microgreen and Mushroom Subscriptions we will be offering two pick-up locations, one at our Morningside (Eastside) Detroit Garden, and the other at The Mushroom Hub in Midtown. In the summer, we will also offer two pickup locations: in MorningSide and at our NEW Downtown Garden (more details coming soon)!
Worried that you won’t be able to pick up for a week or two during the subscription cycle? Know that your subscription will be donated to a family in our community, helping to expand access to fresh, organic food and lovely flowers.
SIGN UP TODAY for Featherstone’s Upcoming 2023 Subscriptions
Winter Microgreens & Mushrooms Duo Subscription (Wed. 2/15 - 3/24)
Winter Microgreens Subscription (Wed. 2/15 - 3/24)
Winter Mushrooms Subscription (Wed. 2/15 - 3/24)
Summer Flower Bouquet CSA
Our Summer Flower Bouquet CSA is also open for early enrollment. We look forward to offering bi-weekly blooms to our local friends & neighbors. Details below!
Eastside Detroit Summer Bouquet CSA (Wed. 7/19- 9/13)
Downtown Detroit Summer Bouquet Subscription (Tue. 7/25 - 9/19)
To learn more about how our Bouquet CSA works, check out our blog post by clicking below!
Tomato Seedling 4-Pack
Tomato Season is around the corner! Treat yourself (or a friend) to some unique, specialty cherry tomato seedling varieties that are not available at most garden centers and nurseries. Our plants are naturally grown in organic soil with love and great care at our nursery in Detroit.
Support Featherstone’s 2023 ‘Garden Happenings’ Newsletter!
By: Renee Sandoval
Throughout the past couple of years, I have written nearly 80 newsletters, along with my trusty editor (Annie, of course!). Our weekly newsletters have included thoughtfully developed vegetarian recipes, information on the benefits of consuming plant-centered & seasonal meals, and spotlights on our community partners and other local businesses in Detroit. We’re currently shifting our newsletter to a fully reader supported venture and your monthly donation will directly support this free community education newsletter.
For folks who would like to support our operation and publication, please consider upgrading to our paid subscription option for only $5/month (or $50/annually for a 17% discount)—that’s about the price of a single cup of coffee per month! All of our newsletter content will continue to be free for interested readers. Opt-in paid subscribers will help make this possible throughout the upcoming 2023 season and beyond.
To support us as a paid subscriber:
DONATE to the Featherstone Feline Fund
Over the past 3 years, as a labor of love, we have helped control the local outdoor cat population in our MorningSide neighborhood by paying to care for, feed, trap, and neuter/spay 15 homeless cats. For a number of the kittens we trapped at a young enough age, we were able to find permanent indoor homes. For older feral cats, we participate in local Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programs. In collaboration with the Michigan Humane Detroit and All About Animals we have been able to provide vet care services at a reduced rate, but it still adds up! On average Featherstone pays about $200/month to help care for and control a feral cat population that if left unaddressed, is harmful for both our local ecosystem and the cats.
Please consider helping us care for these cats! For more information, and to donate to our Feline Fund, click below!
If you love cat content, follow our NEW @featherstone.felines handle on the gram!
Thanks for reading!
For more about our garden, check out our website and follow us on instagram (@featherstone.garden). Feel free to email us or comment below with any questions or suggestions.
Have a great week,
Annie, Aaron, Renee + Chili & Bean (our farm cats ₍˄·͈༝·͈˄₎◞ ₍˄·͈༝·͈˄₎◞)
