Ellie Duncan March 4th 2020

What do you do?

During the growing season I am a full time farmer at City Sprouts Farm. My farm partner and I started City Sprouts two years ago as an experiment to try to manifest our farming dreams, and it totally took off! We have been working to rehabilitate a formally abandoned field of himalayan blackberries into a vibrant urban farm in the Birchwood neighborhood. We currently grow a 1/2 acre of vegetables using organic, intensive growing practices (planting crops with a higher yield per square foot to make use of limited space, while also maintaining soil health.)

The Birchwood neighborhood has been experiencing significant food access issues in recent years which spurred us to simultaneously start the Birchwood Farmer’s Market alongside City Sprouts Farm. The Birchwood Farmer’s Market is a single-stand cooperative market featuring products from 5 to 10 local farmers and producers we collaborate with. We run the booth every Sunday during the growing season and do our best to make our produce accessible by offering a slightly reduced price on our products as well as accepting EBT, Freshbucks, and WIC.

I feel so grateful to be farming in this neighborhood and working alongside some truly incredible community members who dedicate so much of their time to increasing food access. As for the winter season, I am a jewelry maker. I have been making jewelry for over ten years-- transforming somewhat unconventional or unexpected materials into wearable jewelry has always been at the core of my work. I've used a lot of repurposed copper; scraps from print-making plates, and pennies or copper carpenter’s staples I left to be flattened by trains on the railroad, feathers from birds that friends hunted or road-kill I found. I’ve worked with drift wood, porcelain, lace doilies, porcupine quills, and bullet shells. These days I’m focusing on leather; I make earrings from deer and elk hide, leather from cowboy boots, suede jackets or other garments, upholstery and scraps from cobblers. I sell my work at a couple shops and I also subject myself to the grueling marathon that is holiday craft-fair season.

Advice/words of wisdom that affected your life you’d like to pass on?

The first thing that comes to mind is a (somewhat coarse) expression my friends and I used to always remind each other which is to OWN YOUR SHIT! This means embracing your flaws, your mistakes, your weird sense of humor, your neurosis, your insecurities, as well as recognizing your courage, your generosity, your creativity, your patience, and so on. Don’t hide from yourself! Own it!