"Small batch" gets printed on a lot of labels these days. I want to show you what it actually means at Misty Creek Acres, not just say the words.
My Actual Batch Size
When I make a run of something, it's usually around 12 items. Not 1,200. Not 120. Twelve.
That's not a marketing choice, it's a practical one. I don't have a lot of storage space, so I can't make huge quantities and stack them in a back room for months. I make what I have room for, sell through it, and make more.
Why I'm Back in the Kitchen So Often
Here's the part that surprises people: my products don't stay "good" as long as what you'd find on a regular retail shelf. That's not a flaw, it's a direct result of how I make them. Without synthetic preservatives doing the heavy lifting, a natural product simply has a shorter window where it's at its best.
So I make things more often, in smaller runs, instead of making one giant batch and hoping it holds up on a shelf for a year. More trips to the kitchen, fresher product in your hands.
What Actually Comes From This Property
A lot of what goes into my infusions doesn't come from a supplier catalog, it comes from right outside my door. The flowers and herbs I use are increasingly grown right here on the farm, and I've been expanding what I grow every year.
Anything with honey in it comes from my own bees. Not "sourced from a regional apiary," mine. If you've seen any of my farm content, you know that between the bees, the goats, and everything else out here, my schedule rarely goes exactly as planned. That chaos is also, in a roundabout way, where a lot of what I make actually comes from.
What This Means for You
When you buy something from a small farm-based business, "small batch" should mean something specific, not just sound nice on a label. For me it means:
- Batches around 12 items at a time, made more often rather than stockpiled
- A shorter shelf life than mass-produced retail products, because there's nothing artificial keeping it "fresh" indefinitely
- Herbs and flowers grown on my own property, with more grown here every year
- Honey that comes directly from my own bees
Curious what a real small batch looks like in person? Shop the herbal salves made from what's actually growing here, or keep following along as I keep expanding what comes straight from this farm.