Stacey Brenner's guest appearances

Stacey Brenner

Slow Flowers Podcast

OwlTail

Stacy Brenner of Broadturn FarmI'm delighted to share today's conversation with Stacy Brenner of Broadturn Farm in Scarborough, Maine. Back in May 2012, after the publication of The 50 Mile Bouquet, I received an email from my dear childhood friend, Shari Shambaugh. We went to high school youth group together in Portland, Oregon, but she had since moved with her family to Portland Maine.  As part of her newsy email, Shari wrote: Our CSA farm starts up soon, so we'll be having our source of wonderful produce back from Broadturn Farm. We tried a meat share with another farm this winter, both stepping back from the amount of meat we eat and choosing better/local sources. I am also thinking of getting the flower share this year, a weekly bouquet of flowers from our food CSA. You would love the blog site of our farmers (lovely people - we had dinner with them a few months ago at the home of mutual friends). Their daughter is a gifted photographer and Stacy (the mom) is a gifted arranger/grower. I knew they grew local blooms, but didn't know there was a Slow Flower movement. Makes so much sense.  I may go out and paint a few times this summer. I would be nice to get out into the open, and their farm has wonderful vistas. John Bliss, Stacy Brenner and familyBroadturn Farm flowers, grown and designedJust months later, I met Stacy Brenner and John Bliss of Broadturn Farm when they traveled to Tacoma for the ASCFG Conference -- and we connected the dots that my friend Shari was one of their CSA customers. Love the small-world personal connections that happen when you talk about local and seasonal flowers!I don't know why it has taken me so long to invite Stacy (and John, who was otherwise detained when we recorded today's episode, reportedly working in their greenhouses) to be a guest on the Slow Flowers Podcast. So pleased we were able to record today's episode via Skype this past week.Broadturn Farm's vivid branding embellishes the delivery vanThere has been a lot of excitement coming out of Maine in the Slow Flowers world lately, including two back-to-back successful years with the Flowering in the North conferences, not to mention Slow Flowers' relationship with our sponsor Johnny's Selected Seeds, and our support of Rayne Grace Hoke's Slow Flowers-inspired design workshops.Broadturn Farm, Scarborough, MaineSo, thefocus on Maine is growing. Let me tell you more about Broadturn Farm and itsowners, Stacy Brenner and John Bliss:John Bliss and Stacy Brenner share the work of running the farm and raising two daughters, Emma (22) and Flora (12). They both grew up in the suburbs of large cities, with no direct relationship to agriculture, but they started farming together in 2002.In their bio on Broadturn Farm's web site, John &amp; Stacy describe themselves as middle aged, at times cynical, hardworking and always delighted to have a good laugh with friends and co-workers. Good food is a high priority, as is travel and plenty of time to binge on TV in the winter during a snow-storm. Access to real food, a strong need for connection to sustenance, and the potential to connect the verdant world with social justice is what urged this couple to put their hands to the earth.Summer Camp at Broadturn FarmWhile the desire to raise food was easy to intellectualize, flower farming is a hobby gone wild. Stacy and John both have a love for making and growing, thus flower farming and flower design work is like an extension of the challenges of food production melded with the art of design. Every bucket of blooms still makes them giddy. The first bunch of tulips, the perfect peony and the dahlia with just the right shade brings such joy. And, much like the first meal their family enjoyed with all farm-produced food, the first big wedding they produced with all farm grown and foraged goods made their hearts sing. John and Stacy are truly honored to put food on people's tables and flowers i...

Stacy Brenner of Broadturn Farm I'm delighted to share today's conversation with Stacy Brenner of Broadturn Farm in Scarborough, Maine. Back in May 2012, after the publication of The 50 Mile Bouquet, I received an email from my dear childhood friend, Shari Shambaugh. We went to high school youth group together in Portland, Oregon, but she had since moved with her family to Portland Maine. As part of her newsy email, Shari wrote: Our CSA farm starts up soon, so we'll be having our source of wonderful produce back from Broadturn Farm. We tried a meat share with another farm this winter, both stepping back from the amount of meat we eat and choosing better/local sources. I am also thinking of getting the flower share this year, a weekly bouquet of flowers from our food CSA. You would love the blog site of our farmers (lovely people - we had dinner with them a few months ago at the home of mutual friends). Their daughter is a gifted photographer and Stacy (the mom) is a gifted arranger/grower. I knew they grew local blooms, but didn't know there was a Slow Flower movement. Makes so much sense.  I may go out and paint a few times this summer. I would be nice to get out into the open, and their farm has wonderful vistas. John Bliss, Stacy Brenner and family Broadturn Farm flowers, grown and designed Just months later, I met Stacy Brenner and John Bliss of Broadturn Farm when they traveled to Tacoma for the ASCFG Conference -- and we connected the dots that my friend Shari was one of their CSA customers. Love the small-world personal connections that happen when you talk about local and seasonal flowers! I don't know why it has taken me so long to invite Stacy (and John, who was otherwise detained when we recorded today's episode, reportedly working in their greenhouses) to be a guest on the Slow Flowers Podcast. So pleased we were able to record today's episode via Skype this past week. Broadturn Farm's vivid branding embellishes the delivery van There has been a lot of excitement coming out of Maine in the Slow Flowers world lately, including two back-to-back successful years with the Flowering in the North conferences, not to mention Slow Flowers' relationship with our sponsor Johnny's Selected Seeds, and our support of Rayne Grace Hoke's Slow Flowers-inspired design workshops. Broadturn Farm, Scarborough, Maine So, the focus on Maine is growing. Let me tell you more about Broadturn Farm and its owners, Stacy Brenner and John Bliss: John Bliss and Stacy Brenner share the work of running the farm and raising two daughters, Emma (22) and Flora (12). They both grew up in the suburbs of large cities, with no direct relationship to agriculture, but they started farming together in 2002. In their bio on Broadturn Farm's web site, John &amp; Stacy describe themselves as middle aged, at times cynical, hardworking and always delighted to have a good laugh with friends and co-workers. Good food is a high priority, as is travel and plenty of time to binge on TV in the winter during a snow-storm. Access to real food, a strong need for connection to sustenance, and the potential to connect the verdant world with social justice is what urged this couple to put their hands to the earth. Summer Camp at Broadturn Farm While the desire to raise food was easy to intellectualize, flower farming is a hobby gone wild. Stacy and John both have a love for making and growing, thus flower farming and flower design work is like an extension of the challenges of food production melded with the art of design. Every bucket of blooms still makes them giddy. The first bunch of tulips, the perfect peony and the dahlia with just the right shade brings such joy. And, much like the first meal their family enjoyed with all farm-produced food, the first big wedding they produced with all farm grown and foraged goods made their hearts sing. John and Stacy are truly honored to put food on people's tables and flowers i...

Episode 388: Stacey Brenner of Maine’s Broadturn Farm on social entrepreneurship, leadership and sustainable business practices, Plus State Spotlight: California