You've heard the expression "grow food, not lawns.'' That's what Chellsea Jones does at her home off Teall Avenue in Syracuse, a couple blocks from Henninger High School.
Jones and her partner, Jacob Eichten, bought their house on Robinson Street in 2009 partly because it has a big kitchen and partly because it's on a double city lot. There, Jones has established Sweet Venus Farm. Some would call it a micro-farm, farmette or city farm, but Jones calls it an urban homestead. It’s a magical place where she raises enough produce to feed herself, Jacob and their three children -- with plenty left over for the freezer, for canning and to share, swap or sell when there is an abundance. “Not only do we do a lot of cooking, but we also tend to congregate in the kitchen,’’ Jones says. “We really value family meals.’’
Follow Sweet Venus Farm on Instagram for updates: Jones alerts the farm's followers when things like eggs, spinach, squashes and garlic are available. I buy eggs from her regularly and love having fresh, beautiful eggs from chickens raised just over a mile from our house.
You’re not going to confuse Sweet Venus Farm with more sprawling urban farms like the Brady Farm and Urban Delights Farm on the south side of Syracuse, which are big enough to bring produce to local markets and to offer CSA shares. Jones’ goal is to live off the land as much as possible – and make the most of her small plot of it. The property is on a city bus line and across the street from a neighborhood tavern, yet there is a seclusion to it, especially out back, away from the street.
The back yard is lush, green and quiet. This is where Jones channels most of her energy and time. The space is planted with all kinds of traditional and non-traditional crops: Swiss chard, carrots, sweet potatoes, strawberries, raspberries, horseradish, onions, garlic, lemon cucumbers, Mexican sour cucumbers, sweet potatoes, three varieties of beets, tomatoes and The Three Sisters – corn, beans and squash.
“The Mexican cucumbers look like little watermelons,’’ Jones says. “I’m really excited about those.’’
She is a fan of purple and has planted some purple produce for fun, like peas and corn. At the back of the property, along the fence line, is a hazelnut bush. A chicken coop that houses 20 chickens takes up a chunk of the property. In season, Jones says, the chickens produce about a dozen eggs a day. She also has ducks for eggs and raises rabbits for meat.
The small farm is primarily her project, Jones says, adding that Jacob lends emotional and financial support and builds just about anything she needs, from fencing to the chicken coop to a wooden walkway made from pallets.
The front yard is planted with sunflowers, irises, roses and some lettuces. There’s two rain barrels from Onondaga County’s Save the Rain program and a Little Free Library, where neighbors and visitors can take a book or leave a book.
Jones, 36, grew up in the Oneida County community of Holland Patent, where her mother had a big flower garden and she cultivated an interest in growing things. She studied biology and nature interpretation/natural history at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and has worked in the agriculture field, including stints at Grindstone Farm in Pulaski and as farm manager for the Urban Delights Farm in Syracuse. “It was during my years at ESF that I really became interested in growing my own food,’’ she says.
Jones currently serves as chief juicemaker at Farm Girl Juicery, a juice bar with two locations (Chuck Hafner’s Farmers Market and Garden Center in North Syracuse and the Salt City Market in downtown Syracuse). When she’s not at her job, Jones spends 12 to 20 hours a week working outside – seeding, planting, weeding, and, best of all, harvesting.
She has me thinking we should plant some garlic in our elevated garden box this fall and let Mother Nature work her magic.
“What I really want to do is show people they can do this,’’ Jones says. “What’s better than getting food from your own back yard?”
All photos © Margaret McCormick, 2021
