Who we are....

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Serenity Valley Farm is the homestead of the Newell-Benac family. Pursuing a self sufficient lifestyle, we work together to sustainably produce much of the food we eat. In addition to our vegetable farm, we raise chickens and ducks on pasture for premium eggs. Our small herd of dairy goats provide our family with milk for drinking, yogurt and cheese.  ​

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Lora is the farm manager. With the help of her husband Berto and son Skye, she oversees the growing operation, the poultry and goats. The vegetable farm is comprised of 40 raised beds as well as two conventional garden plots.

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When Lora isn't working off the farm, she is busy in the garden. Visitors wanting to see Lora during the growing season often find themselves in the garden and pressed into service weeding or picking vegetables. In addition to gardening and food preservation Lora enjoys many other creative pursuits and is active in the Sharon Springs community.

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Berto is a musician and operates Firefly Studio, a recording studio on the farm. He is an accomplished woodworker and carpenter who specializes in working with reclaimed materials. For the farm, Berto built the raised beds as well as the produce stand and the garden pergola. A talented cook and grill master known for his wood smoked pork, Berto enjoys developing new recipes showcasing fresh vegetables and herbs from the farm.  He is working on a cookbook of his farm inspired recipes.

What we grow...

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At Serenity Valley Farm we grow mostly heirloom vegetable varieties. Although we do grow some standard hybrid varieties for their disease resistance, we do not nor ever will grow any GMO vegetables. For 2015 we will be growing:​​​​

 

Greens:​

Spinach

Leaf lettuces

Lettuce Mixes

Romaine

Kale

Swiss Chard

Beet

Turnip

Mustard

Collard

Mizuna

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Beans:

Scarlett Runner

Green Beans

Royal Burgundy

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​Peas:

Sugar Snap Edible pod peas

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Cucurbits:​

Patty Pan Summer Squash

Zucchini and Yellow Squash

​Winter Squash (numerous varieties)

Pumpkins

Cucumbers

 

​Root Vegetables:

Rutabegas

Carrots

Beets

Turnips

Parsnips

Radishes

 

 

​Nightshades:

Eggplant

Tomatoes - Heirloom and old world varieties

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Other:

Asparagus

Rhubarb

Horseradish

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Herbs:

Chives

Sage

Basil

Thyme

Cilantro

Parsley

Marjoram

Catnip

Tarragon

Spearmint

Peppermint

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How we grow it...

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We utilize natural methods of cultivation.  No pesticides or chemicals of any kind are used on our crops.  Thick layers of nutrient rich mulch and compost are used to protect the soil, conserve water and fertilize the growing vegetation. This method keeps weeding minimal which helps to reduce the amount of labor needed to maintain

the crops.

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Intensive growing techniques are used on the farm which produce more vegetables per square foot yet require less labor to maintain.

 

Just like any vegetable farm we have problems with insects from time to time. Our philosophy is to try to use natural means to control them, and most often we hand pick them, collect them and turn them over to the chickens. The chickens happily  gobble them up and turn them into eggs. Sometimes we can not control the insect population and they do cause damage to our crops. However, while a few holes in the kale might not be pretty, they don't make it bad to eat. If you see insect damage on one of our products, (and we don't sell produce with excessive damage) that is your guarantee that we don't spray your food with insecticides.