How did this happen? We have been so busy working on the experimental winter harvest that when we finally took a little breather we remembered that Hollow Pumpkin Farm has now entered it's 35th year of existence. Steve has been specializing in healthy organically grown produce for 35 years!
Running a farm is a bit like being married. There are joys and disappointments, a lot of hard work coupled with laughter and fun, plenty of responsibility and you must be in it for the long haul.
Steve came to Southern Illinois from New York in 1977. He was an elementary school teacher in the Bronx for a brief moment when he decided he wanted to go back to the land. Prior to his arrival in Illinois, he gained experience working on a farm on the east cost. After a while, he looked in the papers and found this plot of land was available to buy. When he arrived here on the farm there was a condemned house on the 16 acre property. He and his family lived in that house with no plumbing for the first six months. They took showers outside and used an out-house for their bathroom. That out- house is still in existence and is still used on occasion. Steve wasted no time and began planting the first year. He planted just enough for he and his
family to eat that year as he gained more knowledge about organic farming and Southern Illinois. He began to sell his produce in 1978.
To give you a perspective of the time period: There was no Internet as we know it in 1977. The world wide web was not in existence until 1992-1993. In 1977 the type of computers that were available were the Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Translator), and the Apple II (If you remember those you are old indeed!) There was no real organic movement in this part of Southern Illinois at that time. Steve was, indeed, a pioneer in the field. There was no such thing as a C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture) in America until 1984. A lot has changed in 35 years.
In 1980, Steve put his first hoop house up. In 1996 the old condemned house was torn down and the new house was erected.
In 2009 Steve and I started Hollow Pumpkin C.S.A.. We are now beginning our fourth year of the C.S.A.
Toward the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 we put up the second hoop house thanks to a grant for season extension. We have begun to open up all of the farmable fields on the 16 acre farm. (There are 9 farmable acres.)
Steve has lived through many changes in this region. He has seen agriculture in this region dwindle in comparison to when he arrived - and now is seeing a renewed interest with the push towards a healthier more local food supply. He has seen the weather patterns change dramatically. He has seen exponential increases in deer populations and insects some of which are not so friendly to the farmer. He has seen lady bugs go away only to be replaced with the lady beetles which bite and smell when they die in your house. He has also seen his children Jesse and Samantha, grow up and get married to lovely people, Ashraf and Stacy. Now Steve is a proud grandpa t
o three grandchildren, Sammy, Eman and Asher. Sammy is the oldest of the three grandchildren and he seems to have taken an interest in what grandpa Steve does.
Through the years Steve has continued to gain knowledge of what works and what does not work in this region in regard to growing produce organically. He is continuing to learn and experiment as
new information about organic agricultural practices grow.
Steve could not have done this alone. In the beginning, his family was an integral part of the farm. Much credit for the early formation of this farm goes to, not only Steve, but Rosalie Fulia who supported Steve's addiction to farming. His two children helped on the farm too. Like most farm families, children are responsible for doing farm chores. Neither of Steve's children became farmers, but both of them have a deep understanding of the importance of a clean food supply and what it takes to achieve that. They still come out to the farm on occasion and help their father. Since that time,
many a friend and volunteer has come
to help and support the farm. Steve also has taught many of the volunteers about organic farming and some of them have carried on the tradition. Rachel Pfaff is one such volunteer. She now lives near Batavia, IL. and is growing her own and then some, raising chickens, goats and keeping bees! She is a great example of what keeps Steve motivated. It truly takes a village.
Today, we have grown from a 12 member C.S.A. to a 29 member C.S.A. and we are looking to add a few more(6-10) for this 2012 Summer/Fall section. We are beginning to add season extension to our vocabulary and action packed schedule. We will continue to grow our winter C.S.A. season extension each year and we are very thankful to our C.S.A. members who are taking this experimental ride with us.
We have always included a small percentage of work for share C.S.A. membership and we will continue to do so in the future.
Steve has been a member of the Carbondale Farmers Market since 1978 and has been selling his produce to the Neighborhood Co-op, Arnolds Market and many local shops for, what Steve says
is close to 30 years.
Steve has been donating produce to Good Samaritan for as long as he can remember. He has donated to the food pantry and continues to be dedicated to getting healthy produce to the under served populations of this region.
Wow, it is amazing when you look at where you have come from. I have only been here, but for a
small portion of this ongoing journey. I arrived here 4 1/2 years ago. I fell in love with Steve very early after we met. I must admit, I fell in love with the farm as well. I decided that I wanted to assist Steve the
best way that I could. Since I am just a city kid from Chicago, I
decided that my skills were needed for the business end of the farm and that Steve should dedicate his time to what he does so superbly, and that is growing the best darn produce in these here parts!
There are more photos for you to take a look at in this post. I hope you have enjoyed reading about some of the history of Hollow Pumpkin Farm. Here's to making more history now and in the future! Happy and healthy eating to all. -Fran
