Friday Farmer Feature
September 16
12:48
2022
Story and Images By Stina Stow
Meet Michele Burns
Whether you have had the pleasure of meeting her in person or not, you’ll get a fun glance at what things are like on her own farm this week.
Michele runs the Let’s Grow Crazy Farmer’s Market. She is passionate about getting people access to food and connecting growers and farmers to each other. Community is in her blood, and she is the easiest person in the world to make friends with.
One thing about Michele that sticks out is the pure love and respect she has for her animals. You can tell because of the wayshe talks about them, handles them, and cares for them daily. Each animal has a name (unless it’s intended for food) and she can tell you each of their personalities when you ask.
When asked if a rooster could be picked up for a portrait, “Not this guy, but Nugget will let me. Let’s go get him.”
Michele told everything about her baby cow born on a Sunday afternoon, her goats Ren and Stimpy, her specialty rare breedCrèvecœur chickens and unusual plants.
She has a heart of gold to boot, and a true gardener’s soul. She roots for her plants just like she would root for you or I. Poison oak runs and flowers up to the top of her windmill. She leaves it for the pollinators.
A giant Zipper spider made a home on the truck bed where she enjoyed her coffee, and Michele would never remove her. They are as much a part of her garden as the things she meant to be there, they have just as much right to stay as her giant pumpkin plants or her chickens.
