Shenandoah Seasonal

After managing a home and learning center for impoverished children in Phnom Penh, Cambodia called Aziza’s Place, we returned to the USA with a new purpose. The population we worked with earned pennies a day picking through trash on the municipal dumpsite in order to collect recyclable items to resell. The families did not always have enough money to feed their children, much less provide other basic human necessities. To say the least, this was a life changing experience and life as we knew back in the USA would not be the same.

A positive takeaway from our time in Cambodia is that food shopping is a daily enjoyment that takes place in open air markets. We loved living a place where fresh and local produce is a critical part of cooking and daily life.

Dan grew up on a farm in Boyce, VA and soul-searching in Cambodia brought forth his passion to begin a sustainable farm. He honed his skills as a livestock farmer through an apprenticeship at Smith Meadows Farm in Berryville, VA. When it came time for us to start our own enterprise, we realized the cost of purchasing livestock was not financially possible. But buying seeds, on the other hand, was...

Starting a farm is the most difficult, challenging, and gratifying thing we have ever done!

We started our farm with $15,000, our two dogs and grit. We leased land, did things the hard way, and moved to three different farm locations in four years.

By 2013, we were married and knew we wanted farming to be our livelihood. We built our first high tunnel and had our first winter growing season.

We have built an incredible and loyal customer base in our community and in the DC metro area.

Ali finally joined the farm full time in the Spring of 2014. Prior to starting the farm, she did not have experience growing vegetables or farming.

We look forward to this upcoming season (our 8th!) where we will be scaling up production and hiring a larger crew to help. We have learned that farming is a humbling career and there is also much work and learning to be done. We still hold on to our dream of owning our own land.

Shenandoah Seasonal started during a strong movement in our country toward eating local and organic. We are thrilled to see our CSA members and customers at farmers markets with the same appreciation for the taste of seasonally and regionally grown foods. Not only that, we commend our fellow beginning, seasoned and future farmers who see the value in a lifestyle that promotes healthy land and healthy people.