106 W. Highway 18, Davis SD 57021-0069 US
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Our Blog
Our Blog
An ongoing series of informational yet at times irrational entries for your amusement
An ongoing series of informational yet at times irrational entries for your amusement
Our Latest Blog Entry
Our Latest Blog Entry
March 15, 2022
It has been quite a while since I have made the time to sit and gather my thoughts, AND YOU HAVE YO READ ALL OF THIS BECAUSE I thought I would take a moment to give you a sneak peak into everything that we have coming up!
The world changes, more than most of us are comfortable with at times, but never less, we must adapt. We have seen our industry changing in what people are shopping for and have been looking into what people want, need and what we are known for. Our signature jams and jellies have grown into a business that we could only hope for 7+ years ago. We have added new flavors, added salsas and mustards and then for the holidays we decided to go out on a limb and have some fun! We added crockpot cocoa, six different Cookie Mixes, 3 Bean Chili Starter Mix, Bread mixes and BAM! You all ATE IT UP - LITTERALLY!!
So now thanks to your support of our lovely little shop, we are going to continue to carry these popular items, some seasonally, but we are going to even expand on this demand and bring you more of what you have been wanting and it is going to be tantalizingly scrumptious!
So, do I have your curiosity yet? Because to prepare for this, we are going to close for A LITTLE WHILE, finish the remodel in the store, finish the new public bathroom and finish our commercial kitchen and open up with your favorite Solace farm Signature Products, NEW PRODUCTS and a FABULOUS SHOPPING EXPERIENCE! I am so excited to be able to bring this to all of you that I have had a hard time not talking about it when we've been planning it all out IN SECRET!
OK, you're right, enough already - spill the beans!
So, since our food products were so amazingly popular over the holidays, we are expanding to bring you the BEST of these items:
- Dimock Cheese - Dimock Cheese has graciously reached out to request to carry some of our Signature Jams and Jellies in their retail location and we are bringing their products to YOU!
- Buffalo Meat - We are deciding on which South Dakota Company we would like to feature and welcome your input. We are looking to carry a variety of items from ground buffalo meat to take home and cook to your liking, to buffalo sticks, jerky and more!
- Chislic - The REAL chislic we all scurry for will be available for you to take home and cook. Look for a new line of seasonings to compliment your cooking too!
- Pheasant Meat - Just in case you have a hankering and it's not hunting season we will be stocking whole pheasant, Pheasant POT PIES, Pheasant and Cheddar Brats and more additional yumminess than you will find for 30 miles!
- Colony Pies - ALREADY IN STOCK!! Youve been asking that we get this back because coming home to made from scratch chicken pot pie for dinner brings a warmth you will always remember!
- Expanded Canned Goods - Pickles, Beets, and who knows what will be coming into our store. The majority of these items may be seasonal but watch us on Facebook and Instagram so make sure you receive notification of them being in stock, so you do not miss out.
- Kutchen and Fruit Pies - Boy, I better find another commercial freezer, because we will need to room for all of these fabulous things, you're going to be taking home!
- Signature Syrup Line - During the holidays our NEW Apple Pancake Mix and Grandma's Apple Butter sold out regularly. To compliment this, look for new Signature Syrups and an expanded line of Pancake Mixes to be available for you!
- Signature Cooking Oils and Seasonings - We have carried Roy's Rubs for a while, and I am hopeful that you have all come to love it as much as we do. It is my favorite for pork roast and pulled pork, and we are going to expand to add a few new things to SPICE UP YOUR LIFE! (Too corny? Yeah, it is, but the fingers were just rolling with it and while I am rolling my eyes at it as I am typing this I was wondering if you'd do the same LOL!)
- OUR Signature BUTTERS! Wait, What? You DIDN'T KNOW we have signature butters that are infused with savory or sweets to compliment almost anything you are cooking? Well others did and they want them back! Take advantage and try them yourself! All of our flavors will be in stock in our freezer section for you to take home.
- Wine and Liqueurs - Oh yeah baby - what's dinner without dessert? Follow us on FB and Instagram to know when to attend the wine and drink tasting events here at Solace Farm.
- MORE?? Maybe, but for now we have lots of work to do. Stay tuned - THIS IS GOING TO BE YOUR FAVIRITE PLACE TO SHOP!!
My Blog
Blog
Old friends/New friends
| Posted on January 3, 2020 at 10:31 PM |
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It's hard moving to a new place, a new town, and a new state....especially if you are a teenager. You see, Cinda and I (Karla) grew up here in South Dakota. As young adults, eager to start our adult lives we looked to the horizon...as far as the eye could see, anywhere but here to live and work. For twenty years, my work took me places. Places like Wichita, Kansas (the air capital) and area with about 500,000 people; Battle Creek, Michigan (the cereal capital); and Omaha, Nebraska (also about a half million people) for large companies with more and more responsibility as time went on. I was loving it all along, even though the responsibility weighed on me and added a certain amount of stress to my life. Cinda and I opened our store in June of 2014, it was amazing to see people slow down...sit a spell...and enjoy each other's company. When they asked you how you were doing, they really wanted to know the answer. Wow, weekends at the store was such a change from my daily life. My job wasn't a M-F 9 to 5 job either, the phone was with me wherever I went. If it rang, I had to answer it no matter where I was or what time of day or night it was. But as time goes on we all look to go home again don't we? But this story isn't about me, its more about my kids. You see when they learned we were moving due to a new job offer they were angry. Heck one of them didn't give me the time of day for over a month...I was ruining their lives!!!! But we moved anyway, and not to another big city but to a small town with just over 1,000 people (talk about your culture shock!!) Do you know of the girl scout song: make new friends but keep the old?? After we were here about 6 months my younger daughter admitted to me that she was glad we moved because it helped her find out who her REAL friends were. I asked her what she meant. It turns out only a few of her friends had continued to keep in touch. And those that did, went out of their way to stay connected, facetiming continually. Sometimes they even facetimed while doing their homework...which is funny because they didn't talk at all, they both just sat in their respective bedrooms, in their respective states and did whatever homework they had with the radio on in the background....just spending time together quietly, enjoying the presence of the other on the other side of the airwaves. We've lived here for a year and a half now, and they are still connected. In fact, the New Year was rung in over facetime so that all the old friends can celebrate the new year and Caiolyn's birthday together like every year in the past has been done. And one of Kira's Omaha friends popped up for the weekend just to hang out...as if a three hour car ride was just as simple as the 5 blocks that separated them before were. They are both settled in and have made new friends here as well. It's funny when they are asked where they are from: many of us only answer with a single location if approached with that question, but my girls have friends and roots in two places now so as if bi-lingual, their answers are two-fold. Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold. |
My choices, our future
| Posted on December 11, 2019 at 5:26 PM |
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Cinda here! I see its been some time since we have posted here, actually its been a very long time. Karla and I have been working full time, had the store open on weekends and had our own homes to attempt to maintain in the process. It has not been easy and many things had fallen by the wayside, especially when we are the ones that make the 30 plus signature jams that we sell at the store! You see, when we decided to open the store it was with the intent to build the business and allow it to become established before I retire. To have a place to call our own, have creative fun and see where it went from there. My original planned retirement from my federal job (of 17+ years) was June 2020. You see I worked for TSA as a Security Manager with oversight of several airports in South Dakota. I started working with TSA at its beginning while I lived in Denver. Everyday I went to work I remembered the images of people jumping from the World Trade Centers as the buildings were on fire knowing they would not survive but praying somehow, that they might. The massive buildings falling to the earth and the first responders that gave their lives to save others. Vowing to do whatever part I could to ensure that we were never attacked like this again I applied with TSA and was hired. After several promotions and working in three states I saw the agency and the administration change. I did not see the look of personal pride and determination in some of the peoples eyes anymore when talking about our job. New employees were hired that didn't remember the destruction caused on 9/11, and first and foremost, the unity we had as a nation on 9/11 was gone. Now the country is divided on party lines with name calling, threats and worse. I was no longer going to work to ensure 9/11 never happened again. I was working with people that cared more about climbing the federal career ladder at ANY cost than thinking about 9/11.The stress caused by newly promoted individuals and by a few other individuals in upper positions was personal and crushing. I watched personal vendettas taken out on employees these people didn't like. I saw people promoted for kissing backsides and other reasons whispered about quietly in gossip. I heard the utmost inappropriate conversations by members of senior leadership and observed the outcomes of those conversations in daily operations. Yet I stayed. I stayed for the paycheck, I stayed for the benefits and I stayed for the staff that reported to me and, I hated myself for it. Please don't think that all in the federal government are these type of people, MOST are dedicated individuals that work from their heart and are absolutely dedicated to the mission. Yet, in my work environment, this small handful of people made life impossible for those that cared and several good people have left due to this. As for me, I developed an ulcer. My body made the decision for me and I listened, it was time to retire. After taking some time for myself at home I have a renewed energy. I am happily opening the store two more days a week, getting ready to travel and spend time with our families and even take a "surprise" trip with my Dad! I feel balanced, fulfilled once again and to best describe it - HUMAN! A million projects were put aside due to lack of energy and/or time. I will not kill myself in tackling my lists. I have ONE item each day to complete, everything else is because I want to do it, and enjoy doing it. The holidays are quickly drawing near, and the giggles I hear in video calls of our youngest grandson are uplifting. Our oldest grandson is quickly becoming a young man and our middle grandson has a new future with his extended family. I am enjoying the twinkling of Christmas lights with Dean Martin singing "I've got my love to keep me warm" in the background. My husband has been SO supportive of my decision, not once questioning our future. Life is wonderful, and I am here again, to be PRESENT in our life and to enjoy every minute of it! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a GOOD NIGHT! |
Ahhhh, Christmas is approaching....
| Posted on November 26, 2016 at 5:28 PM |
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We have had a beautiful fall, the weather has been good to us (but not the farmers) and I am not ready for winter. But then again I never am. I do however relish the Christmas Season. There is something magical about Christmas lights and lightly falling snow. The colors in the night sky dancing on the house with the lit up tree in the window makes me feel whimsical every time I see it. My kids have grown and moved on into their adult lives. Christmas morning is quiet, too quiet. I miss the giggles as the kids wake up much too early to see what Santa has left under the tree. I miss the tearing of wrapping paper and the "OOOHHHH LOOK!" as the presents are released from their secretive coverings. I understand now why Mom wanted us to return home for Christmas every year, because she missed it too. I have always sworn quietly to myself I would never harp on my kids to return home for holiday celebrations and really haven't needed to. But this Thanksgiving one was different as my children weren't able to come home. The day was off, and now that it is passed, I think forward to Christmas. I yearn for the morning giggles. My husband and I will open our gifts Christmas morning with laughter, smiles and gratitude. The whole time, I will be secretly considering finding children to rent to be there with us next year. Just to bring the innocence and giggles back to my Chrismas morning..... |
Flea Market Season
| Posted on October 10, 2016 at 9:26 PM |
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WOW!! It was a wonderful flea market season and I am sorry to have it over. So it is time for a short breather and before we know it next years season will be here again! Thank you to all of our vendors, all of our customers and the citizens of Davis without whom none of this was possible! And if you missed out.... make sure to mark your calendar's for the "Second Saturday of the Month" The flea markets run from May thru October. |
Good Problems?!?
| Posted on April 22, 2016 at 12:46 PM |
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So...Spring is here! (Finally!) And the spring time rituals are underway.....one of the many is cleaning out the garden and enriching the soil. It is a typical activity, no different than any other year, except this year I received a surprise. Some people like surprises, others do not. I am one of the ones that like them but this time maybe not so much. You see, every year I plant a garden so that I can help feed my family. Many produce items from the grocery store seem bland, like the tomatoes that the big corporations have to pick before they are ripe so that they can get them to the store shelves before they spoil. Tomatoes grown in our garden that have been kissed by the sun are sooooo much better! But I digress..... You see, year after year my garden is ransacked by rabbits. They eat just as much of my garden as my family does. Sometimes I even wonder if they get more than my family. This spring I found a surprise in my garden. A nest (is that the right word?) of baby rabbits, about 6 as far as I could tell. SURPRISE! Hello cute little creatures, Goodbye bountiful harvest for my family! Oh well, life goes on....and I bet I won't get any complaints out of the bunnies when I tell them to eat their vegetables. LOL Maybe my kids will follow their lead! Happy Spring everyone! |
Rooted, but not standing still
| Posted on September 8, 2014 at 9:03 PM |
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Rooted, but not standing still..... As I am tempted by the nearby orchards all beckoning me to come and pick apples a few things come to mind. First the smell in the kitchen when I have the dehydraters filled with cut apples and the crockpot filled with homemade applebutter. But second is the tree itself and what the familiar site can come to mean. Our family just yesterday continued a tradition. We planted a redbud tree in our yard. You see we have planted a redbud at each house we have ever lived in (this one makes the 3rd). It is truly something to return again, years later and see how it has grown. It is also very meaningful to know that you have started something that will carry on and help provide shade on a hot day, beauty in the spring, and fresh oxygen to help make up for my families carbon footprint. It is very grounding. But this is also about not standing still. Just because we are rooted, in traditions, in our small community, it doesn't mean that we aren't going somewhere, growing, evolving. Just like us opening our General Store, the small community of Davis is growing. The few houses that were looking for people to move in are now full and there are new members of the "family". It is a wonderful feeling to know that we can continue to move forward even though we have roots. And in the meantime, I will enjoy the tasty smells in my kitchen. |
God Bless Small Town America
| Posted on August 18, 2014 at 1:27 PM |
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I have a confession to make…..I don’t live in small townAmerica….I am a wanna-be. You see, my sister and I have opened this store together in her neck of the woods (aka Davis, SD) and I travel up from Omaha, NE (metroarea population of 400,000+) each and every chance I can get to help man the store. But in my mind small town America rocks!! From day one I have been made to feel like part of the community. I am welcomed by name (think of Norm on Cheers!), I have people who are 100% sincere when they ask “How are you doing?” and they stick around to hear your reply…AND they ask follow-up questions so it turns into a real conversation! Our Sunday paper didn’t get delivered this weekend. And one gentlemen who came into the store noticed that it was lacking, do you know what he did? He took it upon himself to drive to the next town over and buy us one. BAM! He saw a need and stepped up without expectation of anything more than a thank you. But there are so many other reasons even beyond these two minor examples of why these places are wonderful. I struggle to put it into words. Its like we took a step back into time (while keeping the modern day conveniences thank goodness) to a period when life was focused on people instead of things. A true community that is supportive instead of competitive. Gosh, if only I was a author or writer who could find the right words to describe it. In the meantime, I am back in my own city where I can only try to personify the small-town feeling in the hope that it can take root and spread anywhere and everywhere else. God Bless small town America! -signed “Someone who wished she lived in one” p.s. Davis has some houses that are currently for sale if you are interested in having this experience yourself :) |
Golden Treasures
| Posted on August 13, 2014 at 9:08 PM |
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My favorite part of late summer/early fall......is not the fact that my kids are heading back to school and that means that they are another year older *sigh*. No.....it is the fact that sweet corn is available at every farmers market and at street vendors all around town. I consider myself VERY lucky: I have a family of farmers and gardeners. They range from having only a single rhubarb plant tucked into their landscape someone, to having a simple garden of tomatoes/peppers/green beans, to full out farmers with hundreds of acres of land that they use to help keep America fed. What does this mean to me? It means that I am preparing to gorge myself with corn on the cob until I am so sick of it that I cannot imagine to eat another bite! And after I can't eat anymore I will blanch and freeze the rest so that I can have fresh corn that tastes like it just came off of the cob no matter how much snow is outside on the ground. It is very easy to do this for yourself. If you have a pot big enough to boil corn on the cob, you have the ability to have fresh tasting corn all year. Preparation: a pot full of boiling water, and a seperate pot or very large bowl filled with ice water. Boil the corn on the cob for 8 minutes. Quickly take it out of the boiling water and put it into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Cut the corn off of the cob (this is where the whole family gets involved and tries to see who can have the most kernels stay together LOL) and put into freezer bags. Freeze. When it is time to cook and enjoy I leave the corn in the sealed bag and pop it right into the microwave for a few minutes. Open the steaming hot bag, drop a pat of butter into the bag, salt lightly, serve and enjoy the fresh taste of summer no matter what time of year it is! YUMMY!! |
Positive Thoughts!!
| Posted on November 6, 2013 at 9:28 AM |
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To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. ~George Santayana Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. ~Francesca Reigler If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. ~Mary Engelbreit So often time it happens, we all live our life in chains, and we never even know we have the key. ~The Eagles, "Already Gone" He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts. ~Samuel Johnson I've decided that the stuff falling through the cracks is confetti and I'm having a party! ~Betsy Cañas Garmon |
The beginning
| Posted on August 17, 2013 at 11:28 AM |
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Well, This is where I plan on keeping a living journal of our progress on the farm. What we learn, how we learn it and IF we do it! LOL!! No really, we have done so much and have more plans than money or time. I guess for me it would be nice to have this read and receive POSITVE feedback, but at the same time I guess that I am really doing this to help me in looking back to remember the beginning of our journey here and where we are now. Also, our Grandson Gionni had mentioned when he was here last that he would like to "have" the farm when Nana and Grandpa go to heaven (BTW, he is 9 right now). So, this can be a journal for him to know how much love and sweat were used to "grow" our farm! That being said it really matter if this is a blog, or a journal. If your reading this and choose to respond, IT MUST BE POSTIVE AND RESPECTFUL! If your posting concerning my punctuation or spelling, Ha ha, well it will give me something to giggle at cause I have work to do and no time for pettiness :-D But Thanks anyway! And so, the journal begins - Welcome to Solace Farm! Another wonderful day full of positive energy and endless possibilities! With a smile on my face, a song in my head and a skip in my step I move forward into the sunshine.....Ah! |
