September ’25 Love Notes

More and more as we come closer and closer in touch with nature and its teachings we are able to see the Divine and are therefore fitted to interpret correctly the various languages spoken by all forms of nature about us.
George Washington Carver

Sweet Greetings Beloved Community,

“More and more as we come closer and closer in touch with nature and its teachings we are able to see the Divine…” These words from botanist and ancestral scientist George Washington Carver remind us that nature is not separate from spirit—it is a living archive, a teacher, a mirror. In every leaf turning toward the light, in the quiet shift of seasons, in the mycelial networks beneath our feet, we are reminded that the divine doesn’t just dwell above, but within—in us, in each other, and in the land. For us, this connection is more than poetic. It’s a reclamation. A remembering. Our survival has always been tied to knowing the land.

As we move deeper into the season’s turning, we’re carrying that sacred knowing into our work and our gatherings. The land is shifting—and so are we. Our upcoming offerings are lovingly crafted to ground us in collective care, skill-sharing, and ancestral connection. Join us for our Uprooting Racism in the Food System October 15th and pull up for Family Fun Day October 25th. Let these spaces be an invitation: to root, to build, to remember, and to grow in community.

May your breath be your anchor.

With love and solidarity,

Briana, Cheryl, Christina, Clara, Crysta, Danielle, Hana’, Hillary, Jaz, Jey, Jonah, Leah, Maya, Naima, Neshima, O’den, Ria, Shay, Susuyu, and Winter

Please join us in congratulating Hillary Gaeta in her new role as Soul Fire Farm’s Co-Executive Director of Operations!

Hillary joined the team in 2022 and has quickly become a trusted leader, bringing vision, strategy, and deep alignment with our mission. Rooted in her upbringing in the Dominican Republic, where she learned from her ancestors’ ties to farming, Hillary carries a lifelong commitment to food sovereignty, justice, and collaboration. With over a decade of business experience and training through Rockwood Leadership, she is ready to step into this new scope of leadership.

Her promotion has been joyfully affirmed by our staff and board. We are honored to walk with you, Hillary!

The first colorful leaves of autumn danced downward as participants in our inaugural herbalism FIRE immersion met their “plant friend” for the week.

One person settled in next to catnip, celebrated by the Mohican people for its ability to relieve insomnia and anxiety. Others observed bee balm, a haven for pollinators and a respiratory support herb. Lavender, hyssop, and feverfew were among the dozens of herbs we got to know intimately during workshops and “hands on the land.” Participants also joined the farm team for our regular myriad of tasks – harvesting vegetables and packing overflowing CSA bags, planting fall cover crop, deterring pests from the rows, rotating the livestock, and planting our final successions of greens. This beautiful labor was punctuated by moments of belly laughter, heart connection, and tearful release. There really are no words to describe the magic of these immersions – when the soil and the people of the soil get together, the power is palpable.

The site team was also busy behind the scenes this month clearing trees, repainting signs, and fixing infrastructure, as well as preparing an exciting surprise for you all next season. Did someone say “trail system?!?!” (Shhhh… don’t tell)

Community Work & Learn

Our Community Farm Days are drawing to a close. Join us for our final Work & Learns of the season by clicking on the links below to register.

10/14
10/28
11/11
11/18

Come experience some of the plants, animals and humans that grow at Soul Fire Farm.

We will guide you through the growing fields and agroforestry gardens, take you up close to the building projects, share whole-hearted stories, and answer your questions.

Our last tour is on October 2nd.

Uprooting Racism in the Food System

We all have a significant and intrinsic role to play in uprooting racism in the food system, and the good news is that there are many right answers to the questions, “What can I do to help?” We’ve been deep diving into this question and sharing solidarity strategies far and wide. Save the date for our upcoming workshops.

October 15, 2025
November 18, 2025
November 19, 2025

You can also check out our Actions Steps to uproot racism in the food system here.

Family Fun Day on October 25th!

Join us for an afternoon of fun activities to connect to land and nature, foundational for lifelong connection and commitment to the Earth. Activities will be geared toward children ages 4-12, though children of all ages are welcome along with their caregivers.

Learn more and register here.

Legal Entities for Land Projects Virtual 3D

Facilitated by Athena Bernkopf & Leah Penniman

How do we create values–aligned legal entities for our land projects in the context of this colonial, capitalist system? This workshop will be a space for exploring the possibilities of formal legal entities to hold farms and other land stewardship-related projects and businesses. Grounded in solidarity economy principles, we will establish a framework for how to consider the cultural and legal systems, as well as political conditions, that shape legal entities. We’ll build on this foundation to focus on common legal entities that support collective ownership of land, using case studies to consider specific elements of these structures. This participatory workshop will also include opportunities for participants to consider ways in which they are already practicing stewardship and governance in their land projects, and how those can be incorporated into legal entity formation.

This workshop is designed for people who are in relationship with land currently or aspirationally, and who are exploring the best legal entity to hold their land-based project.

Learn more and register here.

Spirituality and Farming: Honoring the Sacred Virtual 3D

Facilitated by Misty Cook, Ria Ibrahim & Leah Penniman

“I love to think of nature as unlimited broadcasting stations, through which God speaks to us every day, every hour…How do I talk to a little flower? Through it I talk to the Infinite. And what is the Infinite? It is that silent, small force…that still small voice.” ~Dr. George Washington Carver

Spirituality and Farming uplifts Indigenous land-honoring practices from three cultures – Bugis, Mohican, and Afro-Indigenous. Ria Ibrahim comes from a lineage of healers and farmers in Sulawesi, Indonesia and will share how spirituality is the foundation for her land work. Misty Cook, Mohican herbalist, will impart wisdom for engaging with plants from a place of gratitude and reverence. Leah Penniman, farmer and Awo, will demonstrate the art of Black Earth listening and the practice of reciprocity. Participants will be invited to explore their own ancestral lineages’ spiritual engagement with the land. A blend of the sacred and practical, this workshop will impart tangible next steps for deepening your connection to beyond-human kin.

Learn more and register here.

Building a Relationship to Soybean Workshop

Facilitated by Ria Ibrahim and Chef Fish

The fall season invites us to think about how we can store food to enjoy in the winter and spring. Preserving the harvest is a practice in every culture with countless traditions, methods, and recipes. In this workshop we will learn how to preserve soybeans in various ways, but namely: soy milk, tofu and miso.

In this workshop, our Farm-to-Table Director, Ria Ibrahim (Indonesia), and Chef Fish (Japan) of Hibino Day by Day invite us to learn the recipes and traditions shared by their communities.

In this workshop we will:
– Learn about multiple strategies for preserving the harvest
– Participate in a hands-on miso and soy milk workshop using traditional and modern methods
– Take home some of the bounty that you make!

Learn more and register here.

Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land

In this podcast, rich in storytelling, history, and ritual, we explore what it means to be sovereign. With Black land at the center, this series brings together prominent activists, artists, weavers and the rising generation of Black land stewards. Crafting inspiring conversations that honor the past and create blueprints for the future.

Monthly IG Live series @soulfirefarm with audio later shared on podcast streaming platforms. Hosted by Clara AgborTabi and Crysta Bloom

Our next episode, Sacred Stories, features Richie Reseda and LeeAnne Morrissette airing on October 14th at 4pm EST on Instagram Live. In this episode, we reflect on the importance of creating liberatory art and media rooted in oral histories. We explore how to honor our experiences through storytelling that is honest, ethical, and complete in the pursuit of collective liberation.

Listen to all the latest episodes here or watch previous IG Live shows @soulfirefarm

Co-Director, Angie Comeaux, represented the Braidings Seeds Fellowship recently at the Rivercane Workshop which was an event
nothing short of inspiring.

Farmers, artisans, and community members traveled from across the Southeast—some from as far north as Shreveport, Louisiana, and as far east as Alabama—to gather in support of this vital plant. With over 10 tribal nations represented, the workshop was a powerful reminder of how rivercane connects people, cultures, and landscapes across generations.

Registration filled quickly, capped at 40 participants to ensure an intimate setting, and every seat was filled. Together, they walked the land to see the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe’s ongoing rivercane restoration project, learning firsthand about the ecological importance of this native species. The day also highlighted rivercane’s practical and cultural uses, as Indigenous artisans shared their knowledge of weaving, harvesting, and sustaining traditions rooted in this remarkable plant.

Workshops like this help weave a larger story of restoration—of the land, of cultural practices, and of relationships among communities. We hope this is only the beginning of future partnerships with the Rivercane Workshop.

If you are a farmer, land steward, or Indigenous artisan interested in joining a rivercane working group, reach out to Angie at Angie@soulfirefarm.org

Deep gratitude to our knowledge holders—Will Holley @canecutterbasketry, John Darden, Elisabeth Pierite, Scierra LeGarde, Virginia Richard, Ryan Lopez, and our amazing partners, LSSAC, Intertribal Agriculture Council @intertribalag, Sprout NOLA @sproutnola, @shreveport_green and the @tunicabiloxitribeofla for making this day possible.

Jewish Farming Values

Chag Sukkot Sameach! Shana tova! (Happy harvest festival! Happy New Year!) Soul Fire Farm was founded by a multiracial, multifaith family that infused Jewish agricultural values into the farm’s systems and practices. For example, Shmitais a year of rest and release for the land, honored every seven years in the Jewish tradition. We have a rotating fallow system on our farm that ensures that every piece of earth is rested under nourishing cover crops at least one year out of seven. The teachings ofPe’ah (corners) and Leket(gleanings) instruct us to set aside a portion of the land’s bounty for those who are hungry. Our Solidarity Share model, which feeds hundreds weekly at no cost, is in the spirit of these mitzvot. The Jewish value of hachnasat orchimcelebrates radical hospitality, opening our door and our hearts to friends and strangers, sharing what we have.

Perhaps the most salient Jewish values in practice are those that are echoed in myriad faiths and philosophies across the globe:

Bal tashhit, the prohibition on destruction of nature

P ikuach nefesh, the sacredness of human life and imperative to protect that life

The practice of these values extends beyond the beautiful 80 mountain acres we steward. When we stand up against ecocide and genocide in Sudan and Palestine, we are rooted firmly in Jewish values. When we save seeds from lands that are being ravaged, we honor the Torah of tikkun olam. When we build relationships of solidarity with peasant farmers across nationality, we strengthen our beloved community.

The Soul Fire Farm community is spiritually diverse – including folks who practice Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Ifà, Taoism, as well as people of conscience beyond doctrine. The values and teachings of all of our lineages are welcome and celebrated insofar as they aim to alleviate suffering for all beings and bring about a world of justice and equity.

“Lo yisa goy el goy cherev lo yil’medu od milchamah.” (Isaiah 2:4)

The Praxis series reflects on how our community can best put our values into action, sharing resources, ideas, and practice toward collective liberation. These will be shared each month in Love Notes and also on social media.

We have a LandBack Pilgrimage in solidarity with the Mohican Nation, October 11-12 and are seeking volunteers.

If you are able to prepare food for the walkers, please contact Neshima at neshima@soulfirefarm.org for more information.

We are at capacity for walkers and overnight guests, but if you have a special accommodation request please contact Leah at leah@soulfirefarm.org.

Alicia Mosely [2024 FIRE 1]

Last summer, I arrived at SFF FIRE wanting to deepen my capacity for food growing and justice, exhausted from capitalism burnout but determined to shape something new. A few days of soil on my hands, an abundance of sweet potato leaves in my sight, echinacea holding me, singing and eating with new friends offered restoration. Then on day four, in a circle of comrades in the timber sanctuary, with magical beams holding reciprocally above, I shared my vision aloud and listened to others. I saw us in harmonious and reciprocal relationship with the land and elements, creativity flowing like a prolific river as we joyfully harvested enough food to sustain our communities. With clarity and deeper knowledge, I returned to Oakland, California to get to work with my beloved ones.

We started small–building gardens in backyards and balconies. We officially formed The Drinking Gourd Refuge and have started to cultivate land in El Sobrante, just outside of Oakland. We acquired a pick-up truck, built a greens house and mushroom grow tent, and are collaborating with a wild forager and folks deeply interested in soil reclamation and food justice. Our allies in Portland, excited for our success and down to lend resources. A network of volunteers is eager to work once land is established. The vision in which we can feed one another, retreat and reconnect with land, food, and spirit, learn and refuge together is becoming. Follow us on Instagram @thedrinkinggourdrefuge or our website https://drinking-gourd.org/

BIPOC-led farming organizations are under threat. Please consider donating to these trusted and vetted movement partners who are in need in these times. With your support, we can make an impact on the Black food system.

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September ’25 Love Notes

Please join us in congratulating Hillary Gaeta in her new role as Soul Fire Farm’s Co-Executive Director of Operations!

Community Work & Learn

Come experience some of the plants, animals and humans that grow at Soul Fire Farm.

Uprooting Racism in the Food System

Family Fun Day on October 25th!

Legal Entities for Land Projects Virtual 3D

Facilitated by Athena Bernkopf & Leah Penniman

Spirituality and Farming: Honoring the Sacred Virtual 3D

Facilitated by Misty Cook, Ria Ibrahim & Leah Penniman

Building a Relationship to Soybean Workshop

Facilitated by Ria Ibrahim and Chef Fish

Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land

Co-Director, Angie Comeaux, represented the Braidings Seeds Fellowship recently at the Rivercane Workshop which was an event nothing short of inspiring.

Jewish Farming Values

We have a LandBack Pilgrimage in solidarity with the Mohican Nation, October 11-12 and are seeking volunteers.

Alicia Mosely [2024 FIRE 1]

Co-Director, Angie Comeaux, represented the Braidings Seeds Fellowship recently at the Rivercane Workshop which was an event
nothing short of inspiring.