Spring 2026: The Evensong Almanac
- Julie Stinar
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
A New Season Is Stirring at the Farm
Spring is stretching awake here at Evensong. The fields are softening, the birds are louder every morning, and the whole place feels like it’s leaning toward the light. With that comes a fresh season of good food, good people, and a few big things I’m finally ready to share with you.
A note about staying connected in these changing times-
It seems like half the world is taking a breather from social media these days, so I’ll be popping into your inbox a little more often this year—nothing overwhelming, just the good stuff from around the farm. If you want to be sure our notes don’t wander off into spam-land, add us to your safe‑senders list so we stay cozy in your inbox. I will still be sharing photos, schedule updates, and little moments on our social accounts, too. It's just getting tough with so many accounts! At this time I am mainly using Instagram and then having that post over to Facebook. Follow us however best fits your needs.
And if you have a friend who loves local food, natural building, camping, or just a good farm story, please do me the favor of sharing our newsletters and encouraging people to sign up for updates! I love meeting new folks!
With that... let's get into what's been happening around the farm!!
Introducing ENaBL — Our New Natural Building Nonprofit
This is the project I’ve been quietly building toward for years, and I’m finally ready to share it with you.
ENaBL, the Evensong Natural Building Lab, is the newest chapter in the life of Evensong Farm. It’s a nonprofit dedicated to hands‑on education in natural building—straw, clay, timber, earth, and the materials that have shaped human shelter for thousands of years. This is the project I’m most excited to share, because it represents years of quiet dreaming and planning.
ENaBL was founded and incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2025 and is based here on the farm, with the goal of promoting natural, agriculturally grown building materials. Think straw bale walls, hemp-lime insulation, clay plasters, sustainable timber uses, earthen thermal mass walls. The kinds of materials and knowledge that have sheltered people for thousands of years, but with a modern audience in mind. These materials are healthier, lower‑carbon, and often far more beautiful and efficient than most of what we build with today.
The vision is to create a small but powerful demonstration campus right here at Evensong- a place where people can learn, experiment, build, and experience natural materials with their own hands. Imagine a beautiful open‑air pavilion leading into a cluster of small structures, each one crafted from different innovative, bio‑based materials. These buildings won’t just be examples; they’ll be invitations. Showing what’s possible when agriculture, design, and community come together with intention.
This campus will hum with activity: hands‑on workshops, student classes, research projects, community build days, and gatherings that bring farmers, builders, neighbors, and curious minds into the same space. Every wall, beam, and bale will tell a story about healthier materials, stronger local economies, and a more sustainable way of building.
ENaBL will be more than a place to learn—it will be a spark, a hub of creativity and inspiration, and the beginning of a movement that grows far beyond the farm. Over the next year, we’ll be shaping the land plan, designing the first small structures, and opening the door for volunteers, students, and curious neighbors to get involved.
ENaBL is just getting started, and this is the moment when your support can make a real difference. Whether you lend your time, contribute financially, or simply stay connected through email or social channels, you become part of the community bringing this project to life. If you, or someone you know, feels a spark of curiosity about what we’re building, we’d love for you to visit the website, explore the vision, and see the many ways to get involved. We can’t wait to share this journey with you and grow something meaningful together.
Cow Share Sign‑Ups Are Now Open for 2026!
Our tote‑sized, freezer‑friendly shares are back—and they always go fast.
Cow Share Membership is officially open for the season. If you’ve been waiting for a simple, manageable way to bring home our grass‑fed beef, this is it. Each cow is divided into 12-15 shares, each one fitting neatly into a canvas tote and averaging 15-20 pounds. Our cow share program was born from years of listening to customers who wanted to buy directly from Evensong Farm but didn’t have the freezer space for a whole, half, or even quarter cow. A tote‑sized share solves that beautifully.
Each cow is divided into 12–15 shares depending on its size. Every share fits into a canvas shopping bag and typically weighs 15–20 pounds—just right for a standard freezer and perfect for families who want high‑quality, grass‑fed beef without committing to hundreds of pounds at once.
To join, you reserve your spot with a $100 deposit. Once the beef is packaged and the share bags are assembled, you’ll get to choose the bag that best fits your needs. Your deposit is applied to the price of the share you select.
Shares tend to go quickly each year, and this system keeps it fair, flexible, and accessible. It’s one of my favorite ways to connect people to the farm—simple, transparent, and rooted in trust.
For more information and to sign up, visit our Cow Share page.
Our Fifth Year Offering Camping!
Our farm campsites are open for the season on Hipcamp and Airbnb.
If you’ve been dreaming of quiet nights, crackling fires, and waking up to birdsong, our campsites are ready for you. Whether you’re a returning guest or planning your first stay, the farm is a magical place to unplug and breathe for a while. Our fields become something magical once the weather warms. The fireflies return, the evenings stretch out, and the farm settles into that peaceful rhythm that makes people breathe a little deeper the moment they arrive.
We host two private campsites through Hipcamp and Airbnb, each tucked into its own quiet pocket of the farm. Guests tell us they love falling asleep to owls, waking up to birdsong, exploring the trails and creek, relaxing by the campfire, and eating s'mores with Edgar, our resident sasquatch (just checking if you're still reading ;-)). It’s simple, rustic, and deeply grounding.
Whether you’re looking for a weekend away, a place to bring visiting friends, or just a night under the stars close to home, our sites are open for the season. Spring and fall tend to book quickly, so early reservations are always a good idea. Visit our Camping page for more info and reservation links.
A SPECIAL OFFER FOR OUR REPEAT CAMPERS! There are times I need to block off reservations in our online systems because of something else in my schedule. When this happens I usually can rent to people who are returning guests and are well acquainted with our procedures. This includes the possibility of Saturday or Tuesday check-ins, which are unavailable to the general public. Please contact me for more info.
Urban+Ade is Gearing Up For New Season
Market season is almost here—and we’re ready for our best year yet.
UrbanAde is coming back this weekend, March 14-15, for the last of our "winter markets". Starting in April we will be back weekly at Silver Spring and Dupont Circle, and then starting City Center again in May.
We’ve been planning, prepping, and starting seeds (the fun part!), and we can’t wait to see you at the stands again. I always look forward to this time of year. What started as a little lemonade stand to encourage people to use more herbs has grown into something joyful and community‑filled, and I’m grateful every year for the people who come back for their favorite flavors.
We’ve been planning and prepping behind the scenes—tweaking recipes, organizing supplies, and dreaming up a few small surprises for the season ahead. Market days are some of my favorite days of the year: the conversations, the familiar faces, the kids who run up asking which flavors are back. Hearing someone call out "The Lemonade Lady is back!" from across the market always warms the frozen cockles of my heart.
If you can't make it to market, remember that we can ship Urban+Ade to you!
Final Note of Gratitude
Thank you for being part of this farm family—whether you come for beef, lemonade, camping, or simply to cheer us on from afar. This year feels big, full of possibility and purpose, and I’m grateful to be walking into it with you.
-Julie-
Oh! And two (really) final notes-
My band Gaspers will be playing at Wonderland Ballroom in DC on Friday, May 1 with another local indie band, Blood Family Reunion. I would love to see you there! You can check us out on all streaming platforms as well as Bandcamp.
My son Luka's new metalcore band, Velcara, will be releasing their second single toward the end of this month. Check out their first single, Fury, on all streaming or here is the YouTube video!
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