Full Circle Farm - Down to Earth Markets
Transcription
Full Circle Farm - Down to Earth Markets
FROM OUR FARM TO YOUR KITCHEN Full Circle Farm Amenia, NY Jesse Mandel’s father kept bees when Jesse was a boy, and now he’s back at it. His father cultivates the Full Circle Farm honey and also helps out with the crops and the livestock. w hen Shelle Bailey talks about how she and her boyfriend, Jesse Mandel, started Full Circle Farm, she begins by telling about their “first house.” That’s what they called their truck after they bought a topper for the flatbed and created a home on the road. For two years, from 2011–2013, Jesse and Shelle worked on farms around the United States, often staying in their first house after a long day’s work. The name Full Circle Farm reflects their journey: “We traveled from Maine to Texas and everywhere in between. We ended up doing circles across the country. We also liked the name because it symbolizes nature, its balance, and how everything replenishes itself,” explains Shelle. Jesse is a fifth-generation farmer from Duchess County, New York, and Shelle grew up in a family of gardeners in the Adirondacks. She had been growing her own food for awhile when she started to sell her artwork and handcrafted jewelry at local farmers markets. She was enjoying being a part of the farmers markets, and then in meeting Jesse, she says that she “met someone who was as into it as I was. It was just the right time in both of our lives to say, ‘Let’s go!’ and we did.” They returned to Jesse’s family farm that had been a small mom and pop dairy farm for a long time, before Jesse’s father retired. Now, they are growing produce, as well as raising grass-fed Scottish Highland beef and French Label Rouge “Our trip was a great, cheap way to travel. You can learn something from anybody. We decided to hop around without a big plan and took opportunities as they arose.” – Shelle Bailey chicken. “Everything we do is either heirloom variety or heritage breed -- varieties that are known for quality and flavor,” Shelle shares. “We grow the things that taste good and even the bugs love them,” Shelle continues, “We won’t spray anything that’s not organic to combat them. As Jesse says, ‘There is nothing better than Dr. Green.’” 173 Main Street, 3rd Floor Ossining, New York 10562 914.923.4837 tel 914.801.2336 fax DowntoEarthMarkets.com