Ideas Evolve: Embracing the Land's Story

When we first dreamed up this project, we planned to grow chestnut trees. It felt fitting — after all, the land we’re on is called Chestnut Ridge. Surely, they had once thrived here.

But as with many things in farming, reality met us with a bit of a course correction.

After consulting with our local Ag Extension team, we quickly learned that chestnuts weren’t the best idea for our soil. They told us — kindly but firmly — we’d go broke trying to make it work. It was disappointing at first. We wanted to believe chestnuts had a place here again.

Later, a trip to the County Register of Deeds confirmed our suspicions: a past land deed described the property boundaries using chestnut trees. They had grown here — before the chestnut blight changed everything.

Here’s the thing about starting something new: you have to trust the people who’ve been around longer than you. People who’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. That’s what we did.

Our Ag team pointed us in a new direction — cut flowers and blueberries.

They said it was a no-brainer for our land. So we listened. And the more we learned, the more excited we became. Blueberries would be (relatively) easier to grow and harvest. Plus, we couldn’t forget about the cut flowers — a dream that never left our plans. Watching tiny seeds turn into beautiful blooms? There’s real joy in that.

Sometimes, the land tells you what it wants to be. You just have to be willing to listen.