Misfits Homegrown LLC

A Tiny Homestead

Today I'm talking with Amy at Misfits Homegrown LLC. You can also follow on Facebook.

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00:00
This is Mary Lewis at a tiny homestead. The podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters. If you're enjoying this podcast, please like, subscribe, share it with a friend, or leave a comment. Thank you. Today I'm talking with Amy at Misfits, I'm sorry, hang on Amy. Misfits Homegrown LLC. It's already been a Monday and it's barely Monday, so. Yes, I agree. Our barn cat had kittens last night, so.

00:30
I got a photo from my husband this morning and I was like, yay, more kittens. Woo. Yay, just what you need, right? Yeah, there's six. We'll find homes for them. It will be fine. There you go. And they're very sweet. They're adorable. So it's been the Mondayest of Mondays in the best way possible. That's a good thing. So tell me about what you do, Amy.

00:59
Misfits Homegrown, we raise our own beef, pork and chicken and farm fresh eggs. We raise them from start to finish. Nice. So how did you get into it? Well, my partner and I, we've been in the, excuse me, the agricultural industry forever. He's managing a 2,500 cow dairy over...

01:26
And then I'm going to say Reedsville, Wisconsin. And then I was herdsman on a farm out in Valdez for years. That's how we've actually met. And, uh, we moved in together and we started out with three beef animals, just three steers we had. And as a word got out that we were raising beef, people started buying quarters and haves from us. And.

01:54
That was back in 2017. We established the farm in 2018. And with that, um, I had met some people who didn't have freezer space for a quarter or half steer. So I started doing individual cuts and I got a license through our county to sell individual cuts of meat. So now our clientele base has just grown. So when people need two pounds of ground beef and a roast, they can get two pounds of ground beef in a roast.

02:23
Awesome. Yeah. You guys are, how do you pronounce it? Manitowoc? Is that how it's pronounced? Yes. Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Yes. Yes. Okay. I interviewed a lady months ago from that area and I can't remember which business was hers, but she said that it's beautiful there. It is. It is. I actually left Wisconsin for about five years and came right back. So you get, you get a little bit of four seasons all in one day.

02:52
And sometimes you actually get months of each season, which is a blessing. So.

03:00
Uh-huh. Yeah, Minnesota's like that too. So yeah. Yep. We're neighbors. So, uh-huh. Hey, neighbor. So, so I saw on your Facebook page that you guys have a building now on your property. Yes. And you can, it's basically a store. Yes, we built. So basically what happened in the past, oh gosh, since 2018 and during the pandemic in 2020, people really realized

03:30
where their food came from and they wanted to know more. And that's where our clientele had tripled. So with that, I started doing the local farmers markets and I started, you know, advertising more. And we are now to the point where we built a small country store on our property and we're selling our meat and our farm fresh eggs. And then I have other local vendors in the neighboring area.

03:58
who does honey and maple syrup and produce. And we're pretty much trying to make this a central hub or a country farmers market. Well, congratulations on that. That's awesome. Thank you. Thank you. It's been a challenge. It's been a long year and a half since we started everything, but we're very blessed. We're actually opening the doors this Saturday, the 14th for a soft opening. And the 28th is our grand opening.

04:28
fantastic I love country stores my parents live in Maine and there is a there is a basically a country store down the road from them and we were back to visit we were back to visit in 2014 I think and we stopped by that store and it's stocked with the stuff that the people that own it grow and stocked with local producers yes things and

04:57
You walk in there and it's so cute. Yeah. The thing I don't like about grocery stores these days is they're very slick. They're very shiny. They're very colorful. They're very loud. Yes. There's always a radio station or whatever playing and I walk in and I'm like, I forgot what I came in here for because my brain is overloaded with, with what I'm seeing and hearing and smelling and country stores. You walk in and it doesn't do that to me. It's just like.

05:27
Oh, this is really calm and nice. Yeah. So I love country stores. We actually, so when Bryce bought this property in 2017, it was his great uncle's farm. So he actually, it's a family farm. And when he purchased it and when I moved in, we had a lot of repairs to do. The barns were falling down and it, you know, it was neglected for years. So we've put a lot of heart and soul into this place. And we originally,

05:57
wanted to have a little store in the greenery that was in the middle of the property. And I didn't want to lose that. So when we decided to do this, we literally picked the greenery up, we moved it, poured a foundation and put it back on. So when you walk into the store, you are walking into the greenery from 1910.

06:17
Awesome. And we stripped all the barn boards off of that grain room. We used them on the walls of the store. So it's all incorporated. Yeah. We're really excited. I love that. That's so fun. Yeah, it is. And, you know, so we have his family history here and then some of the shelving that we built, um, we took from my grandparents old house and we built shelving with my family history. So

06:47
nice country store. It really means a lot to us.

06:53
Yeah, I imagine it does. And I'm sure at the end of the day on the 22nd, you said, for the real grand opening. 28th. At the end of the day on the 28th, you're going to go home or walk from the store to your home, walk in the door, sit down, and be like, yes, we did it. Yeah, I know we're getting excited, but I don't think the reality is setting in yet. Because we're both just kind of like, OK, we're just trying to make sure that all of our eyes are dotted and our T's are crossed right now.

07:23
Uh-huh. You know, and I think once we actually can sit back and take a look at everything, we're going to be like, holy man, we did it. Yeah. Yeah, and don't be disappointed if it's not quite as climactic as you think it will be. Right. I'm going to tell you, it's so weird. The older I get, the less impact things have in that huge emotional way.

07:53
We bought our place four years ago in August, and I was very excited about this. We had been living in a small house in town for 20 years, and we bought our new place, which is over three acres and has a really nice house on it, and it's in the middle of nowhere, and we are so in love with it. But I really thought that I would have that crazy high that you used to get when you were young when things happened. Yes.

08:22
Yes, I agree with you. And I didn't. I was just like, okay, so we did it. Now what? Now what is always the thing I think after we accomplish something. Yeah. Okay, what's the next thing we can challenge ourselves to do? Yeah. And I don't know. I just, I don't know if I'm just too old to have the energy to get that high anymore from when things happen or if I'm just like, well, we've done other things before. So of course we made this thing happen too. I don't know.

08:52
It is weird. And I kind of feel that way too, because I have so many, like some of my friends and my, you know, my sisters are like, well, aren't you excited? And I'm like, yeah, but I'm not like bouncing off the walls excited. You know? Yeah. I don't know how to explain it. I think people expect me to be more, all right, we're doing this. And I just, yeah, it's been a long journey and we just want to open the doors and give back to the community that supported us while we're doing this.

09:20
Yes, exactly. Yeah. Okay. So, so what are you going to be selling? You're going to be selling chicken and pork? Yep. And we, um, I, well, um, I have steers and pigs going in every month. I do chickens seasonally. I usually don't do it in the dead of winter because it's too hard to raise baby chicks. Um, too cold and I won't. So my season, my last batch of chickens goes in October.

09:49
So that'll be my last group of chickens until next spring. But yeah, we do have pigs and steers going in every month. And then along with that, my eggs, and we have our neighbor who does maple syrup. We have, it's in the wood sugar bush. They're supporting, they're putting maple syrup in here. We have another family that does raw honey. I don't know if you've heard of Debbie, or Otto's pumpkin patch.

10:18
I think I have heard of it, but I haven't talked to them yet. Yeah, she does like, she does all of her own produce and she does like a big pumpkin patch for the kids to come out and pick your own pumpkins and all that. So I'm getting some of her produce and some of her pumpkins and gourds for fall. I have another lady growing mums and succulents, you know, and these are all our neighbors that

10:45
We really didn't know what we were doing. You know, none of us really knew each other until now. So it's kind of a neat way to keep it close to home. That is fabulous. I love that. And then this winter, because I've been active in the summer markets and the winter markets, but because I have the store opening, I'm actually helping alleviate the stress for the city of Manson. They do an indoor farmers market in the winter.

11:13
And we can't always fit all those vendors in that space. So I'm going to take some here for the winter. So we'll do like two Saturdays a month where I'll have vendors come in and sell their product throughout the winter. Oh my God, that is so great. Yeah. So like I said, we're just, it's, we're one big community. And until you really start doing this and get to know each other, there's so many neat, amazing farmers out there. And

11:42
It's really a cool thing that we're doing. So, yeah. Yes. Yes, it's stellar. I don't get to use that word very often, but it's a stellar thing. We are, not we, my husband sells at the farmers market here in Lesor. And they're looking for a place to have a winter market. It got brought up a couple weekends ago. And it sounds like they're having a little bit of trouble finding a place to do it. Yes.

12:11
And I suggested one of the churches because they could do it on Saturday. And my husband was like, yeah, but what if there's a wedding on Saturday? I was like, oh yeah, I didn't think of that. Yeah. See, we used to do it. I don't know if you've heard of Grow It Forward out of Manitowoc? I have not, but I will put it on the list. Grow It Forward is a, it's a food pantry and they were donated a church when they first started to start their pantry up. And we used to have the indoor market in there.

12:41
But with the way they're growing and the needs for their pantry, they don't have the space for the vendors now. So it's been put downtown, man, it's walk into a cafe and you can only have four to five vendors per Saturday. And there's like 10 to 15 that wanna do it. So I talked to Amber from Grow It Forward and I asked her, I said, would you mind? And she's like, no, go for it. So I'm like, okay. Nice. This way, you know.

13:09
Some people can sell out here, some people can sell in downtown. It'll work. Yeah. It's just, yeah, everything you're, everything you're telling me makes it sound like this was one of those meant to be things for you. It feels like everything is coming together for you. It is. And this is where I, I, I take my faith into a court and I'm, I am so grateful and I'm so thankful every day. It just.

13:38
This has always been my dream to have my own store. I used to just want a coffee shop. And then when you can incorporate your passion of life, which is farming and coffee in the store, it's kind of a neat thing. It's really exciting. Well, coffee is my passion in life. So I got one half of that covered. Yep, so I am gonna have like a coffee and donut bar. Not that I can sell it, but I can have it there for customers to come in and then just leave a donation.

14:08
because I do not have that conditional use permit. Because that's a whole nother ball of wax. Yeah, that leads me to my next.

14:18
Yeah, I was going to say that leads me to my next question. How hard was it with the regulations and stuff to get this to happen? Oh, Lord, it was. So originally, we were just going to put up a country store. And basically what we're doing now was our main idea. But then as people start talking to us, they're like, well, why don't you do this? And why don't you do that? So we actually inquired of how we could make it more of a commercial store.

14:46
And it went into zoning and planning and they wanted to change our zoning. And we said no, because they wanted us to go residential or commercial. But you can't have livestock. I said, that is the whole business. That is why we are here today. So no, thank you. Yeah. It's been, it's been a challenge, but we've gotten through it. So this Wednesday, we actually go to our town meeting.

15:12
and present, you know, that we're opening this Saturday and hand out flyers for the grand opening. And if there's any concerns, because we want to make sure that our community is okay with this, you know, because it is going to increase traffic and bring more people out here. So we just want to address any concerns that there might be and, you know, keep it as a local community. Just make sure we're all open and honest with each other. Yes, because that's the only way it's going to fly. Right.

15:42
And I don't mean fly like fly under the radar. I mean fly like fly like an eagle and be successful. Right. And that's why we're trying to incorporate our township as much as possible for our grand opening. Actually, our local fire department is going to be frying out our burgers and brats and serving beverages for our grand opening. So trying to incorporate everybody.

16:06
I am smiling huge. Like I am literally sitting here, my face is broken open with a smile. That's great. Yeah. I'm excited for you. Thank you. I'll tell you a little bit more. So my daughter is a high school teacher at Keele and she's the egg teacher. She, you know, she does dairy science and runs the FFA program. And actually her FFA students and some of another community's FFA students are gonna be out here that day running the petting zoo.

16:35
and the bouncy houses for the kids. So we're trying to incorporate those, you know, we're trying to take in our local kids and, you know, give them some experience in this crazy world we call farming. I could not be any happier for you. Like, I say this all the time, my heart gets too big for my chest when people tell me their stories. I'm right there again, this is awesome. So you-

17:04
You had mentioned the pandemic back in the beginning of this. Yes. I keep wondering when I'm going to get to the point where every other interview doesn't mention COVID or the pandemic, because a lot of things were born out of the pandemic. Yes. So I wonder if it's going to be like another three years before it's not every other interview where somebody's like, yeah, it was a COVID baby. Right.

17:30
And I, you know, I don't really have any issue with the COVID babies. I think a lot of COVID babies are really starting to find their feet now. They're toddlers. Yep. And yeah. And I think, I mean, just going through that whole, where we didn't have food in the grocery stores, you couldn't get it in and people were looking and actually realizing, oh, there are local farmers out here raising this stuff. Oh, maybe that's where I'll get my food. And then it took, that took off for a lot of people.

18:01
So as horrible as the pandemic was, it was a blessing for some of us. Yes, exactly. I keep saying it was a double-edged sword. It was absolutely a tragedy for a lot of people, but it was also a huge opportunity for people to figure out what they wanted to do. And it gave them an open door to step through. Yes, absolutely.

18:27
When we went through it, we moved in the summer of 2020. And first thing we did was get a half beef in our freezers because we knew that supply chains were starting to get screwy. Yep. And we happened to have the fundage to be able to do it. Right. And we had always, I've talked about this before, we had always shopped like for a month at a time on

18:56
staples like toilet paper and paper towels and I don't know butter we'd throw it in the freezer and we always had three gallons of milk in the fridge because we always drink milk we have our coffee we I make cream based soups from scratch you need milk for those and so our way of living and shopping was already kind of set yeah and so when the supply chain started to get iffy

19:24
We really did have a stockpile, not because we went and bought out a store, but because that's how we had shopped all along. Right. So I think I've mentioned this the other day. The only thing that frustrated me was that I could not get the dish soap that I really, really like for a year. And I had to use all these dish soaps that I did not love. Like they didn't, they didn't work, number one, and they smelled awful to me.

19:54
And every time I go to do dishes, I'm like, oh my God, I can't wait until that dawn green apple soap is back. Cause this is driving me insane. And it was, it was the stupidest thing. Like it was the least major issue of COVID ever to be talked about. But it was the thing that I really noticed. Right. And it's the thing that you really liked and you use and you depended on. Yeah. Yep. And.

20:19
we were really lucky because we made our own soap, we made our own lip balms. I know how to make hand balm, you know, for dry skin. So, I wasn't, we weren't in trouble on a lot of things because we already were making it and had it. And so that's why I'm so grateful that we had already been, I don't know, practicing homesteading skills because it really saved us on a lot of the supply chain stuff. Right, I'll see even to...

20:48
Even now, when I take a trip to town, I make sure that I go and I get everything I'm gonna need. Mm-hmm. Because I don't want to have to drive to town every other day. No. And that's how we are too, like our staples especially. Everything that we grow, whether it's because I have many gardens, I don't have giant gardens, but like tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers and onions and this is stuff we use every day in our food. Yeah.

21:18
I don't know, I just, I totally understand that we, when we go to town, we make a trip. We don't make several. It's a trip. Yeah. And I don't know if you're like, we used to be, but when we lived at the old house, we knew which, which stores had the better deals on things. Yes. So we would sit down and go through the, the flyers that you get in your local paper and see who had the best deals on what. And we would make like a loop.

21:47
We'd start at home, go to wherever was closest for the thing we needed that was the cheapest, and then just keep going and we'd make a loop and then come home and not have spent as much money.

22:01
Right, right. And that's, and the money, the expense of everything right now is just insane. It just, you know, you wonder how, so you wonder how a single mom can raise three kids on her own. Look at the cost of living right now. It's insane. I do not know how anyone under the age of 30 right now is surviving. I don't know how they're doing it. Let's see, my, so I have three children. My oldest lives here in Wisconsin. My other two

22:30
moved to North Carolina. And the cost of living there is horrendous compared to here. And they're still there, but they struggle and they have good paying jobs. And they're like, mom, I can't believe how expensive my rent is. And my house payments this and groceries are this. I'm like, yeah, you got to learn to budget. Yeah, it's definitely a different world than when I was their age. Yeah.

22:59
I don't want to date myself, but you know, a couple decades ago. Oh, I'll just date, I'll date myself and then you can feel free to. I'm 54. So I figure we're probably close. Yep. I'm 50. Yep. Yeah. And honestly, my husband has a nice job. He's got a decent job. And we were really counting on selling our produce at the farmer's market this year to kind of supplement his income.

23:28
Our gardens did terrible this year. So, so there's not a whole lot of supplemental income this year. No, I have raised garden beds and that has been a blessing. We're, we're definitely thinking about that for next year. Yeah. My brother actually made these for me, but I was like, thank you. He saved my back on weeding and I just put fertilizer in there and compost and it grows beautifully and my fertilizer is chicken poop.

23:58
So yes, we have, we have chicken. That's amazing. And we're going to, we're going to, oh my God, chicken poop is the best fertilizer. Our friends have goats, our friends have goats. So we're going to pick up some goat manure sometime the next two weeks as well. Let that, that works great too. So that is something we're adding to the misfits family. I have four pig meat goats coming next week. So nice. And

24:27
They're not for butchered, they're gonna be my pets. I'm sorry, they're just cute and I want goats. You're getting dogs with messed up feet and broken barks. Right, right. Yes. And I have black labs so they can become best friends, it's great. And they will, they will become best friends. So one quick thing about the inflation stuff. Yes. With the way that food is just.

24:56
I mean, some of it's come down, but it still seems like everything is just exorbitantly expensive. We have been doing a lot of cooking from scratch at home because to buy anything that's already made, it's not worth it. It's so much more worth me spending my time than our money right now. Yep. And like, we don't eat out, rarely we eat out because well, we'd have to drive into town. Yep.

25:26
everything we do here too is from scratch. Homemade chicken soups and chilies. When I can tomatoes, I use all the juice and you know, I have that throughout the year. That's how I make my spaghetti sauce and chili and lasagna. Yeah. Yep. I made French onion soup the other night for the first time since last fall. And I always forget how much I love it until I'm eating it. And I was just like, I don't know why I don't make this more often.

25:55
Right. And my husband was like, because there's nothing to it. He said, he said, the thing that makes French onion soup great is the bread that we eat with it. And I was like, liar. I like the soup. You like the bread. But yes, making soups is amazing. I, we make soup all winter long. Yeah. I'm looking, okay, that sounds terrible. Cause I know we don't get much summer here, but I'm looking forward to fall. Now it's been a really hot summer. As the summer has

26:27
I think I just talked over you. I'm sorry. It's okay. As there's a lag happening and so it cuts out and I can't tell if you're still talking, but it comes back and I'm like, oh, I just talked over her. Oops. As sucky as this summer has been, I am so excited. We're rolling into fall. Me too. Me too. I am. And so are my animals like just the cool nights now, just the relief and the calves and yeah.

26:56
It's just a big difference and it's good for everyone. It just kind of clears, it's fresh air now. It's not stale and sticky. Gross. Gross is the word I've used all summer. Oh yeah. I don't know if you guys are going to get this, but we're supposed to have a week of hot this week. Yep. That's what they said. You'll get it first and then it'll head this way. Yeah. And of course the cat had kittens last night when it's going to be hot all week. I'm like, great. That's awesome.

27:25
Well, you know what that means. You'll have to spend extra time with them. Well, they're in the barn and they're in some hay bales. That's where she has her babies. OK, OK. And it's all shady and they and the kittens know, like even when they're only a day old, they know to move away from each other if they're too hot. So I think it'll be OK.

27:49
better than minus 20 because they probably wouldn't survive it.

27:55
Chickens too just right now. They're comfortable now, but This hot week is going to be a stress around them, too Mm-hmm. But yeah, that's what we do when we farm Uh-huh. It's all the seasons Yeah, I think the worst thing about this week is my dog has been loving this cooler weather She's a mini Australian Shepherd. She weighs like 35 pounds and she loves to go outside when it's cold

28:25
or cool. Right. And she goes out and she just rolls in the grass, just rolls herself over six times, throws herself around, scratches her back. You can just see her being like, oh, this is so much better than all the heat we've had. And so she's been just wanting to go outside all day long. And today is supposed to be okay. I guess Wednesday is supposed to be 90. Yeah.

28:48
She's gonna be one unhappy pupper all day Wednesday. Yes, and my labs too, they love playing ball. Everything is ball, ball, ball. And when it's hot, hot, they won't even go outside. They'll stay in the house. Yeah, Maggie is frisbee. She loves frisbee. See? I just, all my kids grew up and moved away and I got another puppy, so. Yes. Yes, that's what we did too.

29:16
We call Maggie our fifth baby. Yeah, yeah. And actually my kids always say, you love her more than me. Well, she does not talk back. It's kind of nice. So you know, as we get, how is that saying? As we get older, our parents get smarter. I think that's, yeah. So I'm waiting for that day to happen.

29:41
Yes, I have had all of my children come to me at one point or another since they hit 20 years old and say, you know, I remember when I did this thing. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Yeah. My oldest is doing that now, but the other two, not yet. So I know it's coming. Yeah. Um, my stepson back years ago, we, we had a rough and rocky relationship for a while. And.

30:11
He was a hard kid. He was a good kid, but he was a difficult kid. And he joined the Marines, and he went into the Marines, and he came back to visit for leave about a year or so after he joined the Marines. And he purposely came back to visit before the other kids got home from school and before dad got home from work because he wanted to talk to me. And I was like, okay.

30:39
And so he got dropped off at the house and he came in and gave me a big hug. And he said, before you say anything. And I was like, Oh, he says, he says, I love you. I'm sorry. Oh, I said, sorry for what? He said, for being such a pain in the ass. I was like, Oh, okay. Well, yep. That's what kids do. And I love you anyway. And then we just sat down and talked. It was beautiful. Yeah. Those are.

31:08
beautiful moments actually. Bryce has four children so that's why we got the name Misfits. I was gonna ask. We have seven kids between the two of us. All about the same age and you try and mesh them. We just started calling ourselves Misfits and that's how we got the farm name. It's stunning. It was a joke that's stuck. So it's kind of...

31:32
Yeah, I was going to ask you before we got done talking. And so I'm glad that you brought it up. Yeah. Everyone asked me, I say we're a modern day Brady bunch. Yep. And so were we. Um, none of our kids have the same last name. Oh, wow. Four kids. Cause I had one from my first marriage or one from my second marriage. Husband had one from a previous relationship and then husband and I had the youngest who still lives with us. So.

32:01
So they all have different last names, but it's Cassandra, Cody, Cameron, and Ken. So they all have the same C at the beginning of their first names. Wow. And that was not planned. Well, it was meant to be then. Okay, so Bryce has an older boy. He lives in Texas, older girl who lives here in, I'm gonna say Kelnarsville.

32:28
And then he has two younger ones actually, 12 and 11 from his second marriage. So, yeah. Yep. So it's, yeah, that's why we got the name Misfits because we were just a modern day Brady bunch and there was no other way to explain us. Yeah. And you shouldn't have to, well, I don't mind the term explain, but I always feel, I always felt like I had to defend the fact that our kids had different last names.

32:57
And I finally realized when they got older that I didn't have to defend it. It didn't matter. No, it doesn't matter. And family doesn't always have to be blood. It's what you make. Family is created with the people around you. Yeah, exactly. Cause we all have that black sheep in our family, you know? I think I'm the black sheep of three kids. I think I am. Yeah. I'm good with black. I wear black all the time.

33:26
Me too, black and gray. Those are my favorites. Wow. Yeah, I'm getting more fond of rich, deep brown as I get older, but I still like black. Yeah, me too. So, but anyway, I feel like- Yeah, now we're getting sidetracked. I was gonna say, I feel like the last few interviews I've done, it started off about the homestead and then it ends up being about raising kids or pets or favorite things.

33:55
and that's totally fine, but we're at like 33 minutes and I try to keep this to half an hour. So we're good. All right, well, yeah, no, thank you very much. I appreciate it. Thank you, I'm so excited for you. I can't wait to see photos on Facebook about the grand opening. Yeah, it's coming, it's coming. I got all my mums out. I have to get them in planters now, so I'm excited. Yes, thank you so much for your time, Amy. I appreciate it. You have a wonderful day.

34:24
You too. All right. Bye.