Marina; Owner, Grower

Even as a child, I always wanted to be outdoors. In school I counted down the seconds to recess, and routinely escaped from home to play in the nearby park.  In high school, I spent a semester at the Mountain School in Vermont, and the world of homestead-style organic farming was opened up to me. I knew then that I would grow up to be a farmer - I'd be outdoors in all kinds of weather, and could get my clothes as dirty as I wanted!

In 2006, after years almost 10 years of volunteering, apprenticing, and working on all sorts of farms, I finally started my own farm on land that has been in my family since 1688, and have had dirt under my fingernails ever since.  

The birds

The chickens earn their keep in the garden by trimming the grassy walkways, fertilizing beds, and controlling the Japanese beetle population. They spend some time in chicken tractors, some time in protected runs, and free-ranging in the winter.

Over the years, the flock has included Rhode Island Reds, Wyandottes, Auracana, Hamburgs, Buff Orpington, Black Australorps, Speckled Sussex, Cucoo Marans  Copper Marans (whose eggs are almost purple), Faveroles, Welsummers, a pair of ducks and a pair of Toulouse geese.  This motley flock lays a spectacular mix of eggs ranging from pearly white to dark chocolate brown to blue and green - with perfect omega 3 and 6 balance.

Mila; Resident Mutthound, Squirrel and Woodchuck Chaser

Mila is charged with vermin control, and has so far kept some deer out of the garden, and has eaten a few baby mice. She can hopefully continue in this vein, and help keep the gardens deer, squirrel, mouse, and chuck free.

She is an especially effective landscape fabric weight on windy days.

She also loves children and the chickens.