Photo by Kaylie Ferkich 2018
My name’s Michaela Hammer.
I’ve been growing food one way or another since I was five years old– from gardening with my family, to volunteering on small farms abroad, to learning trial by fire to run an educational farm– and I continue to learn new things every day. For real, every day! Producing delicious food on a small, human scale is the most satisfying, challenging, and beautiful work I’ve encountered, so I figure it’s time to start sharing with a wider community.
Hammer & Soil is a glimpse into the world of small-scale organic-leaning agriculture. Food sustains us all, and yet so few have any idea where real food comes from, how it can be produced sustainably, or of the everyday triumphs and failures of farming. From seed to soil to scrumptious harvests, there are so many details to savor and lessons to learn while working with the land.
I’m currently the Field Coordinator at the FOOD for Lane County Youth Farm in Springfield, Oregon. I also grow herbs for my tiny herbal products business, Wild Heart Botanicals. While many of my musings stem from my time at the Youth Farm, please note that nothing on this site officially represents FOOD for Lane County in any way.
the shape of milk 