Welcome to
Apicella Acres
A small homestead in central NC
Heirloom plant starts!
$2 each
What's our story?
We moved here from the cold and gray northeast state of CT in 2019. Our first few years were a struggle to get on our feet, but eventually we were able to purchase the first leg in the Apicella Acres journey; a small 1.5 acre piece of land with a 100-year old house! Since then we've been doing our best to make improvements and learn to create a space hospitable to both ourselves and the ecosystem around us.
It's always been a dream of ours to keep chickens. What started as four hens to keep eggs in our cupboard quickly turned in eight, thirteen, nineteen... twenty-two hens with soon to be over dozen eggs a day! To say we love chickens might be an understatement. Our dream is to keep even more chickens and perhaps one day operate as a rescue for chickens and other farm fowl.
Of course along with chickens came the garden - they seem to go hand in hand. Our girls go into the garden to help clean up at the end of every growing season. They also receive all of our garden and kitchen scraps (with additional scratch grains and dried bugs for treats)! Our garden is a constant experiment in new vegetables, flowers, regenerative growing, and permaculture ("the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems" - Permacultre Research Institute).
Striving for Sustainability
Why chickens?
We always wanted to find a way to reduce our imprint on the world around us and work in tandum with nature. Chickens help us with just that! They are great composters, turning kitchen scraps into eggs. They add their own manure to our compost piles which are added to our garden. From there our garden grows us food, of which the scraps go back to the chickens. Even the shells of eggs can either be fed back to the flock or added as a soil amendment.
Keeping your eggs
Fresh eggs do not require refrigeration. The important part is not to wash them until you're ready to use them. Eggs are laid with something called a bloom. The bloom is a protective coating that keeps pathogens from penetrating the shell. As long as the egg's bloom remains intact, eggs can be kept on the counter for 2 - 4 weeks. After that they can be stored in the refrigerator. If you choose to wash your eggs, or purcahsed pre-washed eggs, they will need to be refrigerated immediately.
How can you help?
We package our eggs in compostable and recyclable cartons, stamped
with plant based ink. However, we always appreciate if you can return
them so they can be used again!
Did you know that food waste accounts for 20% of methane released from
landfills? Methane is a greenhouse gas with 80x the warming power of
carbon dioxide. Instead of sending them to the dump, egg shells can be
composted or dried in the oven, ground, and added to garden or potted plant soil for
healthier plants.
Looking to buy some eggs?
Eggs are currently $5/dz. Washed eggs are marked on the top of the carton.
1. Request your eggs
Our eggs have been selling like hot-cakes recently. Our new farm stand features a handy green "OPEN" sign if eggs are in stock
or a red "OUT" sign if we are out of stock. If you would like to check egg availability or set up a recurring pickup, please reach
out to Chelsea at apicellaacres@gmail.com or via text to
(984) 666 - 7930.
We are located at 3200 Cheek Rd, Durham, NC 27704.
2. Grab your eggs & pay
Your eggs will be labled and waiting for you inside the farm stand. Please lift up the table-top to access the cooler. Payment can be provided via one of the methods below or drop your cash in the cashbox on the stand. Washed eggs will be marked on the carton. Otherwise, all eggs are unwashed!
3. Return your carton
If you're able, we would sure appreciate it if you could return your carton! They can be left in the marked basket in the farm stand. Enjoy your eggs knowing they came from fat and happy hens!
