MAMA Life Oils

An alternative for wellness solutions

Owner Jessica Petit of Mama Life Oils and Wellness has been in business for six years making organic homemade elderberry syrup, chemical free products and beverages like strawberry elderberry lemonade, elderberry apple punch and elderberry hot toddy out of her certified residential kitchen in Wilbraham.

“E lderberry is an antiviral herb packed with antioxidants and vitamins,” Petit said. “Elderberry syrup is phenomenal for cold and flu season. If you feel like you’re coming down with something, you want to start taking it three to four times a day until you feel a symptom reduction.”

In her line of chemical free products, Petit uses essential oils. She has a line of rollers that helps with sleep, stress, headaches, immune support, muscle aches and seasonal allergies. Petit also makes a multipurpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, hand soap and hand sanitizer. In addition, she has pillow sprays to help with sleep, an energy cleansing spray and a DIY kit for people to make their own elderberry syrup.

By trade, Petit is a licensed mental health counselor whose specialty was maternal mental health. In 2016, Petit had her daughter and discovered she was born with a genetic mutation where she can’t process toxins efficiently. When that happens, there is toxin build up. When there is a toxin build up in the system, she explained, there is toxin overload and from there, down the line, people are more susceptible to getting diseases – usually in the form of autoimmune concerns.

Petit explained she had to figure out how she could help her daughter within the household – which meant getting rid of all chemicals. The only way she learned to replace those items is with essential oils, and ending up DIYing everything in her house.

W hen cold and flu season came around, her

! BY MIASHA LEE M AMALIFEOILS/HILARY LYNN BR AND PHOTOGRAPHY

naturopathic doctor recommended elderberry syrup. “I began creating my own recipes,” Petit said. “People heard that I was making elderberry syrup and chemical free products. The next thing you know I had an awesome business and that’s how it got started.”

The name “Mama Life” has a huge meaning behind it, Petit explained. She and her husband could not figure out what to name the company. Her business was formed because of her daughter, so Petit looked up the meaning of her daughter’s name. “The meaning of her name means ‘life’ and then I said ‘Mama Life,’” Petit shared. “That’s my life right now is I’m a mom and the meaning of her name is life – how suitable – so that’s how we came up with Mama Life.”

S he continued, “We are a holistic family and we do our best to take care of ourselves. We eat organic and grassfed. There’s no chemicals in our house and we see a naturopathic doctor. The value of what we live by is taking care of our whole body in the best way that we can possible.”

To her knowledge, Petit is the only person in the area that sells elderberry syrup homemade certified. Rather than a preservative filled elderberry syrup made in a factory, customers are getting homemade, organic, small batch syrup made local from a mom – which Petit said sets her apart from every other commercially made elderberry syrup.

A s for her chemical-free products, Petit mentioned a feeling that many people are wanting to transition over to toxic free/chemical free solutions and all natural remedies. She said people will reach out to her and she custom makes goods for them as needed.

Mama Life Oils and Wellness products is located in 16 different restaurants, cafes and boutiques in the area. On April 6, Petit will be at the Bay Path Women’s Conference at the MassMutal Center. Then on June 8 at the Central Mass Conference for Women in Worcester and on June 17 at the Wilbraham Peach Festival at Wilbraham Monson Academy.

Currently, Petit is brainstorming a possible new beverage. She is also looking for a commercial kitchen, and down the road, said she would love to have her products sold in more locations.

“ When I hear people say they swear by my elderberry syrup or other products, it’s just wonderful that I can help families when they’re not feeling their best,” Petit responded. “I never envisioned having this business. Mama Life grew quickly and once I started contracting with local companies, it got big very fast. Now, I’m hoping that I’m going to move into a commercial kitchen with employees and a delivery system so I can be able to wholesale even more.” TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MAMA LIFE OILS AND WELLNESS GO TO MAMALIFEOILS.COM

Here are the places Mama Life Oils and Wellness is available:

Lou’s Bagel Nook - Hampden

The Apple Place - East Longmeadow

Better Life Whole Foods - Springfield

Kool Beanz - East Longmeadow

Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop - Springfield

Nosh - Springfield

Agric Organics - Wilbraham

Common Grounds - Wilbraham

Pan’e Dolcetti - Wilbraham

The Beauty Studio Boutique - Ludlow

Outside the Gift Box Shop - Ludlow

East Street Coffee - Ludlow

Dave’s Natural Garden - Granby

Kinderhook Flower & Gift - Hampden

The Restorative Wellness Center - Hampden

Smoothville Smoothies - Enfield

Connecticut Natural Medicine - Ellington

Champagne Apothecary - Westfield

Sarah’s Cheesecakes & Café - Pittsfield

Cafe D’Jolie - Springfield

Livy Lu’s Children’s Boutique www.livyluboutique.com

Farmer at the Door www.farmeratthedoor.com

Feel Good Shop Local www.feelgoodshoplocal.com

Nicole Roy, Owner of Deeply Devoted Cleaning Service proudly celebrates 13 years in Business! Deeply Devoted Cleaning Service offers Insured & Bonded Professional Residential & Commercial Cleaning Services in Connecticut. Their Headquarters Office is located right in charming Ellington, Connecticut, at 420 Somers Rd Unit 1A. Nicole just Celebrated their Grand Opening at their Second Office Location in Glastonbury, CT at 2389 Main Street! With our Second Office doors Opening on Main Street, we look forward to expanding our Business in the beautiful Glastonbury area and assisting the community with our Cleaning Services.

Nicole started Deeply Devoted when her oldest son, Dominick, was 2 years old. She was working a 9-5 at a local AAA Office in Enfield, Connecticut, and wanted more Freedom to be with her Son. She quit the 9-5 and after lots of hard work built her Cleaning Business from the ground up. Now, a Mother of 3, she has the freedom and flexibility to spend her time with the people who matter most, her Children, while allowing a flexible schedule to run her Business. “As a Business Owner and a Mother of three, I strive for success, which means different things to different people. To me, it means Freedom. Freedom to live life how works for me, which is being present with all of my children, while at the same time putting my heart and soul into the Business I love.”

Our Team Members with us are the foundation of our Business. We are so thankful to have the very best Team Members who are meticulous, dependable, hard-working, and are truly the heart of our Business. We are looking for House Cleaners to join our Cleaning Team! We thank each and every client over the past 13 years for choosing us and we greatly look forward to what our NEWEST Office Location in Glastonbury, CT will bring to the Community.

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Due to technology error leading to outdated information being printed, Go Local is reprinting our CSA guide from the March edition. This guide should have all the up-to-date information for your favorite local CSA farms! We apologize for confusion the error may have caused.

As spring approaches the sun shines its rays upon New England. The air loses its bite and takes the form of a pleasant breeze. Naturally, a craving for fresh fruit and vegetables arises. Where better to obtain the best produce than New England? This year, explore the area and CSA offerings. CSA produce is a local harvest and always has a homegrown taste.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It is a partnership between farms and consumers. Members pay in advance for a “share” of the farm’s harvest for a set portion of the year. As a CSA member, you will pick up the selection of fresh produce, herbs, or even flowers on a designated day at the farm.

Does this sound like a good way to eat healthy this summer to you? Head over to the websites of each farm listed on the next page to fill out a CSA application. But don’t wait, shares fill up quickly!

Sawmill Herb Farm

140 MEADOW STREET . FLORENCE, MA

(413) 268-4372 . SAWMILLHERBFARM.COM

Sawmill Herb Farm provides local access to quality ingredients used in a number of recipes. Fresh herb shares are composed of a diverse assortment of fresh, medicinal and culinary herbs ready for home use. From roots to shoots to leaves and flowers, Sawmill grows an ever-diversifying variety of herbs using sustainable and certified organic practices on land in Florence or are respectfully wildhar vested in the area’s fields, forests, hills and valleys. Included in shares are five bunches of fresh herbs of your choosing (based on what’s in season,) a weekly E-newsletter with recipes and tips on using the herbs, the option to purchase additional fresh and dried herbs and add them to your pickup, invitations to community work days and biweekly (full share) or monthly (half share) pickups. A full valley CSA share is $215, a half Valley CSA share is $120. Sawmill offers a variety of other shares, including but not limited to a lamb share and an egg share.

Down To Earth Farm Csa

5 MICHELEC ROAD . STAFFORD, ct (860) 851-9617 . GETDOWNTOEARTH.ORG

Down to Earth Farm’s CSA offers a unique experience: it provides members with the opportunity to work on the farm where their fresh produce will be grown. Down to Earth started in 2006 which makes the 2023 season their 18th year. The farm is a member of CT NOFA, an organization that has been working to create an organic CT since 1982. Down to Earth subscribes to the CT NOFA Farmers Pledge, which is a commitment to farming, marketing and farm management in accordance with sound ecological and economic practices. Each working share family should provide at least one person to work two hours every other week during the season. The individual can choose their preferred work session day and time on the application form. A large working share is $525 and a small working share is $285.

Kosinski Farms and Farmstand

336 / 420 Russellville Road, Westfield, MA (413) 572-4344 . kosinskifarms.net

Kosinski Farms and Farmstand began offering their CSA in 2011, committing to raising food with sustainable and environmentally responsible practices. The farm guarantees that food will be grown and harvested locally. As a member of their CSA, people will receive a weekly share of vegetables and fruits. CSA shares are available for the late spring through fall season. The cost of a large share is $750, and a small share is $425. Large produce shares consist of 15-20 pounds of produce, with about eight to 10 different crops each week. Small shares are about 8 pounds of produce with four to six items each. Kosinski Farms also offers two additional shares: a bakery share and a fruit wine of the week share. The bakery and wine shares are available for an additional cost of $200 and $250 respectively.

granny’s place

844 main street . agawam, ma (413) 786-9366 . grannysplacefarm.com syme family farm

When people buy a farm share from Granny’s Place, the farm will put together a reusable bag of mixed vegetables every week. The program runs from June through September and supports their family-owned and family-run local farmstand. Granny’s Place offers two farm share sizes: a regular share is $448 and suitable for a family of three to five, and a small share for $320 which is suitable for one to two people. Everything at the farm is grown seasonally, but they always have fresh produce and flowers daily.

72 windsorville road . broad brook, ct (860) 623-5925 . symefamilyfarm.com

The Syme Family Farm CSA is a little different from the usual fruit and vegetable share. The farm in Broad Brook offers a Cut Flower Club CSA< where members sign up and pre-pay for four or eight weeks of locally grown, fresh cut flower bouquets. Syme Family Farm is a diverse farm nestled in North Central, CT. They only sell what they grow themselves on the farm. Syme Family Farm has grown to include spring greenhouse plants, specialty cut flowers, mums, watermelon, pumpkins and Christmas trees. This year, they are offering a mixed bouquet club for eight weeks at $170.16, a mixed bouquet club for four weeks at $85.08, the lisianthus club for four weeks at $85.08, and finally the tulip club – which has sold out – at three weekly bunches of farm-fresh field cut tulips in assorted colors.

Bordua Farms

1536 main street . south windsor, ct

(860) 335-2705 . borduafarms.com

Bordua Farms provides a bountiful CSA that allows members to receive an assortment of produce once a week for 18 weeks. Bordua Farms is a family owned and operated farm, located on historic Old Main Street in South Windsor, Connecticut. They cultivate over 90 acres of rich soil in the heart of the Connecticut River Valley. Bordua Farms has a charming farm stand, a CSA program that feeds over 100 families in the communit, and an online shop where people from all over can enjoy farm and garden-inspired goods. The 2023 CSA share is $505, and shares are to be picked up at their barn. In addition, Bordua offers a CSA fruit share for $50, where members will receive six fruit offerings throughout the program. Varieties include, but are not limited to, blueberries, peaches, nectarines and plums.

Oxen Hill Farm

1434 Hill Street . Suffield, CT (860) 214-5104 . oxenhillfarm.com

Oxen Hill Farm is offering their 15th Summer CSA season of USDAcertified Organic produce this year! The farm offers three differentsized vegetable shares (Mini, Calf & Ox) that can be picked up weekly or biweekly during the 18 week season. Members get the opportunity to reschedule and/or customize their share using the online system so that you can tailor your share to match the best of what is available each week; you can add or swap items as needed. They also offer flower or bouquet shares at their locations in Suffield, East Granby, West Hartford, CT and East Longmeadow, MA. All members are invited to pick their own fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes at the Suffield farm during regular hours. The helpful and friendly community at this family farm keeps members coming back year after year!

Mountain View Farm CSA

393 east street . easthampton, ma (413) 329-0211 . mountainviewfarmcsa.com

Winners of the Best Local CSA or Best Local Farm Award for 14 years in a row from the Advocate, Mountain View Farm is a certified organic CSA project serving Western Massachusetts. CSA members visit the farm in Easthampton at the base of beautiful Mt. Tom throughout the growing season to pick up their share of seasonally available produce as well as a wide variety of you-pick crops. Mountain View grows over 200 varieties of produce and every week throughout the CSA season, members will be provided with an array of produce to choose from. The season begins in early June and continues through October for 21 weeks. A small share is $475, a medium share is $720 and a large share is $865.

Easy Pickin’s Orchard

46 Bailey Road . Enfield, ct

(860) 763-3276 . EASYPICKINSORCHARD.SQUARE.SITE

Easy Pickin’s Orchard has been offering CSA since 2010. Their CSA season lasts 4 ½ months of seasonal fresh produce weekly, from mid-June through October. Their season lasts for 20 weeks, with each week offering a variety of vegetables and fruit that are ready for harvest. They offer full and half CSA shares, with a full share of $699 and a half share for $419. They also offer full and half shares on a three-month payment plan.

Yellow Stonehouse Farm

354 Root Road . WESTFIELD, MA (413) 562-2164 . YELLOWSTONEHOUSEFARMCSA.COM

As Westfield’s first USDA Certified Organic Farm CSA, Yellow Stonehouse Farm is a 79-acre property located in Westfield and Southampton. The farm grows certified organic vegetables and flowers while coexisting harmoniously with native wildlife. Over 17 acres are cultivated in Westfield for CSA shareholders. When someone purchases the Yellow Stonehouse CSA, their farm share consists of local and certified organic vegetables selected from the marketstyle vegetable distribution area. Members select exactly what they want from their abundant supply. The share is a personal selection from the farm’s market-style vegetable area plus access to the pick-your-own garden. They are a chemical free farm and do not use any GMO’s, chemical pesticides or herbicides. Yellow Stonehouse Farm’s season lasts from June to October. A weekly full farm share is $730 and the every other week full farm share is $520 For pricing, CSA details and specific pickup locations (many producers offer various sites) for the 2023 season, please contact farm directly. This is not a comprehensive list. If you would like to be included in future publications, please contact pnorth@thereminder.com.

Go Green: Remember to bring a reusable bag, basket or bin with you to pick up your CSA harvest. The less plastic, the better!

Go Local Picks

COOL STUFF JUST OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR AND ONLINE!

Greenfield

FRIDAY, APRIL 28 - 5:00-8:00 PM

DOWNTOWN

The Greenfield Arts Walk is a town-wide event featuring a cohort of local arts organizations including Madhouse Multi-Arts, Hawks & Reed, and Greenfield Gallery to name a few. The Arts Walk's mission is to grow the local creative community and economy by attracting interest from beyond the region while strengthening the connections within.

For more information and events visit: visitgreenfieldma.com/event/greenfield-artswalk/2023-04-28/

SATURDAY, APRIL 22 - 9:00 AM

RUN STARTS AT 200 TRAFTON RD., SPRINGFIELD, MA

In honor of Earth Day, the Springfield Renaissance School’s National Honor Society is hosting their first walk/run fundraiser in the Forest Park area. All proceeds will benefit the chapter, and patrons who sign up will receive ticket entry to Forest Park, a T-shirt and a packet of seeds to replenish the planet. It costs $25 to register, with the registration period ending on April 15.

For more information visit: runsignup.com/Race/MA/Springfield/ RenNHSEarthDay5K

SATURDAY, APRIL 15 AND SUNDAY, APRIL 16 - 10:00 AM

CONNECTICUT CONVENTION CENTER

100 COLUMBUS BLVD., HARTFORD, CT

Brick Fest Live is a family-fun event that aims to inspire, educate and entertain through LEGO creations. The country-wide tour features an array of grand, life-sized LEGO creations along with giving visitors a chance to engage with a plethora of hands-on activities. The event also features live shows and the appearances from contestants from the LEGO Masters television program.

For more information visit: www.brickfestlive.com/bfl-2022-2023

Life is full of chances.

For some there is regret for those chances not taken, but not for Sara Anderson. When one door closed, she decided to open another door for herself – one that led to opening her own gift shop.

A shopper at heart, Anderson especially loved stopping into different unique gift shops while visiting tourist destinations such as Newburyport, Massachusetts and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and dreamed of one day opening her own business.

That dream became a reality sooner than later when after 15 years of working as a human resources specialist, she was laid off, which set the groundwork for opening The Humble Fox gift shop in Somers, CT, on April 3, 2018.

W hen previously interviewed by Go Local magazine about the opening of The Humble Fox, Anderson said she “learned that business is so unpredictable and any one day to the next can be completely different and you have to be able to roll with it.”

And roll with it she did when just after two years of working hard to build a clientele for her business, Anderson was thrown a curve – the arrival of COVID-19.

“Like other businesses during the national shutdown, I closed my doors on St. Patrick’s Day in 2020 and didn’t reopen until mid-June that same year,” Anderson said.

At that point it was “do or die” for her still relatively new business.

“I had no website and quickly had to develop one for online ordering to survive. Customers could do curbside pickup or we shipped their goods to them. Even with the doors closed, I was working harder and longer than ever, some 12-hour days, creating my website and preparing orders. It made a huge difference,” Anderson said.

“ When we reopened our doors, people were understandably still hesitant about catching COVID-19, but we did everything possible to accommodate them and make them feel comfortable and safe in our shop. If it were not for them being so responsive in supporting a small business like ours during the pandemic, I don’t think we would have been celebrating our 5th anniversary today,” she added.

The shop owner noted they have “added a lot of inventory over the years.”

“ When I look back at photographs of the store from when it first opened, it looked empty compared to now. I continue with my goal of supporting small businesses. We have over 100 of these smaller suppliers represented in our store and their merchandise comprise 85% of our items. I really prefer to go for ‘the unique’ when looking for things to stock our shelves, including some which are handmade by local folks, that you won’t find in most big box stores,” Anderson said.

S he continues to sell handmade purses from Birch and Ivory in Hampden, hot and cold packs from Payne and Comfort in South Windsor, as well as a line of coffee cozies made by Gigi and Lala in Enfield, jewelry (her best-selling products) from Scout Curated Wears in Easthampton, and many more unique items, New to that long list are purses and coin pouches from Lisa Maree in West Hartford, lotions from Ollie and Max in South Hadley, and decorative wooden blocks and shelf sitters from Rustic Marlin which was started by a husband and wife in Hanover, and a line of handmade jewelry from Nest Pretty Things in Vermont.

You can also count Anderson among the small businesses – although hers is quickly growing –represented in the store.

“I star ted making my own candles to sell in the shop, then reached out to other local stores to see if they were interested in selling them. It began with just two or three interested shops, but quickly grew and now they are available throughout New England and beyond, including some places in Milwaukee, Nashville and in Alaska. So, I needed to make them look a little fancier and added a professional label and additional seasonal scents. They all have names like Lemon Blueberry, Spring Rain, Fruity Hoops and Flower Cart, among many others,” Anderson said.

The candles are 100% soy and made with lead-free cotton wicks. Also, the company Anderson works with provides her with “the cleanest scents and fragrances that are as toxin free as possible,” making them safe around kids and pets, she noted.

Just in time for spring, Anderson recently stocked The Humble Fox’s shelves with seasonal items for Easter – including baskets, chocolates and other candy items, and numerous basket stuffers such as felt bunnies, and coloring and sticker kits. Customers will also find a variety of spring décor for the garden to inside the home such as painted signs and wooden blocks with tulips or sunflowers with bees buzzing around, as well as other shelf sitters that are bright and cheerful for now and into the summer months.

“For gardeners we have something special called ‘gardenin-a-bag’ in which flowers grow from right inside the brown bag, as well as our planting pops, which contain a seed pod for planting then using the pop stick it is attached to as a plant marker in the soil,” Anderson said.

O ther items for sale at The Humble Fox include children’s books, soaps, candy gummies, all kinds of beauty products, perfume, gourmet jams, teas, coffee, and affordable greeting cards, many made in small batches and some even printed on an old letterpress, as an option to the pricey greeting cards found on the market today, Anderson noted.

W hile most of her customers are women, Anderson said she often sees men around Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas and other special occasions stopping in to find the perfect gift for that someone special. She does carry items specifically for men.

“ We sell a line of Duke Cannon grooming products for men. They are very popular and are also sold in big box stores. What I like about having the company in our mix of goods is that they donate a portion of the proceeds to benefit veterans,” Anderson said.

Among the many other items perfect for men include wallets, mugs, “Best Dad” items such as pencils and socks, survival toolkits, baseball hats with Massachusetts or Connecticut emblems, and much more.

Anderson also goes for “the unique” when creating displays to showcase her merchandise.

W hen first opening the store, she had displays that were repurposed items such as antique furniture from her parents’ basement, including an old hutch that her father built and that now holds all of the store’s baby items. Anderson also repurposed ladders with shelves to hold some of the many gifts she sells. And, using the top of an old dining room table, her dad built the counter where their register is located. Newly added displays include an antique refrigerator door that hangs on the wall that is used for the many magnets with sayings that she sells. In the men’s section, there is a new shelf attached to the top of an old Jeep Wrangler grille that her dad also put together.

One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the fact that Anderson is a “one-woman show.”

S he opens the doors every morning and is manager, salesperson, buyer, merchandiser, bill payer, cleaner and just about anything else you can think of when it comes to running a business.

But she’s not totally alone. Each day Anderson is accompanied by her faithful companion, Easton.

“He’s my dog and has been at my side since day one of the store, and he is still greeting customers at the door,” she said.

The Humble Fox is located in a strip mall on 11 South Rd IN SOMERS. open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed on Sunday and Monday. For more information, call 860-951-1834.