It's a beautiful Fall Friday out there today, dear readers, and we are excited to spotlight YB Forest Farm for our #farmerfriday post today. So, go and grab your favorite morning cup of sunshine and settle in to meet our Westerly neighbors who are taking permaculture to a new level!

SVHC: Can you share with us what products or goods that you make or grow?

YBFF: We produce wood-fired maple syrup in small batches and log-grown shiitake and oyster mushrooms. The oyster varieties include Italian and Golden. We also sun-dry and powder shiitake mushrooms.

SVHC: How long have you been growing shiitakes and making syrup for?
YBFF: Since 2014.

SVHC: Growing food and producing food products cannot be an easy task to take on, why engage in this type of lifestyle?

YBFF: Originally, we used our land to camp, hunt, wildcraft, and wander through the woods. We fell in love with the all of it and decided to make this place our home, committing to a homesteading off-grid lifestyle, living off the land, and planted roots (pun!).

We attend seminars and webinars by New York Forest Owners Association (NYFOA), NYSDEC and Cornell, and read literature in addition to attending NYFOA woods walks, permaculture site visits and other events.

In 2014 Maria completed a PDC (permaculture design certificate) at Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute. Inspired, we tapped seven maple trees and made a small batch of syrup, started gardening on a bank using hügelkultur, and planted perennial herbs, tomatoes, and pumpkins.
The next year we harvested and inoculated our first shiitake logs and oyster logs, tapped 33 maple trees and made a few gallons of maple syrup. Initially, we wanted to produce enough mushrooms and maple syrup for just ourselves. However, we were encouraged by our friends to go bigger and share how good our products are with the community. Every year we became a little bit bigger. And here we are now!

Besides farmer’s markets, we sell our fresh shiitake mushrooms to a few local farm-to-table restaurants. Our maple syrup is also sold at a local farm store, and to friends through Maria’s personal social media profiles.

SVHC: What has been your biggest joy as a local grower and producer?
YBFF: Working on our homestead and producing our own food using permaculture principles, as well as being able to make a little extra income with products made from our land.

SVHC: What has been your greatest challenge as a local grower and producer?
YBFF: Finding regular customers for fresh mushrooms.

SVHC: If you could tell your community one thing, what would it be?
YBFF: Thank you for supporting your local farmers.

SVHC: How can the community purchase your goods or connect with you?
YBFF: YB Forest Farm market stand is set up on Thursdays 4 – 6 PM alongside Main Street Farms CSA pickup at Cortland Beer Company, and Sundays 3 – 6 PM at Freeville Farmers Market, located at Freeville Elementary School.

You can contact Maria at paone.maria.r@gmail.com or call her cell at 702-883-1094.

We are currently building our YB Forest Farm social media pages on Facebook and Instagram, and our website, ybforestfarm.com, so be on the lookout for those soon!

#farmerfridays: YB Forest Farm