Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Moore-Stevens. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Crystal and Eric Stevens co-own Flourish Farmstead with their two children. Flourish Farmstead is a Botanical Sanctuary along the bluffline of the Mississippi River in Illinois, about 45 minutes from downtown St. Louis. Crystal Stevens is an Author, a multidisciplinary artist, a folk herbalist, and an organic herb farmer. She has written 3 books., and speaks at conferences and Mother Earth News Fairs across the U.S. Eric Stevens is also a multidisciplinary artist and farmer. He is the Farm Manager at Rustic Roots Sanctuary in Spanish Lake, MO. Together, Eric and Crystal Stevens have been organic farmers since 2009. They have farmed in many spaces throughout the metropolitan region. They have taught a resilient Living workshop series since 2010. Crystal Stevens co-founded Tend & Flourish School of Botanicals in 2019. She now runs Herbalism Programs and Workshops through the Flourish Folk School/School of Botanicals. She teaches herbalism, gardening, ethical wild foraging, wildcrafting classes, botanical dye classes, and earth skills classes at their farm in Godfrey, IL. Her husband is also an educator, teaching gardening, foraging, building, and earth skills classes. The family is passionate about earth stewardship and living a holistic lifestyle.
Flourish Farmstead, Flourish Herb Farm, Flourish Folk School:
Crystal and Eric Stevens co-own Flourish Farmstead with their two children. Flourish Farmstead is a Botanical Sanctuary along the bluffline of the Mississippi River in Illinois, about 45 minutes from downtown St. Louis. We grow many medicinal and culinary herbs, perennial fruits and vegetables, a small orchard, and cut flowers. We have goats and a few chickens. Flourish integrates passion for earth stewardship with experience as a farmer and permaculture to provide education and many products to bring health and vibrancy to your home. Crystal Stevens is an Author, a multidisciplinary artist, a folk herbalist, and an organic herb farmer. She has written 3 books and speaks at conferences and Mother Earth News Fairs across the U.S. Eric Stevens is a multidisciplinary artist and farmer. He is the Farm Manager at Rustic Roots Sanctuary in Spanish Lake, MO. Together, Eric and Crystal Stevens have been organic farmers since 2009. They have farmed in many spaces throughout the metropolitan region. They have taught a resilient Living workshop series since 2010. Crystal Stevens Co-founded Tend & Flourish School of Botanicals in 2019; she now runs Herbalism Programs and Workshops through the Flourish Folk School/School of Botanicals. She teaches herbalism, gardening, ethical wild foraging, wildcrafting classes, botanical dye classes, and earth skills classes at their farm in Godfrey, IL. Her husband is also an educator, teaching gardening, foraging, building, and earth skills classes. The family is passionate about earth stewardship and living a holistic lifestyle. Eric & Crystal Stevens have an intrinsic passion for growing food and medicinal herbs, growing native plants, cooking healthy meals, planting trees, foraging for wild food and medicine, creating art, spending time with their children in the fields and forests, and offering workshops through the Flourish Folk School. Flourish is an educational resource for the Midwest, integrating earth stewardship, gardening, herbal medicine, permaculture design, and resilient living. The husband and wife team managed La Vista CSA Farm on the beautiful bluffs of the Mighty Mississippi for 7 years. They spent 2 years as Farm and Garden managers at EarthDance Organic Farm School in Ferguson, MO. They now farm with their children in Godfrey, IL. Eric is the Farm Manager at Rustic Roots Sanctuary in Spanish Lake, MO. Crystal is the author of Your Edible Yard, Grow to Create Inspire, and Worms at Work. She is an herbalist, an educator, and a freelance writer. She has contributed to FEAST Magazine, The Healthy Planet Magazine, Mother Earth News, GRIT, Permaculture Magazine, and Elephant Journal. Eric is a farmer, a wood block artist, a muralist, and a graphic designer. He is an educator, a naturalist, and an environmental steward. You will find him planting trees and foraging wild edibles in his free time. Cay is an artist and a climber. He is a wonderful help on the farm and an animal whisperer. Iris is a budding herbalist, aspiring chef and farmer, and an excellent helper at the farm.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Farm life has been challenging. Everything is weather-dependent. From the time the ground thaws in the early spring, everything we do in the fields is dictated by the weather, when, how, and where to plant. Another challenge is finding a home for the produce or herbs during peak season. For example, when we have hundreds of pounds of heirloom tomatoes available, the chefs we work with have already stocked up. We have adapted and evolved to grow specialty items such as hard-to-find produce, edible flowers, and unique herbs.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Flourish Farmstead?
We are at the Tower Grove Farmers Market in St. Louis every Saturday morning from April to November. We have an online shop and Etsy store: shop.growcreateinspire.com, https://www.etsy.com/shop/FlourishFarmsteadArt. Flourish offers many products and services inspired by resilient Midwest residents.
Education: Herbal Training Program/ Herbalism Education Resilient Living Workshop series plant walks, ethical wild foraging, medicinal herb workshops, gardening, and mushroom inoculation Flourish Botanicals & Apothecary- You can find our apothecary products at:
- The Old Bakery Beer Company in Alton, IL
- Riverbend Yoga in Alton, IL
- Three Rivers Community Farm Stand in Elsah, IL
- City Greens Market in St. Louis, MO
- Macs Local Eats in St. Louis, MO
- Online at shop.growcreateinspire.com
We collaborate with the Old Bakery Beer Company to create Herbarium Sparkling Herbal Tea. We grow the medical herbs and some fruits for the beverage and help develop recipes. The Old Bakery Beer Company brews and cans the beverage https://www.drinkherbarium.com/. We collaborate with River Hills Harvest on a line of herbal products, including homegrown botanical tea blends and salves. https://www.riverhillsharvest.com/product-page/elderberry-friends-tea
Flourish Art and Design: woodblock art, hand-drawn renderings, custom logo and branding design, botanical illustration, dyes, small-scale garden design, and installations. Plant nursery native and specialty fruit and nut-bearing trees and shrubs, medicinal herbs, and permaculture-inspired plants that are all acclimated to the Midwest region. Flourish offers herbs, flowers, & value-added products grown locally without the use of pesticides, a selection of plants, including perennials, native and specialty fruit and nut-bearing trees and shrubs, medicinal herbs, as well as heirloom annuals, handmade herbal products artfully created with homegrown and wildcrafted plants and herbs consultation, design, and installation services to transform your yard into an edible oasis with a focus on ecological preservation Herbalism Training Program Education through a resilient living workshop series encompassing plant walks, ethical wild foraging, medicinal herb workshops, small structures cob building techniques, and more local tree inspired products art and design inspired by nature including woodblock art, hand-drawn renderings, custom logo, and branding design.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
Start small. Find your niche. Collaborate when possible. Stay focused.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://flourishfarmstead.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourish_farmstead/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/growcreateinspire/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_2V5GDpb4i3E9Gy8XvcsXw
- Other: https://flourishfarmstead.com/etsy
Image Credits
Candice Moore Dragonfly Photography
