Washington County Weekend Post e-edition
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/137505
Gone Gardening A couple, a vision and a "Lone Duck Farm!" Written By: Karol Habersetzer Matt and Elise Susnik from Lone Duck Farm in West Bend. T heir journey started as a young couple's interest in local economics and sustainable food back in 2009, as a trifecta of influences converged. This couple is Matt and Elise Susnik and they now reside in West Bend, but not before Elise lost her first husband to a very rare and aggressive cancer in 2008. Then, after marrying Matt, they found that he was going to be briefly laid off from his job in late 2009. In a "fit of inspiration" they went to see Will Allen the urban farmer and founder/CEO of Growing Power, speak at Marian University. And so the foodbased wheels began turning! Matt and Elise started to ask whether their current lifestyle was sustainable, not only financially, but environmentally. They wondered how they could make things better for everyone involved. Elise is a "genetically compulsive researcher", and began reading everything she could find on our current, industrial food system, whole foods (not the store), the slow food movement, and urban/organic/ small scale agriculture. Elise said "I alternately loved/loathed what I found and Matt and I decided that the best way for us to ensure constant, secure, healthy, lowimpact nutrition would be to grow it ourselves"! "And if we are growing it for ourselves, why not eventually ramp it up to include family, friends and community?" And so this couple read. And then they read some more. As they read, they began to cook more from scratch and they began to "explore what else we might be able to do and possibly be able to get away from prepackaged food all together!" "How about growing our own vegetables, making our own dairy products, maybe our own sweeteners, what about meat?" All of these questions and more as Matt and Elise wondered if Matt really could quit his job in Milwaukee and not have the long commute as they were living in Fond du Lac at the time. "Serendipity, later revealed as God" brought them to their farm that is roughly 125 years old and has five acres of woods and field. Matt and Elise moved to West Bend in an attempt to make "our little family as self sufficient as possible" although they have yet to reach that goal, they "sure have had fun trying!" Matt quit his job in early spring of 2012 and Elise is now the youth director at Immanuel United Church of Christ in West Bend. So Matt and Elise started to build their greenhouse and their lives, and Matt was happy not to have to any longer "build their greenhouse by using the head- Join us for our first Girls Garden Night Out! Visit and shop at unique vendors. Enjoy a wine tasting, appetizers plus gift bags for the first 50 guests. • Thymely Herbals, Owner Amy-Mae Miller • Annette Landvatter, Personal Chef, Owner of LaLa's Personal Chef Service, LLC • Glass Goddess Jewelry • Forget Me Knots - Massage • Karen Leamon - Interactive Life Coach • Art Display - Harry Nick and Christine • Settler's Market • Cards by Jan Logan • Earth and Treasures • Tastefully Simply by Tori Duehring • Jeff's Spirits on Main - Wine Tasting • Candy Tree Register to Win One of 10 Door Prizes Proven Winner Annuals Hanging Baskets Round Pot - 4 for $10 Buy One Get One Free continued on page 18... PERENNIALS • ANNUALS • PROVEN WINNERS • HANGING BASKETS • SHRUBS FAIRY GARDENS • HERBS • TREES • ROSES • GARDEN ACCESSORIES BAGGED MULCH & SOIL Gift Certificates Mayfield Rewards Card Sign up for e-mail specials 4785 Mayfield Rd., West Bend 2 mi. south of Paradise Dr. on 18th Ave. 262.677.3775 www.greenselectperennials.com A birds eye view (top level of the barn) of the greenhouse. Hours: Mon-Fri 8-7, Sat 8-6, Sun 10-5 6 - 16 - 13 • Washington County Post Retail • 17