Char + Tammy White, Genevieve Day, Cate Rioles at the Boston Public Market
2016
Eight years ago, Genevieve Day set out to bring small fiber farms to the heart of Boston when she created the New England Farm to Fiber shop in the Boston Public Market’s beautifully curated marketplace, highlighting small farms that raise fiber animals around our region. Not only could shoppers look for seasonal, local food for their tables, but they could go home with vintage fiber for creating handmade goods. The message of replacing synthetics with natural, sustainable fibers in addition to improving local economy and supporting a greener environment could all be counted on in this little boutique in the big city.
Later on, Genevieve and partner Cate Rioles would collaborate with the staff at the Boston Public Market to bring the First Boston Farm and Fiber Festival to the marketplace, creating an unprecedented event in downtown Boston. Filling the Boston Public Market up with small booths of vendors from around the region, visitors poured in to see what small fiber farmers and their wares looked like. It was a feast for the eyes and the visitors loved it.
Wing & A Prayer Farm’s Tammy White was invited to collaborate with Genevieve in 2022 when Genevieve needed to move on to other commitments and projects.
In 2023, the Fourth + Fifth New England Farm and Fiber Festivals were revived from a hiatus with a fantastic, joyful collaboration between Taproot Magazine and Wing & A Prayer Farm. Guests flocked to the Boston Public Market to shop and commune with friends and family for both a winter and springtime event. The 2024 Sixth Virtual Event on Instagram LIVE in February was a resounding success with partner Amanda Barcenas, allowing small businesses to vend or share from their various locations around New England without risking weather or health risks.
After 3 years of changes, leadership is still graciously administered by fiber farmer/business owner Tammy White of Wing & A Prayer Farm. The partnership between the fiber farmers and their community of hard working and vibrant artists, farmers, and farmer-artists in the farm-yarn industry combines for authentic, wholesome events. Join us to celebrate the land, the animals, and the people that work tirelessly to support sustainable fiber and a greener world.
Wing and A Prayer Farm
Tammy White is the shepherdess and proprietress of a production fiber flock and various enterprises at Wing & A Prayer Farm. On borrowed land of the Algonquin nation, the farm slowly developed from a homeschooling project in 2001 to now, twenty three years later, a full-time, year-round fiber farm.
Homesteading most of her life, Tammy’s passions are advocating for wool and small farms, tending to her flocks, cultivating the farm’s dye gardens, writing, creating color in the farm’s yarns, mixing and making in the farm apothecary and baking up a storm in their 4-oven kitchen.
Raising rare and heritage breed animals, Tammy sells breed specific fiber from beloved flocks. Her farm is a place where everybody has a name, and that goes for the almost 75 sheep that are their ‘producers.’
Tammy educates, collaborates and promotes sustainable agriculture through gatherings on and off of the farm. Coming together, in person or virtually, and building community are as inspiring to her as tending her flock and home.
In her spare time, Tammy does all of these things because she is so fortunate to be able to work and live her dream.
GET IN TOUCH! EMAIL HELLO@NEWENGLANDFARMANDFIBER.COM