Sassafras Farmstead

Welcome to Sassafras Farmstead. We are located in Georgetown, Delaware on 48 wooded acres. Our goal is to build a self sufficient farmstead that respects the environment while producing the most wholesome food we can. You can visit the farmstead anytime you’d like, see our CONTACT page for details.

What is a Farmstead?

A farmstead is a combination of a farm and a homestead. A farm is a place that grows food for sale to customers, some grow fruits and vegetables, some grow animals for meat, eggs and dairy products, while others do a little bit of all of them. A homestead is a self supporting property that a family lives on and produces most of what they need in their daily lives.

Our Farmlosophy

Here at Sassafras Farmstead we are committed to managing our farmstead while minimizing negative impacts and maximizing positive impacts on the environment. We use the 12 Permaculture Prinicples in all aspects of our operations.

Permaculture, or Permanent Agriculture is a holistic management practice developed by David Holmgren and Bill Mollison. The 12 principles are outlined below. For more information visit the Permaculture Principles website.

1. Observe and Interact – By taking the time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation.
2. Catch and Store Energy – By developing systems that collect resources when they are abundant, we can use them in times of need.
3. Obtain a yield – Ensure that you are getting truly useful rewards as part of the work you are doing.
4. Apply Self Regulation and Accept Feedback – We need to discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that systems can continue to function well. Negative feedback is often slow to emerge.
5. Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services – Make the best use of nature’s abundance to reduce our dependence on non-renewable resources.
6. Produce No Waste – By valuing and making use of all the resources that are available to us, nothing goes to waste.
7. Design From Patterns to Details – By stepping back, we can observe patterns in nature. These can form the backbone of our designs, with the details filled in as we go.
8. Integrate Rather Than Segregate – By putting the right things in the right place at the right time, relationships develop between those things and they work together to support each other.
9. Use Small and Slow Solutions – Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, making better use of local resources and produce more sustainable outcomes.
10. Use and Value Diversity – Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides.
11. Use Edges and Value the Margins – These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system.
12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change – We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing and then intervening at the right time.