ABOUT our team

Sarah Sailer - Founder & Visionary

Sarah’s food journey began in 2011 when her 8 year old daughter got sick with a MRSA infection. When the high-strength antibiotics failed, she began researching alternative ways to help heal her. In the process, she learned that a significant shift in diet could make a major impact on the family’s health. She was aware of the need to eliminate processed food and replace carbs with vegetables, yet their family was tight on money. The herbal supplements which were recommended were out of reach at the time, so she decided to focus on diet. She was passionate about cooking already, so the food route was a natural one. Sarah asked one day “I wonder how much food I could grow if I ripped out the whole front lawn and planted a garden?” The decision to do so led to discovering her passion for growing nourishing food, brought her in touch with her Italian heritage and transformed her family’s health. Although she’d begun simply with the desire for more food - she was amazed by the beauty and abundant life she’d discovered. Her larger garden led to a new chicken coop, adding rabbits and ducks and building a greenhouse. With the help of neighbors and friends, she and her husband built a wood-fired oven. Their 1/5 acre downtown lot soon became a thriving urban homestead. With both a desire for more space and the urge to share - Sarah founded Plenty Farms in 2014, joining forces with neighbor and friend, Lynn Peterson. Sarah enjoys sharing inspiration around food, farming and spiritual connection on her blog www.livinginplenty.com and in Instagram @livinginplenty. You can purchase her book A Thrifty Good Life - Reflections on my unexpected journey toward homegrown simplicity and healing on the Plenty Farms website or on Amazon. Sarah brings her imagination and passion to the Plenty team.

Lynn Peterson - Co-founder & Progress Manager

Lynn moved into Sarah’s neighborhood and eventually reached out to her for some garden tips. On a visit to Lynn’s house - she suggested that growing in her front yard would be the ideal location. At the offer from Sarah to team up and begin growing together - the Peterson family said yes! Lynn joined Plenty Farms that season, and soon became Sarah’s partner and sidekick. The Peterson and Sailer families learned together how to grow food more efficiently, keep salad greens alive through winter, care for their animals and improve their soil. They watched in amazement as their children grew to enjoy more diverse vegetables, gained knowledge about plants and animals and became comfortable with the quirks of living on an urban farm. Not only did they have organic, nutritious food right out their front door, they also grew valuable friendships, community and resources. Lynn never could have predicted that saying yes to joining the Plenty Farms team would become the health foundation which would support her family during a major health crisis. At the start of 2018, after an eye opening doctor visit, she became aware that their family was suffering from formaldehyde poisoning. The culprit was the L.L. laminate flooring which had been unethically sold to them during their home remodel. They evacuated immediately and spent the following year living elsewhere as they mitigated their home. The physical symptoms they endured were painful, and learning how high the levels of exposure had been was frightening. As they began the work of detoxing their bodies, Lynn continued to tend the gardens and stay connected with the Plenty community. Through this horrible experience, Lynn gained valuable knowledge about how whole, organic foods can help detox and aide in healing. She learned how to live a low-toxin lifestyle and experienced firsthand the therapeutic value of being connected to nature. Lynn and her family are back in their home (which is now safe and healthy), their bodies are healing more and more each day and the gardens and community are more abundant than ever. Lynn brings her dedicated wisdom and patient consistency to the Plenty team.

Chrystal Cocek - Operations & Village Herbalist

Chrystal and Sarah met through a neighbor and friend. When Sarah asked if Chrystal would be willing to help tend the garden right next door, a conversation began. Chrystal lived a health-focused life and offered to share her skills as an herbalist. She had gained years of experience making herbal medicine and running successful businesses, but hoped to learn more about the process of growing food. Her own health journey was a dramatic one. Chrystal had grown up in a household with very little attention to health. Raised on fast food in a high stress environment, she experienced a myriad of health challenges at a young age. At the age of 21 she was told that her kidneys were failing. Throughout her twenties she dealt with issues from anorexia to liver failure and struggled with chronic psoriasis which covered over 90% of her body. These health crises were her wake up call, and she knew she was meant to heal her body naturally. Graduating with a degree in the science of natural health, over a period of several years she dug deep into diet, herbal medicine and fitness. Despite the predictions of many doctors, Chrystal was never put on dialysis, has a fully functioning liver and the health of her skin has returned. Her husband had been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 22, given the expectation that he may need portions of his intestine removed. Through their diet and lifestyle changes, incorporating nourishing herbal infusions, fitness and meditation - he is off all medication and is virtually symptom free. Chrystal has experience as a high performance athlete as well as running the operations for several companies. She has taught Lynn and Sarah how to incorporate medicinal herbs into meals, teas and medicine. Chrystal brings her commitment to efficiency and herbal skill to the Plenty team.