Flora, News
Farm and Sanctuary Update
pawpaws
🍈 Our pawpaw fruits are getting bigger!! …shown with my hand for size comparison (and a ground cover of lemon balm underneath).
🍈 We planted the pawpaw trees nine years ago and have waited eagerly for them to start producing. Not only are we thrilled to see our largest one begin fruiting now, it is also coinciding with another wonderful development at the farm and sanctuary.
Exciting News…
🍈 We are anticipating the next phase of our farm buildout to begin sometime in the coming months this year. It will include the installation of more perennial native food crops, cut wildflower crops, rain gardens, and the reinvigoration of our hoop house.
🍈 We have been partnering with Bridget and Charlie of Garden Juju Collective for this next phase, and are so excited to have their incredible expertise as we continue to grow our farm and our community. https://gardenjujucollective.com
🍈 Many of you know that we’ve been working on this phase for years now and have faced various roadblocks. We have been slowly but surely making progress behind the scenes though. Sometimes it has been only to rule out particular options, but all of it has been necessary to get us closer to the goal.
🍈 The farm improvements will also allow us to move forward with building a structure for an inside community meeting space, such as a barn. This will likely be part of a building also used for crop/produce processing as well as equipment storage. As we are zoned for agriculture, we are fairly confident that we will be able to implement this plan without any further problems with permits and such.
🍈 We will continue to have beautiful trails, and outside meeting spaces available for events and rentals. However, we will soon be changing the business structure to combine Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm into one entity at the end of this year. I look forward to sharing more about all of this in the coming months!
With gratitude,
Jean
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Written by : Jean Cavanaugh
Jean Cavanaugh is the founder and steward of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary, established in 2019 as a living, learning community devoted to reconnecting people with the wisdom of nature, the sacred order of creation, and the presence of Christ within all life. Her work brings together spiritual formation, ecological stewardship, ancestral wisdom, and hands-on community practice.
Through years of practical work on the land, study of the Mysteries, and the healing of her own severe health challenges through natural methods, Jean has come to recognize God’s hand at work throughout creation. Her teachings, rooted in the Mystery School tradition and Christian gnosis, explore how the patterns of heaven, earth, and the human body reveal the way back to divine presence, peace, and inner strength.
Jean leads with honesty, integrity, and a deeply welcoming spirit, inviting others to let go of inherited assumptions and rediscover truth through lived experience and embodied understanding. She works with all ages—from preschoolers to elders—offering programs and celebrations that emphasize direct engagement with nature, music, story, homesteading skills, and in-person community.
She and her family live at the 21-acre Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary, where daily life reflects a commitment to simplicity, beauty, and harmony with the land. The sanctuary includes gardens, woodland trails, a seasonal creek, gathering circles, and spaces designed to nourish both people and wildlife. Jean is especially passionate about creating environments that are grounding, beautiful, and spiritually restorative.
Through her writing and teaching, Jean encourages others to know themselves, know creation, and recognize Christ as the living truth present within and around us—always inviting a return to love, beauty, and the sacred order of life.
