Nature-based ‘Small House’ allows family to practice learned way of life

The household enterprise consists of Ben, his spouse and co-owner, Heather Marie, their kids Elijah, Mayor, 12, and Anakin James, 7, and animals together with chickens, and a cat named Sno.

Not solely do they promote seeds of all types together with greens, fruits, herbs, and flowers, they provide a large number of pure objects together with salves, lotions, oils, tinctures, and extra. 

“We have now fairly a various choice of issues that we craft right here with herbs that we develop or gather from the wild,” Ben mentioned. Their merchandise might be discovered on-line at smallhousefarm.com, at farmer’s markets, or in shops like Methods to Wellness in downtown Midland.

They particularly use heirloom seeds, or open-pollinated, that means the offspring are alike the mother or father plant, versus hybrid seeds which can be a mix of a couple of species.

Ben mentioned heirlooms are “extra than simply meals.”

“They’re additionally connections to tradition and histories,” he mentioned. “The tales inside these seeds is simply as important because the seeds themselves in order we develop the seeds and save these seeds to share with our communities, we’re additionally sharing these tales.”

Heather mentioned the enterprise began out “closely centered” on chilly urgent seed and nut oils like sunflower, hemp, and flax however their product line has developed as a lot as they’ve.

“At one level we made laundry soaps and cleaners after which we developed and now we make extra lotions and balms,” she mentioned. “So, we type of have organically developed all through the method of like what are the shoppers wanting, what are what are they needing.”

Ben and Heather used to work at State Farm and Central Michigan College, respectively. They mentioned whereas operating a small enterprise continues to be exhausting work and might be equally worrying at instances, they can take pleasure in their lives extra now.

“I discover that being in enterprise for ourselves, having that point to be outdoors, be in our gardens and spend our time collectively is extra useful to us than maybe working for different folks,” Ben mentioned. “Once we can spend our time pursuing personal desires versus spending our time pursuing another person’s desires… that was the emphasis for what acquired us began right here at Small Home.”

Ben mentioned he has grown from their enterprise greater than their enterprise has grown from him.

“This potential to be with my household, to spend time working the earth collectively, has helped me change and develop a lot in ways in which I do not suppose would have essentially been as attainable if I’d have continued the fast-paced company life-style that I as soon as lived,” he mentioned.

Born and raised in Midland, Heather and Ben have been fascinated with nature since a younger age. They need their children to develop up understanding and practising what they’ve solely discovered prior to now decade or much less.

“They’ve their very own beans, they’ve their very own backyard beds,” Heather mentioned. “They like to get in and get soiled and assist us plant and plan.”

Ben mentioned he and Heather hope their children will develop up with the teachings discovered from Small Home. They are saying it’s not only a enterprise, however a lifestyle.

“Once we moved to the nation and began the Small Home it was it was very difficult for me, it was fairly a studying curve to get to the place I am at in my thoughts proper now. However the kids that benefit from rising up this manner. They’re studying about nature from the start, and if they will take these classes and people concepts and hopefully expound upon them and do even greater and higher issues than what we’re doing right here, that is the final word purpose.”