Blacksmith Acres was founded by Karolina Kowalczyk in 2018 after completing the Stateline Farm Beginnings program at the Angelic Organics Learning Center in Caledonia, IL.  

There is approximately 1 acre in production, the farm is deliberately kept small and “human-scale”.  This allows work with simple hand tools and no large tractors and limits gas-powered equipment. All vegetables are grown from organic seed, using organic seed starting mix. No herbicides are used, all weeding is done by hand.  The farm has been 100% no-till since 2023: this naturally increases soil fertility, water retention and limits erosion. Pests are managed through crop rotation, row crop covers, and insecticidal soap (made by us, using 3 simple ingredients: water, dish soap and vegetable oil). 

With the generosity from All Grass Farms we have access to our fertile plot of land and have been able to expand the operation each year.

2024 is another exciting year as we continue to improve our infrastructure, expand crop production and kick off our 4th CSA season!

The farm team includes Karolina, her husband Chris, and mama Grace.

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Why the name Blacksmith you ask? The root word from her last name Kowalczyk is “kowal”, which translates to “blacksmith” in Polish.