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planting them or weeding them. So we just started working with what we had. We started looking at what grows well here and we saw clover and mulberry trees and raspberries and elderberries planting themselves. We want plants we don’t have to coddle and plants that will naturalize themselves. We've added a lot more pasture species and kind of let them run. We had our first-ever walnut harvest this year from a tree the squirrels planted.” He’s also striving to get an apple orchard going, but it’s been a struggle to keep the trees alive. The one plant they haven’t found a good use for is thistles.

LOCALLY-MADE AND LOCALLY-SOURCED

Their Sioux Falls shop is thriving even though it’s been open for less than 2 years. In addition to their own products, Sweetgrass Soapery has become an outlet for other local producers and artisans. Miranda is committed to using and selling products that are sustainable, locally-made and localsourced. That includes everything from honey to mushrooms to Native-made star quilts. Many of the fixtures in their store have been re-purposed from things they’ve found.

Bridget makes glass bottle earrings filled with herbs and rose petals. Claudia makes “sleep pillows” which include a combination of herbs designed to encourage relaxation and sleep. Both products are sold at Sweetgrass Soapery in downtown Sioux Falls. In addition to soap, Miranda makes salves and balms as well as a wide variety of herb mixes.

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Red clover ready for harvest at the family’s Viborg farm. When the couple moved to Viborg, they had to frequently explain that their farm was not corn or cows. “We are the weirdos out there. You'll see people rubbernecking the whole time driving by our property, thinking ‘What are they doing out there?’” When she interviewed for a CNA position at Pioneer Memorial Hospital, she came straight from the field in her muck boots because they’d been busy harvesting zucchini. Despite her muddy clothes, she got the job – and sold a bunch of zucchini, too. “In fact, my soap-selling career started at Pioneer Memorial in Viborg. I brought in shoe boxes of soap. My coworkers bought it right up. That encouraged me to sign up for vendor shows and get into the farmers market.”

GOALS AND DREAMS

Their daughters also have an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong work ethic. “They can outsell me at a show or market no problem. They will move product. They're learning a lot,” she said. “Claudia (age 10) makes sleep pillows where she combines different herbs for relaxing and for sleep. She came up with the recipe on her own and she stuffs these little pouches. She’s made a killing this year. Bridget (age 13) makes jewelry like earrings that are little glass bottles filled with herbs and things like rose petals.” The girls also help on the farm. Alex said, “They can make as much money as they want to. You’ve just got to work for it.” Miranda added: They're not afraid to create their own jobs or their own products or live in a manner that they can sustain themselves. It’s really fun that they have the skills.”

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www.ViewFromSD.com Looking forward, the couple has lots of goals and dreams. They’d like to get livestock back into their pasture; do farm-to-table dinners; herbalist classes; informational retreats; and maybe even add some campsites. Alex wants to create a shade arbor made of hops climbing on the frame of the greenhouse. Next year, they plan to spend time on the summer “powwow” circuit to both immerse themselves in Native American culture and sell their products. Miranda said, “The way this business is going, it won't be long before I have to work Alex into it a lot more. One of the ultimate goals is to use the farm as a basis for everything else we do to get it so that our whole family can be sustained by it.” Alex concluded, “The farm is still our main engine. The more of our own products we can sell, the more she can make, the more viable it becomes for me to spend more time on the farm and less time in town.”