By Lisa Carolin
Chelsea Farmers Market vendors Jacob D’Lamater and partner Anna Wiley, who operate Jacob’s Fresh Farm, LLC/Hives on the Hill Apiary, will be moving from their Waterloo Road farm to a new location.
They just closed on the old Seitz farmstead, located at the corner of Old US-12 and Fletcher Road, and they plan to move all other farm operations to the new property by the end of 2021.
“We decided to buy the new property because we lease a majority of the land we grow on, and we needed to expand not only our growing space, but also the variety of the farm operations,” said Wiley, who says they’ve been experiencing more demand than they could supply for the last few years.
The Seitz farmstead was the first property sent to them by their real estate agent.
“We used to drive by every day for our day jobs and always noticed how beautiful the barns and farm looked,” said Wiley.
Wiley and D’Lamater plan to restore the farmstead and create a place where people can enjoy nature. They’ll continue to raise chickens, ducks, turkeys, and goats along with their pet pigs Gilbert and Finnegan.
“We hope to create a wonderful space for the community to visit not only to buy their food, but also to learn about regenerative and organic agriculture, beekeeping, and seasonal food,” said Wiley. “We plan to install a lavender field for the community to enjoy and to bring oils and hydrosols (flower waters) to our farm offerings.”
The couple believes that people should be connected to the food they eat by being able to see how it is grown.
They hope to offer a variety of farm events, both recreational and educational, that encourage visitors to enjoy the beauty of nature and the rhythm of the seasons. They plan to grow pumpkins and sunflowers at the new farm property later this year.
You’ll still be able to shop at Jacob’s Fresh Farm at both the Chelsea Saturday and Wednesday Farmers markets, and you can still sign up for the CSA. Jacob’s Fresh Farm offers organically grown produce, raw honey, and vegetable plants.
To learn more, go to http://jacobsfreshfarm.com/ or email [email protected].
