Small Farm Spotlight: Jones Creek Farm

In this series, get to know more about the small farm operations that are using sustainable methods to help meet the local demand for fresh food. And meet the farmers that are making it happen!

Article by: LeeAnna Tatum. Photos in this article are provided by Stephanie Jones.

Jones Creek Farm located in Midway is a small family-run farm in its second year of operation producing high-end soaps, tea blends and seasonal produce.

Stephanie Jones runs the farm with her husband and four children.

“When I started the farm,” Stephanie explained, “I wanted to do things as sustainably as possible. I was frustrated with our food system and I wanted to do something about it and do something for the community. Midway doesn’t have a farm so I wanted to start something there because of that.”

“I’ve always been into organically grown produce, I hate that everything you buy at the store is so full of chemicals so that’s kind of what spurred me into this. I wanted to produce as much food as possible - I wanted to be self-sufficient and I wanted to do it in a responsible and resourceful way.”

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Stephanie grew up with gardens as both her grandparents and her father were avid gardeners. But since moving to Midway, she has had to learn a lot on her own through trial and error.

Stephanie currently produces about 30 varieties of high-end soaps on the farm which is currently the main source of funding for much of the farm’s infrastructure. The couple is currently renovating a shed that they plan to use as a commercially licensed kitchen as they have quickly outgrown the limitations of a cottage license.

But the thing that really drives Stephanie is the moringa plant!

“Moringa is my passion project,” she said. “The main focus that has started me on this journey is the fascination with the moringa plant. Because it is so nutrient-dense, I wanted to learn how to grow it here - where it’s not supposed to grow. We have about 100 trees so far and I want to grow that number to 600-800 trees. I want to get to the point where I can harvest 200 trees every single week and have it on a four week rotation. That’s what I’m working up to.”

In addition to moringa, they also grow hibiscus for their teas, of which there are four different blends.

“The tea blends kind of just happened by accident,” Stephanie explained. “I was making the hibiscus tea blends for myself and I started posting pictures of the hibiscus plants growing and they were beautiful and people started getting excited about it. I’m like whoa I might need more than three plants then because I want some for myself!”

The ingredients for the teas are grown on the farm as much as possible and they are working toward being able to grow all their own ingredients a few years down the line.

“The mint, moringa and hibiscus we grow ourselves,” Stephanie said. “Some things I’m not growing here on the farm yet, so I do have to source some of the ingredients for some of the tea blends. One of my favorite blends is the hibiscus raspberry but I can’t produce enough of the raspberry leaves because of the heat.” “My goal is to grow 100% of the ingredients for our teas here on the farm,” she continued. “We’ve even started with black tea plants - bulong, green, grey tea, black tea - it’s all grown from the same plant, it’s just different based on how it’s harvested and processed. So we’re experimenting growing black tea plants on the farm so hopefully in the next couple of years we’ll actually have tea.”

It was also important for Stephanie to be able to provide fresh produce grown without the use of chemicals for herself and her community in Midway. So, a half acre garden plot is dedicated to annual produce like tomatoes, peppers, squash and herbs.

The farm also partners with local honey producer, Poet’s Blend. The partnership allows the bees to benefit from 20 acres of land that is not being treated with chemicals and all the plants that grow there, while the farm benefits from having lots of happy pollinators. And, of course, there’s the honey!

Due to Covid-related shutdowns to markets last year and some lingering unknowns regarding which markets would re-open this year, the family is focusing on growing their farm in 2021. Expanding the space that can be used for planting and preparing their new kitchen and onsite shop, so they will be prepared for growth in 2022.

Also on the farm is a small fruit orchard and food forest which will become a source for local fruit in the community including: peaches, figs and mullberries.

Nathan, Alexya, Alison and Morgan Jones

To shop for soaps and teas visit their website: jonescreekfarmga.com and be sure to follow the farm’s progress on Facebook.