Light Footsteps Farm Expands, Offers Classes
One of the many missions of Light Footsteps — a homestead farm owned and operated by Christine Cassella and Michael Bennett in Hambden Township — involves directly connecting with and educating the community through classes offered to the public.
One of the many missions of Light Footsteps — a homestead farm owned and operated by Christine Cassella and Michael Bennett in Hambden Township — involves directly connecting with and educating the community through classes offered to the public.
The farm has also been burgeoning through land acquisition and the addition of doula services while thriving on the provision of a unique work environment.
Recent workshops at the farm have included herbal first aid, women’s wellness, yoga and papermaking with herbs and flowers.
The herbal workshops often incorporate plants that have been harvested from the Light Footsteps gardens, including calendula, chamomile, peppermint, elderberries and yarrow. Likewise, holy basil and the plantain weed are often in the limelight of Light Footsteps’ classes.
“I’ll make a lot of products from holy basil so even though it’s not in a ton of the products that I sell, I often am using it in a lot of the classes on the farm or sampling it in tinctures,” said Cassella. “I’m using those plants as teaching tools. Also there’s plantain banana, but then there’s the green-leaved plantain weed in our yards. Plantago major is the name of the weed. That is the Band-Aid plant. So one of the things we talk about in a lot of classes and on all of the plant walks is how to take a plantain leaf and put it on your bee sting or cut or scrape for instant first aid out of your yard.”
In addition to offering workshops led by either Cassella or one of Light Footsteps’ employees, the farm is also open to hosting guest presenters. In particular, Cassella is interested in having others share their wisdom on the topics of natural health, permaculture, sustainability, herbalism or related topics.
In an effort to help expand the farm’s class offerings to the community, create an option for future retail space and uphold their ongoing commitment to land conservation, Cassella and Bennett acquired an additional 98 acres of land adjacent to Light Footsteps’ existing 23 acres in August.
The new acreage, which includes several existing buildings, a pond and a maple grove, is a source of significant opportunity for the farm.
Madeleine Zimmermann, 22, of Cleveland, who just completed a summer season of work while living on-site at Light Footsteps farm, admired the ambitions of Cassella and Bennett, as well as the work environment the couple creates for its employees.
“I think because they have a lot of big dreams, they see value in opening the farm and their land as a space for like-minded people to pursue their ambitions,” said Zimmermann. “How Christine and Michael view work is much different than anyone I’ve ever worked for. And I think that’s one of the most unique things about helping Light Footsteps. They let their workers shape a lot of their own workday and they really want to support our own ideas. They were always telling me that if I had a big project in mind, I should come to them and we could make it happen. The chicken coop mural is one of those things. Michael always wanted one, but as far as the design and content, they gave me free reign. I drew up a sketch to give them an idea and they pretty much okayed it instantly. After I finished it, we were already brainstorming where to put the next one.”
Another recent area of growth for Light Footsteps has been the addition of doula services. Shortly following the 2017 homebirth of their second child, Sage, Cassella made the decision to become certified as a doula.
“I’ve given birth twice, both times very naturally,” said Cassella. “Both were home births, but I support women in any situation they want. I see birth as another extension of my interest in being more in tune with nature and the natural world and really coming back into to what it looks like to being a human in control of her own destiny.”
To learn more about Light Footsteps and also Cassella’s doula services, visit the farm’s website at www.lightfootsteps.com. Online registration is currently available for such upcoming workshops as All About Elderberries and Herbs for Self Empowerment. For other inquiries, you may contact Cassella directly at christine@lightfootsteps.com.
