This is Us...
Farmer/Tea Maker
I'm Kristy, owner and operator of Bittersweet Farm. We relocated our farm in March of 2020, and we are busily making new beds and settling in on our new farm.
I run the Higganum Farmers Market in town, and am also a representative for the Lower CT River Valley Regional Agricultural Council.
The super short version of how I came to be a tea maker is ... I accidentally made a tea once... and I spiraled off from growing veggies and raising animals to researching and learning about every herb that I could cram into my brain. It seems that I finally found my niche in the world, and I wake up every day grateful for my crazy world of Bittersweet Farm.
The Fam...
Then there's these two clowns - no seriously, these two own my heart completely. They are my first readers, my sounding board, my voices of reason and the people I shout random questions at like - how do you say tummy without saying stomach??
Frank dedicates so much time and energy to the farm, the gardens, farmers markets, and just about everything else he can when he's not at his full time job.
Alexa is a freshman in high school, a writer, musician, and fire spinner, and although she doesn't enjoy farming, she helps out as much as she can!
More Family
Every small business needs a mother and a sister behind the scenes, doesn't it? My mother, a life-long gardener and small business owner (she even had an herb business many years ago but it wasn't tea related), spends countless hours helping me in so many ways. My sister, an accountant by trade, not only crunches our numbers but bags and tags teas, works at markets and shows with me, and is the most supportive sister a girl could ever have.
More of Us
Staffers, that are just like family
This lovely lady pictured here had just finished ripping out weeds and poison ivy in a prospective new garden bed this summer. Jackie has been volunteering for Bittersweet for years, and her help, wisdom, and practicality has been invaluable to me.Not pictured is our newest part time employee, Abby - a senior at HK and an amazing human! Abby is learning her way around herbs, managing our website and inventory, and has become a bagging and tagging tea pro! You'll see her, and Jackie, volunteering every Friday at the Higganum market.
441 Candlewood Hill Road
Our farmstand was open sporadically this season, but we hope to be much more settled in next spring.
Look for holiday events this November, and much more in 2021!
Plant sale, classes, private events, and more
Aside from growing and making tea, and traveling around the state to different markets and shows we also offer classes (online at the moment), tea tastings, and one on one garden planning sessions .
Every spring, we sell our started, organic plants at our stand and by appointment. We start a variety of veggies, herbs, flowers, and lettuce bowls, and we can assure you that they are all organic and non-GMO. Keep us in mind for Spring, 2021, and reach out to us with special requests or questions.
Our Tea
Bittersweet offers around 30 kinds of teas - all handcrafted in small batches, all designed and tested by our crew, and all made with love. We grow many herbs on our farm, and dry and store as much as we can.
We have a line of medicinal teas for what might be ailing you, and a line of beverage teas that change with the seasons.
We put a lot of love into growing, drying, and blending the herbs that we use, and we hope you enjoy drinking our teas as much as we enjoy making them!