A little ‘bout us

Hey there! We are Tessa and Shaina, a queer couple navigating life for a decade and some now. We tend to take on large, life changing projects together such as founding a cooperative, adopting animals in need, building our own tiny home and adventure van, and now - starting a small family farm!

We moved to the South Puget Sound in 2021, eager to be closer to family, to forests, and to our goal of growing much of our own food. We feel like the luckiest gals alive (most days) to live in this beautiful area with its huge cedars, fancy ferns, fruit trees, and life-abundant water. We love to share this land, the food we grow, and our learned experiences with others.

Tessa has a background in regional and urban planning, Indigenous studies, teaching, construction, entrepreneurship, and the restaurant world. She grew up in Saskatchewan, Canada, where her ancestors have been farmers and homesteaders for many generations. Though she grew grew up in the city, she has always kept a garden, no matter her living situation. Becoming a small farmer allows her to bring her diverse skillset together while spending as much time outside as possible as the primary hands to Forest Edge Farm.

Shaina is a veteran from the Air Force, has a background in supporting growing businesses, and is a recent graduate of Evergreen’s Environmental Studies program, now working for the Capital on a major estuary restoration project. She credits her Korean mother, who is an absolute amazing cook, with her passion for food and curiosity in exploring fermentation. Shaina acts as a background support to Forest Edge Farm, and prefers to stay away from anything involving chicken poop.

We officially started Forest Edge Farm in June of 2023, recognizing that the land we live on was full of life and that we wanted to share its abundance with our community in a way that does minimal harm to the land, and ideally, improves it.

You can learn more about us and our journey by reading our blog.