Celebrating Exceptional Businesses: Whipstone Farm
Meet Shanti and Cory Rade of Whipstone Farm, where baby vegetables so sweet you eat them straight from the field, and bouquets so beautiful they stop you in your tracks, have been gracing the Prescott Farmers Market for nearly three decades. Food and flowers grown with love, by a family who pours their hearts into every seed they plant.
Cory and Shanti Rade with some of their tulips and ranunculus blossoms
Rooted in Paulden, Growing for All of Us
Tucked into the high desert about 30 miles north of Prescott in Paulden, Arizona, Whipstone Farm began the way the best things do — with abundance and generosity. In 1995, Cory started selling produce door-to-door simply because his garden was growing more food than his family could eat. That humble beginning blossomed into something truly beautiful. Today, Whipstone Farm is a thriving operation with over 20 acres in production and more than 100 varieties of vegetables and flowers grown year-round.
Cory has been sharing his gifts with us since 1995
Shanti came to farming through a deep and intentional path. She pursued a degree in Agroecology from Prescott College, where, as the story goes, fate brought her and Cory together first through a soil science project, then through the Prescott Farmers Market, and ultimately through a shared life and love of the land. Together, they have built something that is far more than a farm. It’s a true family enterprise, with their three children, Cami, Jasper, and Olive, working alongside them in the fields. This is a cornerstone of our community in every sense.
Shanti and Cory
The Rade Family - Cory, Shanti, Cami, Jasper, and Olive
The Philosophy Behind Every Seed
What sets Whipstone apart isn't just what they grow, it's how and why they grow it. Shanti and Cory farm with an unwavering commitment to the health of the land and the people who depend on it. They use no synthetic fertilizers and no chemical pesticides. Instead, they rely on cover cropping, crop rotation, beneficial insects, and a deep respect for the ecosystem they are part of. As they say themselves, they are still learning. That humility, after more than two decades of farming, is perhaps the most beautiful thing of all.
Cory harvesting beets fresh from the fields
"We enjoy growing food for our community not only as a means of providing healthy sustenance, but also as a way to bring people together." That isn't a marketing tagline. That is who they are.
Shanti and Cory have a deep commitment to sustainable growing practices
A Personal Taste of the Farm
We were recently blessed with a firsthand experience of Whipstone's bounty when Cory and Shanti went out into their fields and hand-picked an extraordinary selection of fresh produce for us to try. Baby turnips, beets, and the most tender lettuces came to us straight from the earth, and the difference was immediately, unmistakably apparent.
Young lettuce seedlings getting ready to make the journey from greenhouse to field
Those baby turnips were something special. A rare, sweet variety, they were so delicate and flavorful that we ate them completely raw, right there. No preparation needed, no seasoning required. Just pure, clean sweetness that reminded us of what vegetables are supposed to taste like. The greens from both the beets and the turnips were silky and vibrant, and we put them to work in several recipes where they added a freshness that store-bought greens simply cannot replicate.
These beets were roasted and fully appreciated in a salad later that day
The beets we roasted low and slow until they were tender and deeply flavored, then tossed them into a salad with a bright champagne vinaigrette and creamy goat cheese. It was the kind of simple dish that stops a conversation, the kind where everyone at the table goes quiet for just a moment because what they're eating is that good. That is the Whipstone effect.
A Mainstay of the Prescott Farmers Market
If you haven't yet found your way to the Prescott Farmers Market on a Saturday morning, let Whipstone Farm be your reason to go. They have been a beloved fixture there from nearly the very beginning. In fact, Whipstone was one of the original anchor farms when the Prescott Farmers Market opened in 1997. Week after week, their stand draws a crowd for good reason: the produce is exceptional, the selection is seasonal and surprising, and the flowers are simply stunning.
Fresh flowers are food for the soul
Which brings us to the flowers. What began as a few test sunflowers — which Cory famously predicted wouldn't sell, and which promptly sold out — has grown into a glorious array of blooms that rival anything you'd find at a high-end florist. Shanti's mixed bouquets have become Whipstone's best-selling market product, featuring stunning varieties in unique colors and combinations that feel alive in a way that grocery store flowers never do. They are grown naturally, cut fresh, and arranged with an artistic sensibility that is entirely Shanti's own.
Shanti at the Farm Stand with one of her custom bouquets
You can also find Whipstone produce and flowers in their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm shares, at their honor-system farm stand open year-round during daylight hours, and at restaurants and florists throughout Arizona. They don’t stop there. Their generosity extends well beyond the market table. Over the years they have donated vegetables to hundreds of community gatherings, hosted school trips to the farm, and mentored new farmers just finding their footing. This is not just farming. This is legacy.
Come Find Them
We encourage you — no, we implore you — to experience Whipstone Farm for yourself. Visit their stand at the Prescott Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, sign up for a CSA share, follow them on Instagram @whipstonefarm, or simply stop by the farm stand the next time you're heading through Paulden. Learn more at whipstone.com.
Shanti’s favorite variety of cabbage
Shanti and Cory Rade are the kind of people, and this is the kind of place, that makes you proud to live in the Prescott community. We are grateful for the extraordinary gift of fresh food pulled directly from the earth by people who genuinely love what they do, and we are honored to celebrate them here.