We threw a party!

On December 2nd, the team invited friends and family members to gather at Hot Spell for a farm-warming party and fire cider workshop. Mo and Anna Marie dedicated so much time to bringing a cozy opening celebration to the farm. We called this Hot Mess x Hot Spell, an evening to welcome our closest community members to our scrappy barn and offer a bake sale and a workshop. Guests could enjoy the space and walk away with a homemade jar of fire cider; a warming, decongesting tonic said to support a range of immune and respiratory ailments during the cold season.

In preparation, the clean-up for the farm was a multi-week affair, ranging from pressure washing, moving furniture, sweeping, mowing, and of course, re-organizing. candles, and local flowers strewn around the barn area and the surrounding field. All the attendees enjoyed a beautiful sunset while lounging around designated resting areas or near our handmade fire pit. Inside the barn, a hodge-podge of tables held the fire-cider ingredients, jugs of vinegar, peppers, honey, and spicy roots like ginger and horseradish all huddled around open jars.

We cannot thank our attendees enough for driving out to Elgin and uplifting the farm by donating or buying some goods. By the end of the night, between the cider and bake sale, we were shocked to see that we raised enough money to cover our first seed bill. For now, we’re offering what we can, but its energizing to dream about what we’ll do with the vegetables once they’re in the ground.

Talk soon,
Hot Spell Team