Plowing in 2009.
The season is wrapping up a bit, and I forgot to mark the fifth anniversary of our groundbreaking at Stone’s Throw Farm, which passed earlier this month. This is actually fitting as I’ve never been much for ceremony! A few people have asked me if it feels like it’s been 5 years, and I say, “Yes, definitely.” It’s very rewarding work but I’m sure it’s no surprise to hear that starting a farm involves a lot of sweat, some tears of frustration, and a little blood, too.
We didn’t actually close on our land until December 2009, but the seller (Kathy, a neighbor of ours) let me put in a driveway and plow two acres of land that fall. I couldn’t have done it without help and encouragement from my mentors at Food Farm, where I worked at the time, and, of course, my family.
My parents donated a bunch of old (and some new) farm machinery and loaned me the money to buy this land. They came up from Iowa for the groundbreaking; first we had to stake out the fields and clear the hay bales out of the way, then my dad showed me how to plow and also did a good chunk of the plowing and disking himself while I was at my day job. My parents eventually bought a house near this farm and moved up here to help during growing seasons starting in 2012.
Meanwhile, Elden has put up hoophouses with me, cleared trees, put up our Quonset multi-purpose building with help from our friend Greg Cooper, built an insulated room in the Quonset for me to live in during the growing season, built our walk-in cooler shed (which also has a bathroom in it — a separate room!), put in a small orchard, and has generally made himself handy around the farm in his precious spare time.
Whether you’ve been with our CSA less than one season or all five years (or maybe you’ve been cheering us on from the sidelines), thanks so much for your support of this farm!
Here’s a few photos and videos of recent activity at the farm:
Stone's Throw Farm 