It is our desire to be good stewards of what we have been given, in this case, the Ehst family farm. We desire to keep the produce in the local community, cutting down on the typical expense of shipping produce across the country.
We grow multiple varieties of lettuce, herbs, and tomatoes in our four-bay greenhouse. Three of the bays house tables of lettuce and herbs year-round, and the other bay is home to buckets of tomatoes and cucumbers early spring through early winter. The first lettuce and herb seeds were planted in early November 2008, and our greenhouse has been alive with full-grown plants ready to be eaten ever since!
The Ehst Homestead Farm has provided for a variety of consumer needs over the years -- growing corn, wheat, and soybeans; raising chickens and pigs; dairy farming (until 1983); a creek-powered mill; and home to a blacksmith shop. It has met various need of the families who lived here and the surrounding community for generations. In addition to Butter Valley Harvest, three other extended family members run farming businesses on this historic property.
We broke ground on our original three bay-greenhouse in early August 2008 and began growing our first lettuce plants three months later.
Early in August 2008, the old red barn which stood to the left of the drive as you came down the lane was torn down to make room for Butter Valley Harvest's packing house and market. Despite the family's sentimental attachment to the structure, the barn, whose beams bore the initials J.E. 1859 and the undated initials H.E., was no longer a stable or safe building. The new pole barn was constructed in early November 2008, and houses the beam from the original wooden barn.