You Gotta Try This! Loving Farms Lemony Sunshine Bar

Regular Ithaca area visitors, Debbie and Craig Branker-Livermore became permanent residents just two weeks prior to the start of the pandemic in 2020. Settled and happy in a Tiny House, the pair are lovers of nature, the land, and fresh food, and were casually seeking potential farm land. Craig serendipitously stumbled upon a For Sale sign less than two miles from their home and they purchased the 118-acre property in 2022 to develop Loving Farms.

“There is so much division in the world and we really need to love everyone,” Debbie said. “Nurturing ourselves is nurturing the land, and we want natural spaces to exist. It’s about having peace, quiet, and meditative space.”

Craig and Debbie plant about two acres of the property with a variety of organic vegetables – cooking and salad greens from rainbow chard and calaloo to lettuces and spinach, as well as potatoes, tomatoes, beans, beets and oyster mushrooms, which they sell both wholesale and in weekly subscription boxes.

“We see it as less of a farm and more of a health food production business; some of the products we grow and some we bake,” Craig said.

“We bake all the time,” said Debbie. “We thought – let’s throw a couple treats in the boxes – and it was a big deal! People would start buying the box and ask – what are the treats this week?”

“The response to the desserts helped us feel like we weren’t on an island. It ignited this wave of understanding that other people wanted to eat for their health too,” said Debbie.

Her process involves watching others bake in online videos, thinking about how she can modify the recipe, substituting with clean ingredients, and experimenting in the kitchen to create a healthier version of lemon bars, Baci di Dama (Italian sandwich cookie), and sweet potato pie, among others.

“It feels like jazz – riffing on what other bakers are doing and trying to reinvent the things we love, ” said Debbie.

The Lemony Sunshine Bars are made with oats, Deglet Noor dates, cashews, lemon, and topped with toasted shredded coconut. A soft texture, a light sweetness, and a burst of citrus zing – it’s essentially a guiltless summer dessert. The Nut ‘N Oates is a tasty throwback to the classic sandwich cookie.

These treats are surprisingly filling thanks to the nutrient-dense ingredients, fiber, and healthy fats, so you’re left satisfied and not reaching for the next sugary cookie in the box. Find these in GreenStar’s refrigerated dessert case!