This past week the farm had guests, lots of them, from many parts of the world. Old friends, new folks, former staff, family and friends of friends. It may have been the most diverse guest ensemble we have yet had, covering California, Canada, France, Vermont and even Norway from just under 2 to just over 95. (Ok, we had some family in the mix who helped stretch the age limit!)
As we designed our business (and continue to evolve its design), we set our farm up for guests. With a background in niche tourism (eco/geo for Mari), a love of people, and a deeply held desire to change how our country raises the food we eat, we set out to offer visitors, be they customers (local or tourist), family, or friends, an opportunity to get closer to the food they eat.
Breaking Down the Goat
We want to not only offer people delicious food to eat, but food they can feel good about eating. Because it is healthy, because it is raised humanely and because it is raised without the many, many chemicals, hormones, and artificial inputs that harm our water, air, soils and all of us.
We also want to offer people the chance to experience what it takes to raise food sustainably by staying at our farm and/or taking part in a variety of farm experiences.
This week experiencing the farm involved the joys and disappointments of baby chicks. Some of our youngest guests got up VERY early anticipating their arrival, but were crushed when no call came from the post office. We inquired, waited again, and then scooted off to Montpelier to pick up the late arriving batch. It also included managing veggies and animals in the high heat, shifting schedules, hauling hay, water, fencing, herding truly free-range chickens, moving animals, bagging greens, deliveries, setting up, selling and packing up at the market, event planning, roasting a goat, building new shelters, meeting the sugarmakers & taxidermists in the neighborhood, waiting for farmers to finish and, of course, eating lots of farm fresh food.
Sleuthing for clues to the Chicks Whereabouts
Unpacking the Chicks, Finally
Socializing the Chicks
Ian and Alexa kicked off our string of visitors. Ian (a native of California) noted on his visit that they had never eaten as well as last summer when he and Alexa lived in Vermont. The quality of fresh food in Vermont makes him disappointed or even mad at how other food is produced in this country.
Thank you for being a part of shifting the tide towards humanely and sustainably raised food so that everyone can eat well.
