About Us
Our Story
It all started with 13 hens. When we moved to Maple Valley in 2018 we came with the idea of finding a home with land so that our kids could experience the joy and freedom of growing up in nature. With that came the dream that we could have a few chickens and goats and a big garden to provide fresh eggs, veggies and fruits for our family.
Anything that’s worth doing is worth overdoing though, and from those first 13 hens our animal menagerie has since expanded significantly to include over 50 chickens, 20 ducks, 6 goats, a sheep, a rabbit and 4 cats.
One would think that number of animals along with two young kiddos would be enough to keep us busy. But then 2020 happened. Ironically, we had started 2020 with the goal of growing as much of our own food as possible, a goal we set primarily for nutritional benefit. But as the year unfolded and COVID reared its ugly head, we realized that food security was just as important as nutritional quality.
That year we succeeded in growing a tremendous amount of veggies from our garden to the point that we were giving them away left and right. Then one fateful day that Summer, we were out paddle boarding on a lake and had the idea- what if we started selling our veggies next year?
So in 2021 we carved up another section of yard and expanded our garden even further. We picked ten local families who we interested and in May, started delivering boxes of our veggies and eggs to them on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. We learned a lot that year and had such positive feedback that we decided to take it to the next level for 2022.
Through a combination of leased and owned land in both Maple Valley and Enumclaw we now have nearly an acre in production and will be selling at the Maple Valley Farmers Market in 2022.
Healthy Soil = Healthy plants = Healthy food = Healthy people
Makes sense right? Recent advances in soil biology have taught us that the soil is a living breathing medium, teeming with millions of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, insects, earthworms and much more. In order for a plant to be healthy and access the nutrients it needs to grow, all of these microorganisms need to be present in the soil and working together. So our first job is to feed and protect the soil to make it as healthy as possible. This means that we never use any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and till as little as possible.
As simple as that sounds, the truth is that very little of the food we can get from the grocery store was grown in healthy soil. The majority, in fact, was likely grown in soil that is completely dead. The crop sustained by chemical fertilizers and protected by several rounds of pesticides and herbicides (which combined to kill the soil in the first place). Some of the food at the store (virtually all of the berries and tomatoes) was not grown in soil at all, but rather in a hydroponic solution. The food in the Organic section is better, but not as good as you might think because of the distance it’s traveled to reach your plate. Studies show that produce loses around 50% of its nutrients within a week of being harvested. Most produce in a supermarket is at least a week old by the time it hits the shelf.
At 13 Hens Farm, we employ a variety of practices to improve the health of our soils year after year rather than depleting them. Tilling minimally and using cover crops and locally sourced composts for our fertility are all ways that we enhance the microbial life of our soil. This translates to better tasting and more nutritionally complete food for you!