Wanted to take a few moments to tell my online and real life friends Happy New Years and to say sorry I've been scarce here on the blog and over at Homegrown Goodness lately as well as to give some updates regarding the farm, life in general, and what is to come.
2011 was a freight train of a year, it sort of ran me over while I wasn't looking and just keeps soldiering on! It seems more than ever the world (even locally) has become increadibly polarized with those who "get it", those who "don't", and those still sleeping. Regardless, a lot of good came of it. We expanded the farm greatly by adding pigs and ducks to mix, learning some new tips and tricks and building some much needed new infrastructure (with more to come in the next few weeks which I'll report via this blog). We also expanded our business majorly by taking big steps into commercial seed production (even bigger in 2012) and adding two new lines of prodcuts in the form of Uncle Penns Circle W Lye Soap and Isla Tortuga Tobacco Lath work.
We finally smartened up and told our prvevious farmers market endeavor to "kiss both sides of our collective ass" and joined in the mix of community minded folks bound and determined to create a new paradigm in local food and art via a new local foodshed (Washington County Artisans and Farmers) and we even dipped into a bit of community service by joining a couple local organizations that piqued our interest (It's those community projects that have taken a great deal of my time in the past six months and the subsequent political bullshit that goes along with such involvment that explains my absence from most social media sites as of late).
Anyhow, 2012 promises to be a huge endeavor and the biggest year yet for Bishop's Homegrown. We have finished up most of our breeding projects and have a reliable repetoir of "Eco-Logically" grown seed to show for it as well as a solid set of homesteading, as well as land and animal managment skills to apply to our small but ever growing farm. This year, for the first time ever, we will finally be able to enter 100% into a full on small scale production model self-sustainable farm. Every day brings a new lesson and theres always going to be something new to learn and try, some new product to master, some new survival skill to implement, and some new infrastructure to throw together as well as a heap of challenges! Ultimately however, without the love and help of my friends, community, and family, none of it would matter as you are all the driving force behind my work!
This year we look forward to making unique contributions to Washington County Artisans and Farmers, Old Settlers Days, and The Pekin Betterment committee as we move towards bringing food, history, and future together for the betterment of all in the local community. We also look towards working closely with other online bloggers and messageboards to bring our collective message to the rest of the world.
I hope that you too have been watching the news and keeping an eye on your government and economy as we have (despite the lapse in recent blog posts regarding these topics). I hope that you too have been preparing and watching the paradigm shift as we move into this new year, and more than ever I hope your working to build your own community (and more importantly family) to prepare in whatever way possible for the shifts we are going through.
In coming weeks I'll be posting a bit about our animal projects, a new greenhouse were building, our new root cellar, soap making, and gasp perhaps even passing on some information regarding distilling (don't overlook it's importance in tough times!)
Until then, I'm taking a break until after the New Years Celebration has commenced. I'm worn down and worn out at the moment and need a few days to recoup (plus I've got a bit of a cold). I'll return to promoting the market, the farm, and other projects not to mention starting seeds, kicking ass and taking names, and in general being a shit kicker soon enough!
Happy New Year,
Your Friend,
Alan Reed Bishop
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Interesting......
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
update as of 10:29 pm: Apparently the "reviewer" decided to contact an intermediary realizing that she was digging a hole for herself to let them know she didn't like the other vendors soap that well either......(too bad I know you've tried it before and your all buddy buddy with them and so does everyone else.) so expect her review of their product (if she decides to do one to be somewhat less "flowery" to cover her ass). You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all the people all the time! Puh-Pow motherfucker, that shit makes me harder than a Methodist Ministers pecker!
Interesting......
So today someone decided to review our soap........Except it wasn't really a review and nor were it truthful, in fact one could argue it was a hit piece. You see, there are these other soap makers in the community, nay, in fact in their own eyes, they are the "SOAP MAKERS". That is to say, they believe that since they make soap, no one else anywhere near their market has the right to make soap, in fact, it might be punishible by death for you or I to even consider making soap if our marketing territory overlaps even the tiniest bit.
Market farmers likely know the type, the insanely jealous folks that will do anything to protect what they rightly believe is theirs even if it means running others into the ground so long as the end goal of being a monopoly is accomplished.That is the situation that I have recently found myself in here in Washington County, made all the more troublesome by the hard work and time I've put into promoting the new farmers market that I and they are a part of which includes promoting their product even as they continue to deride me and my products, once with the husband even taking to facebook to proclaim that I should throw myself head first into a wood chipper and once refering to my inability to perform a certain task for market due to a family member being critically ill as a "Lame Ass Excuse".
You see though, none of that suprises me, I have somewhat trained myself over the years to expect the worst of people, particularly those who you have tried your hardest to help over the years with gifts of seeds, labor, animals, exct.What does suprise me though is when those same people want to deride me and my product they choose not to do it themselves, instead relying on a good friend of theirs to do the job for them such is the case with this "review".I put "reveiw" in quotation marks as I'm not entirely sure you can call something a review if it is prefaced with the words: "NO. Its not about soap and never has been." But then perhaps that's my own critical thinking seeping into this blog post.
I accept full responsibility for this piece of bad publicity though and for good reason. You see the reviewer (who I'm sure will also review the competitors product with glowing admiration within the next 24 hours) was at our most recent winter market this past Saturday (wouldn't you know it, hanging with the competetors and even helping move product) and despite my better judgment (I should have known after the last round of drama ended and after she berated one of my customers and her review on my facebook page which I readily admit to deleting and further banning her. You can talk about me all you want, not my customers!) I sold her a bar of our soap which she procedes to dissect in her review.
Some of her observations I won't argue with such as packaging; yeah it's not for everybody and it's not meant to be, it's meant to be simple.
The catchphrase; this was actually something my grandfather used to say, I have nothing to defend myself with here other than go fuck yourself, it's obviously not something you'll ever get and nor do I have time or energy to waste my breath arguing with you about it.
The single point I agree with; yes, the ingredients label should be on the outside of the soap package, but for lack of time and space the night before market it ended up on the inside label, thanks for the tip though I'll make sure that happens in the future. ;)
Now, onto the things I disagree with or take issue with.
The soap not being cured in the center. Yes, the soap was well cured, over six weeks time. Honey is one of our main ingredients and in cold process soaps it takes some time to evaporate since it is unsaponified, as well the soap sat overnight in my truck where it likely did pick up some moisture (as the soap on the wrapper clearly shows). This in no way means the soap is somehow unsafe as you seem to imply as the saponification renders the lye and oils chemically into a different substance all together, it's called soap. It does mean it might melt a little faster, for that I do appoligize and am working to remedy that situation in future batches.
The soap containing ingredients not listed on the label: That is a bold faced lie, there was no "corn" in this soap (though there is in Grit Getter), what there is is dried lavendar and honey. Everything that's in the soap is on the label and given how often I clean the equipment the chances of cross contamination are zero.Regarding skin issues. Every persons skin is different and every person has a different set of aggrevators which may effect their skin in a negative way. IF there was something in the soap that aggrevated your skin you should know before using the soap (since I know you read the ingredients label) if there is anything which may effect you negatively. Since the soap was properly cured and since the lye is not longer caustic after saponification and since I have the math setting in front of me and know as a matter of fact that the soap is 3% superfated (complete with three different folks reviewing the math) I know that it's not due to chemicals. As stated above, I agree with you, the ingredient label should be on the outside of the soap and in the future it very well will be.
The fact that I don't generally accept checks and or credit cards. You can ask any customer of Bishop's Homegrown or Face Of The Earth Seed, we have almost completely relied on the well concealed cash or money order method over the past seven years for any number of our products and short an ocassional slow to ship complaint during busy times we've never had a complaint and nor has anyone ever claimed they never got their product, ask around, do a google search, were not fly by night, we've been around for quite a long time now. We did use Paypal for a short period of time but gave it up after reading a myriad of horror stories about treatment of their customers. When it comes right down to it we rely on our reputation in the community and at large which speaks for itself (at least when someone is not out running it into the ground to help out their friends and gain revenge for me telling you how I felt about the situation.)
About an unbiased review: hint; they never start with the phrase: "NO. Its not about soap and never has been." and nor do they close with a quantifier like: "Due to the nature of the beast I know I will be called out in regards to posting this review and will be called biased, and hateful. It was not my intent. I paid cash to purchase the item in question and did an honest review of the product as a whole. I did not take into account who made it other than in regards to the end paragraph regarding the buyer being protected from bad product or negligent sellers. Simply put buyer beware."
About the smell; the only smell you'll get from our soap is that of the natural products in our soap. As mentioned before we don't use fragrant oils or synthetic oils as our goal is to use what is available on the farm, this does not lend to a strong fragrance which is something that we have chosen to do purposely. Lard is our main base and depending on the forumla and what the soap is trying to accomplish, yes, sometimes it doesn't have a huge lather, other forumlas we use do. Different strokes for different folks. Nothing against those who use stronger oils to scent their soap but we are catering to a group who aren't after that and who want only a slight smell imparted by ingredients grown on the farm. Theres plenty of room for everybody to make soap regardless of your thoughts. If you had an issue with smelling bad after using the soap you should likely consult a doctor as it's likely clinical in nature and needs attention.
In closing, yes you did buy the soap, and your intentions are now painfully clear for all the world to see. Yes, you got shitty customer service because we all know your a deceitful little troll with absolutely no respect for others (ask your peers at the other market, I'm sure they would be glad to let you know) and you've caused me just as many problems as your omipotent soap making gutter trash friends (even prior to the review). So, if you think Kim or I are going to kiss your fat fucking ass to make four dollars (and destroy our reputation) dream on. For those reading this post, I appoligize for my attrocious grammar and spelling but I couldn't set back and allow somone to damage my reputation (even for a new product which is really only a small percentage of what we do) by running myself and my product into the ground while attempting to decieve her readers into believing that it's honestly only about doing a review (convinent too that here she just started doing reviews and the first product she comes to is soap with mine conviniently being first and her friends surely coming soon! It's the details you'll notice!)
For customers interested in our soap, please feel free to call 812-967-2073 or email bishopshomegrown@gmail.com for those concerned about our reputation a simple google search for bishops homegrown, face of the earth seed or hip-gnosis seed development should provide a list of nearly everything we've done over the years and just how reliable we really are. A look at alanbishop.proboards.com and a simple inquiry post about us should assuage any further reputation damage.
To the reviewer, I'll gladly refund your money post haste as soon as I finish wiping my ass with it!
update as of 10:29 pm: Apparently the "reviewer" decided to contact an intermediary realizing that she was digging a hole for herself to let them know she didn't like the other vendors soap that well either......(too bad I know you've tried it before and your all buddy buddy with them and so does everyone else.) so expect her review of their product (if she decides to do one to be somewhat less "flowery" to cover her ass). You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all the people all the time! Puh-Pow motherfucker, that shit makes me harder than a Methodist Ministers pecker!
Interesting......
So today someone decided to review our soap........Except it wasn't really a review and nor were it truthful, in fact one could argue it was a hit piece. You see, there are these other soap makers in the community, nay, in fact in their own eyes, they are the "SOAP MAKERS". That is to say, they believe that since they make soap, no one else anywhere near their market has the right to make soap, in fact, it might be punishible by death for you or I to even consider making soap if our marketing territory overlaps even the tiniest bit.
Market farmers likely know the type, the insanely jealous folks that will do anything to protect what they rightly believe is theirs even if it means running others into the ground so long as the end goal of being a monopoly is accomplished.That is the situation that I have recently found myself in here in Washington County, made all the more troublesome by the hard work and time I've put into promoting the new farmers market that I and they are a part of which includes promoting their product even as they continue to deride me and my products, once with the husband even taking to facebook to proclaim that I should throw myself head first into a wood chipper and once refering to my inability to perform a certain task for market due to a family member being critically ill as a "Lame Ass Excuse".
You see though, none of that suprises me, I have somewhat trained myself over the years to expect the worst of people, particularly those who you have tried your hardest to help over the years with gifts of seeds, labor, animals, exct.What does suprise me though is when those same people want to deride me and my product they choose not to do it themselves, instead relying on a good friend of theirs to do the job for them such is the case with this "review".I put "reveiw" in quotation marks as I'm not entirely sure you can call something a review if it is prefaced with the words: "NO. Its not about soap and never has been." But then perhaps that's my own critical thinking seeping into this blog post.
I accept full responsibility for this piece of bad publicity though and for good reason. You see the reviewer (who I'm sure will also review the competitors product with glowing admiration within the next 24 hours) was at our most recent winter market this past Saturday (wouldn't you know it, hanging with the competetors and even helping move product) and despite my better judgment (I should have known after the last round of drama ended and after she berated one of my customers and her review on my facebook page which I readily admit to deleting and further banning her. You can talk about me all you want, not my customers!) I sold her a bar of our soap which she procedes to dissect in her review.
Some of her observations I won't argue with such as packaging; yeah it's not for everybody and it's not meant to be, it's meant to be simple.
The catchphrase; this was actually something my grandfather used to say, I have nothing to defend myself with here other than go fuck yourself, it's obviously not something you'll ever get and nor do I have time or energy to waste my breath arguing with you about it.
The single point I agree with; yes, the ingredients label should be on the outside of the soap package, but for lack of time and space the night before market it ended up on the inside label, thanks for the tip though I'll make sure that happens in the future. ;)
Now, onto the things I disagree with or take issue with.
The soap not being cured in the center. Yes, the soap was well cured, over six weeks time. Honey is one of our main ingredients and in cold process soaps it takes some time to evaporate since it is unsaponified, as well the soap sat overnight in my truck where it likely did pick up some moisture (as the soap on the wrapper clearly shows). This in no way means the soap is somehow unsafe as you seem to imply as the saponification renders the lye and oils chemically into a different substance all together, it's called soap. It does mean it might melt a little faster, for that I do appoligize and am working to remedy that situation in future batches.
The soap containing ingredients not listed on the label: That is a bold faced lie, there was no "corn" in this soap (though there is in Grit Getter), what there is is dried lavendar and honey. Everything that's in the soap is on the label and given how often I clean the equipment the chances of cross contamination are zero.Regarding skin issues. Every persons skin is different and every person has a different set of aggrevators which may effect their skin in a negative way. IF there was something in the soap that aggrevated your skin you should know before using the soap (since I know you read the ingredients label) if there is anything which may effect you negatively. Since the soap was properly cured and since the lye is not longer caustic after saponification and since I have the math setting in front of me and know as a matter of fact that the soap is 3% superfated (complete with three different folks reviewing the math) I know that it's not due to chemicals. As stated above, I agree with you, the ingredient label should be on the outside of the soap and in the future it very well will be.
The fact that I don't generally accept checks and or credit cards. You can ask any customer of Bishop's Homegrown or Face Of The Earth Seed, we have almost completely relied on the well concealed cash or money order method over the past seven years for any number of our products and short an ocassional slow to ship complaint during busy times we've never had a complaint and nor has anyone ever claimed they never got their product, ask around, do a google search, were not fly by night, we've been around for quite a long time now. We did use Paypal for a short period of time but gave it up after reading a myriad of horror stories about treatment of their customers. When it comes right down to it we rely on our reputation in the community and at large which speaks for itself (at least when someone is not out running it into the ground to help out their friends and gain revenge for me telling you how I felt about the situation.)
About an unbiased review: hint; they never start with the phrase: "NO. Its not about soap and never has been." and nor do they close with a quantifier like: "Due to the nature of the beast I know I will be called out in regards to posting this review and will be called biased, and hateful. It was not my intent. I paid cash to purchase the item in question and did an honest review of the product as a whole. I did not take into account who made it other than in regards to the end paragraph regarding the buyer being protected from bad product or negligent sellers. Simply put buyer beware."
About the smell; the only smell you'll get from our soap is that of the natural products in our soap. As mentioned before we don't use fragrant oils or synthetic oils as our goal is to use what is available on the farm, this does not lend to a strong fragrance which is something that we have chosen to do purposely. Lard is our main base and depending on the forumla and what the soap is trying to accomplish, yes, sometimes it doesn't have a huge lather, other forumlas we use do. Different strokes for different folks. Nothing against those who use stronger oils to scent their soap but we are catering to a group who aren't after that and who want only a slight smell imparted by ingredients grown on the farm. Theres plenty of room for everybody to make soap regardless of your thoughts. If you had an issue with smelling bad after using the soap you should likely consult a doctor as it's likely clinical in nature and needs attention.
In closing, yes you did buy the soap, and your intentions are now painfully clear for all the world to see. Yes, you got shitty customer service because we all know your a deceitful little troll with absolutely no respect for others (ask your peers at the other market, I'm sure they would be glad to let you know) and you've caused me just as many problems as your omipotent soap making gutter trash friends (even prior to the review). So, if you think Kim or I are going to kiss your fat fucking ass to make four dollars (and destroy our reputation) dream on. For those reading this post, I appoligize for my attrocious grammar and spelling but I couldn't set back and allow somone to damage my reputation (even for a new product which is really only a small percentage of what we do) by running myself and my product into the ground while attempting to decieve her readers into believing that it's honestly only about doing a review (convinent too that here she just started doing reviews and the first product she comes to is soap with mine conviniently being first and her friends surely coming soon! It's the details you'll notice!)
For customers interested in our soap, please feel free to call 812-967-2073 or email bishopshomegrown@gmail.com for those concerned about our reputation a simple google search for bishops homegrown, face of the earth seed or hip-gnosis seed development should provide a list of nearly everything we've done over the years and just how reliable we really are. A look at alanbishop.proboards.com and a simple inquiry post about us should assuage any further reputation damage.
To the reviewer, I'll gladly refund your money post haste as soon as I finish wiping my ass with it!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Christmas time will soon be over!
Christmas time will soon be over!
By: Alan Reed Bishop of Bishop's Homegrown/Face Of The Earth Seed/Uncle Penns Circle W Lye Soap.
This past Saturday morning I rolled out of bed at 5:00 AM to make my way down to Pierce Polk Vol Fire Dept for the most recent (only our second) Washington County Artisans and Farmers Market. Ambitions were high and the truck was loaded down with our Circle W soaps and tobacco lath work.
Vendors started filing in and setting up right around 7:00 and so too did customers. A nice steady stream of Christmas shoppers looking for locally made and handcrafted goods and a little produce to fill out their Christmas list. Everyone was in good spirits and hopes were high for a good turnout and another showing of what the Artisans and Farmers of Washington county are capable of.
At 8:00 Santa Claus arrived to share in the Christmas spirit and take a few photos with some delighted children (Thanks to Tanya Marie Davis and special thanks to Abigail Lengel for dressing up as an Elf!) while customers ate breakfast provided by Pierce Polk Vol. Fire Dept and commenced to shopping and spending quality time getting to know the vendors and their goods.
A slowly building but steady crowd made for a great day and good second outing for the organization. With Christmas nearly over we will recess until January 28'th at the American Legion Bingo Hall in Salem Indiana with space for nearly twice the number of vendors and a “Souper Saturday” Super planned to benefit the market organization from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. We will follow this event up with our Valentines market on Febuary 11'th, back again at the Pierce, Polk, Vol. Fire Dept. I'm sure that by that time I'll be asking yet again; “Is it spring yet?”
In the meantime Bishop's Homegrown would like to remind you that our soap and woodworking as well as our CSA option all remain available to you throughout the holiday season and thereafter. Don't forget, your gonna want to wash that old year (and possible hangover) away on New Years Day and we've got just the wares to do it with!
We would also like to take a moment to point you in the direction of our good friends at Addisons Graphic Arts in Salem Indiana who have a wide selection of unique printing materials and shirts and are now carrying our Uncle Penn's Circle W Old Fashioned Lye Soap in their shop! We hope to have some more retail locations secured in the coming weeks!
Anyone interested in becoming a vendor at Washington County Artisans and Farmers can either contact me at 812-967-2073 or send an email to wcaf@ymail.com
Merry Christmas to all!
Your Friend,
Alan Reed Bishop
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Bishop's Homegrown/Face Of The Earth Seed/Uncle Penns Circle W Lye Soap newsletter
Hey folks, would you be interested in recieving a newsletter from Bishop's Homegrown via e-mail on a twice a month basis in winter and once a month basis in summer? This would cover everything from seeds, plants, nursery stock, soap, produce, poultry, eggs, and anything else we produce here on the farm and the avilability thereof. If so please drop me a line at bishopshomegrown@gmail.com
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Uncle Penn's Circle W Soap and Isla Tortuga woodworking cataloug.
Uncle Penn's Circle W Old Fashioned Lye Soap is the newest addition to Bishop's Homegrown. Soap as it should be...simple.
If you want authenticity and only natural homegrown ingredients in your soap then we have the soap for you! We are sourcing a large portion of our ingredients from our own farm gardens and fields including grains (corn meal and oats), vegetables, dried herbs, fruit, and even local honey.
We are more concerned with sourcing ingredients that have been traditionally used in soap for their skin care properties (as well as sustainability) than with creating over scented bars using expensive essential oils or synthetic fragrant oils. Different strokes for different folks. Many of our soaps are one offs which are made in extraordinarilly small batches when and as ingredients are available from the farm while others are timeless classics (castille, raw, "Home-Brew")
We do use lard in our recipies along with a number of other oils simply because it's a reliable base fat that has been used since the begining of soap making and imparts qualities we appreciate, as well it is sustainable and and practical to produce on a small homested farm (which we are currently persuing). We use no artificial or natural dyes, just simple natural colors, imparted by our ingredients, which we feel speak to the earthiness and utilitarianism of the finished product. Completely bio-degradable and "Eco-Logical" just like all the Bishop's Homegrown products.
Most of our soaps use either homebrewed beer or wine bases or spring/well/rain water and nearly all include Honey in the mixture (a natural humectant and anti-bacterial), as well our soaps are all 3-5% superfated to help further moisturize your skin. Similarly the scet of our soap is in no way overbearing, owing it's slight scent to the presence of the natural ingredients inherent in the soap. We feel that there is an underserved soap market who appreciate a more subtle and earthy soap and share our appreciation of light natural scents imparted simply by on farm ingredients.
The main job of soap is to help water clean and moisturize your skin afterall.It's our belief that what you put on your body should be just as important as what you put in your body and the use of on farm ingredients assures that the two are one in the same (not to mention soap is another good form of preservation of the yearly harvest).
Keep your eyes peeled for further product introductions in the coming months!
If your after simplicity and quality over production and perfume we exist to cater to you!
Ordering information and custom orders: It seems like there is a growing trend when it comes to ordering from small business and farms online, utilizing credit cards, and unsecure digital forms and middleman services which cut into profit margins and play into the hands of the same big business we all seem so adamant to stand up against. Here we shun such practices and encourage ordering in the old fashioned way.
Give us a call and stop by the farm at 5604 S. State Rd. 60 Pekin IN 47165 or visit us at Washington County Artisans and Farmers market (spring-summer Saturdays 8-12 @Pekin Park. Winter @ Various locations) or order by mail the old fashioned way by sending well concealed cash or money order to Alan Bishop at the address above.
Shipping for wood products isn't currently available but will be soon
We also love custom orders, if you have something you'd like to see made drop us a line a bishopshomegrown@gmail.com
Tobbacco Lath wall hanger. This one is just sanded down to reveal the natural stain from years of hanging tobacco in our family barn. 4 inches deep x 4 inches wide by 4 inches tall. Great for hanging on a wall for your candles or soap or other items ot interest. 5.00 locally. No shipping at this time, check back soon.
Tobacco Lath Planter. Sanded down to reveal the natural tobacco stain. Great for a natural hanging planter complete with drainage holes and a bit of old barbless wire for hanging. 6 inches deep/wide/long. $15.00 locally, no shipping at this time, check back soon.
Tobacco Lath Ladders. We make these in several different sizes including miniatures and up to 5 foot tall. Great to lean against a wall or table to display items. Stained or unstained. Contact us for prices and sizes. No shipping currently. Locally available
Hand split tobacco lath coat hanger. Rustic and cool coat hangar made from a hand split tobacco lath over 100 years old. Would look great hanging in your home this winter. Stained mahogany. 10.00 each. Available locally. No shipping at this time.
Tobacco Lath Stars. We make these in a variety of sizes, both stained and unstained. Great for hanging on walls, doors, barns exct and look great decorated with Christmas lights! Small stained star 5.00, Small unstained 3.00. Large unstained 5.00 and large stained 8.00. No shipping currently.
Also for your Christmas shopping pleasure were proud to present some of our woodworking ventures. All of these products are handcrafted here on the farm using tobacco sticks (lath) that have graced our family farm fields for years (the hand split ones are sometimes near to or older than 100 years old and originally from Greensburg KY) First up is this hand split lath shaddow box window frame. The lathe were sanded and stained mahogany, would look great setting over a picture on your wall. 5.00 locally. No shipping at the moment, check back soon. Also available unfinished.
Uncle Penns "Dumb Ass County Boy": This ones all about the cooked down elderberry wine and fresh spearamint w/coarsley ground oats. This ones all about being unrefined and crude. 3% superfat with sunflower oil, coconut oil, lard, oats, honey, fresh spearamint, wine and mead. 5 ounce bars 4.00 each locally, 5.00 shiped. Bulk deals available.
Uncle Penn's "Manda": Great grandma 'Manda Burns spent a lot of time rendering lard from homegrown hogs and screening potash for lye to make her families yearly supply of soap. This here is nearly as authentic and "real" as it gets. Straight up lye and lard by popular request. Pure as the driven snow and white enough to prove it. This one is 3% superfat but we can make it 0% by request. Old timers claimed it good for drying out poison ivy, washing stains from clothes, and dealing with other skin issues as well as washing out some "dirty" mouths when needed. 5 ounce bars. 4.00 each locally 8.00 shipped..
Uncle Penns "Grit Gitter": We love gritts here on the farm, to us there isn't a thing in this world better than real grits from home ground corn flavored with some homegrown honey! What better way to pay tribute than to make soap with the same aesthetic! Lye, lard, coconut oil, sunflower oil, bees wax, and elderberry wine hook up with grits from homegrown Amanda Palmer corn (ground fine in a coffee grinder) and flavored with homegrown honey. Great exfoliating body bar with moisturizing properties that smells like breakfast, lunch, and dinner! 5 ounce bars. 4.00 locally 8.00 shipped. Bulk discount available.
Uncle Penn's "Anne-Marie": Uncle Penns sweetheart (my grandmother) was "Anne-Marie", this ones for her. Lavendar Meets honey and wine w/sunflower, coconut oil, lard and beeswax. Great for those who want that light old timey sweetheart scent. Five ounce bars 4.00 each locally 8.00 shipped. Bulk deals available.
Uncle Penns "Aunt Molly". Aunt Molly is one of those somewhat shrude weomen who remembers exactly where she came from. Straight up, she tells it like it is. This ones made in her spirit. Farm fresh spearamint blended with coffee makes for a great work soap to scrub the dirt of a hard day away. The base is spring water from "down the hill" as liquor would serve only to infuriate the aunt who it's named in honor of. 3 ounce bar. 5% superfat. Castille (olive oil) based. Excellent moisturizure. 3.00 locally 7.00 shipped
Uncle Penn's "Workin' Man": That he was! And of course theres that song ("I get up, seven yeah, go to work at nine" so what if the lyrics were a bit of a late starter!). This ones a straight up coffee scrub with a bit of honey for some "smellum good". Lot's of coffee grounds (home roasted from Sweet Maria's fair trade) for that extra grit you need to scrub out those deep workin man stains and as always some honey to help moisturize. 3% superfated too with the light scent of honey. 4 ounce bars. 4.00 each locally 8.00 shipped. Bulk discount available.
Uncle Penns Possum Fruit: Yeah, we went there, down in the hills of Kentucky nobody eats perssimmons, claiming their only good for possum feed! Good for us Hoosiers we know what they are all about! Luckily so to did those in the orient who used persimmon soap to aid in complexion and to cover body odour. True American persimmon meets lye, lard, coconut oil, honey, and elderberry wine. 3% superfat and honey means this ones great for moisturizing. Light honey-persimmon scent is reminicent of that famous pudding your grandma made. 5 ounce bar for 4.00. 8.00 shipped. Bulk discount available.
Uncle Penns Homebrew Soap: A blend of homebrewed wine and beer meets up with old fashioned lard and lye (along with coconut and sunflower oil) and some Avena Nuda oats (farm grown) with a bit of honey and chamomille to give you that kick in the pants you've been looking for. 3% superfat and honey keeps you moisturized while the slight natural scent of honey and chamomille make you presentable for the speakeasy crowd. 4.00 each. 8.00 shipped. Bulk discount available.
Uncle Penns "Turtle Creek": An homage to a small tributary to blue river where some of the best produce and homebrew are grown and brewed respectively. Beer base meets farm fresh cucumber (full of vitamins and nutrients and slightly astringent so good for oily skin) and oatmeal. Great for that early morning "wake up" call. 3% superfat, light oat and cucumber smell. Great lather. 5 ounce bars for 4.00 locally 8.00 shipped
Uncle Penns "Mull Digger": For those who don't know what a "Mull Digger" is down in the hills of Kentucky it's a term used to refer to a lazy or otherwise useless dog (or lazy person/a cheat) who digs for moles but never catches them, instead leaving only distruction and subsequent work in it's path. Here we use it to refer to our pine tar soap which harkens back to the days of "patent medicines...". Pine tar has been used for centuries to ward off bugs, deal with skin conditions, and mask the smell of hunters from prey. 3% superfat, coconut oil, sunflower oil, lard, rain water, and bees wax makes this superior to others. 5 ounce bars. 4.00 each locally, 8.00 shipped. Bulk deals available.
Check out these gift baskets, they make great Christmas gifts. Included is your choice of one of two different types of handmade wooden totes made from antique tobacco sticks from our family farm which have been sanded down and stained mahogany with a gift bow and decorative poinsettas and your choice of any four Circle W soaps as well as a tube each of "Kisser Fixer" Chapstick (Latte and Butter Cream). 40.00 each local only.
Not Everybody is lucky enough to have an Uncle like Penn Wilson. A simple appalachian man who has an insatiable passion for life and liberty. Our soap, like him, is as it should be...simple. Straight up natural, farm grown "smelllum good" herbs, honey, homebrewed wine and beer, spring and rain water, lye and oils. Never any artificial colors or scents out of a bottle. Just good old fashioned mountain wisdom.
"Uncle Penn says to stay clean you gotta wash ass!"
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Community, cooperation, and local goods. Pushing the boundaries of a local market!
Community, cooperation, and local goods. Pushing the boundaries of a local market
“Winter is no time for a local Artisans and Farmers market!”.....we blew that notion completely out of the water this past Saturday when 13 vendors and hundreds of customers poured into our first ever Washington County Artisans and Farmers event graciously hosted (along with a breakfast) by the Pierce Polk Vol Fire Dept.
A steady stream of community customers filed into the building to check out all the cool and local handcrafted and homegrown items on display (including a handful of local produce including tomatoes, lettuce, turnips, and greens the week before Thanksgiving). Local (and those from as far away as English) really seemed to dig the wide selection of items including jewelry, baked goods, assortments of soaps and body care items, local meat, hand sewn items, and folk art.
We (Bishop's Homegrown) were there in a corner set up between our friend Mary Beth Morgan and our friends Tye and Laura Gazarian taking in the awe that this project we've all worked (and are working) so hard to put together and promote seems to have begun to pay off in spades. We took the opportunity to use the event to show some of the other complex sides of what we do here on our small family farm by debuting our new Uncle Penns Old Fashioned lye soap (lip balms, body butter, and lotions too!) and Isla Tortuga trading company items (woodworking using 100 year old tobacco laths from the family farm). Of course our Face Of The Earth Seed Company also made a good impression despite the oncoming winter season (the persistence of hope in a gardener is hard to diminish even when the snow flies!)
We look forward to the next event on December 17'th, from 8-12 (once again in conjunction with Pierce Polk Vol. Fire Dept and their awesome home cooked breakfast and an appearance by the man of the season himself Santa Claus) and will use it as an opporotunity to expand on the groundwork the market as well as Bishop's Homegrown has done so far.
-Alan “The Working Man” Bishop
homegrowngoodness.blogspot.com
faceoftheearthseed.blogspot.com
812-967-2073
bishopshomegrown@gmail.com
faceoftheearthseed.blogspot.com
812-967-2073
bishopshomegrown@gmail.com
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