MEET THE VERNONS
Welcome to the Vernon Family Farm blog!
This won’t be the most unique blog you’ll ever read but it’ll be honest, thoughtful, and hopefully, it’ll inspire you to know your farmer, eat locally, and give you some more perspective on the highs and lows of farm life.
What’s sometimes referred to as the simple life, farming isn’t simple at all. It’s actually quite complex and stressful but farmers farm because they love it, or they farm because they love the farmer and then they fall in love with farming too…more on that in another post.
OUR FAMILY OF 5 IS PRETTY UNIQUE
& WE LIKE IT THAT WAY
Attention is easily called upon our crew of 5 when we're out and about. Jeremiah is a really tall guy with long dreadlocked hair and an awesome beard and I (Nicole) am always speaking in Spanish with our children (we’re raising them bilingually). Magnolia is 8, super flexible, and ready to work the register already. Indigo is 6 and currently missing many teeth. She's often in the tractor with Jeremiah or really into trapping any pests on the farm, currently a skunk that’s living under the farm office. And Pingree, she’s 4...turning 16. She’s the baby, she’s hysterically funny, and wicked bossy.
They all have an adventurous spirit which we empower completely. You can dive into more about us if you’re so inclined, but we’re going to keep it light with this first blog post. Soon you’ll get to know all about how VFF started and that really romantic date Jeremiah and I had while shoveling cow manure.
If you’re new to our world, Vernon Family Farm is a pastured livestock stock farm, located on 33 acres of conserved land in Newfields, NH. We live, work, and play on the farm every damn day. If you’re already familiar with our farm, chances are it’s because you’ve visited our farm store, which is a one-stop-shop for local food—all year round. Sourced from 30+ local farmers and makers in New England, we’ve got everything you need to shop local and eat seasonally.
To help you get to know us and what our farm has to offer, we’ve all answered a couple of questions.
WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVORITE THINGS AT THE FARM STORE RIGHT NOW?
“Apples, wheat bagels with cream cheese (I guess that’s one product?) and honey bears.” - MAGNOLIA
It’s funny what kids are attracted to, the 8oz and 16oz honey are the same but the honey in the small 2oz plastic bear—the bomb.
“Definitely chocolate chip cookies, chicken pot pie, and bread with butter.” - INDIGO
Indigo answered definitively and I’m so impressed. This little girl is usually less decisive.
“Skinny sausage aka pork sausage links, potatoes, (for latkes of course, her new favorite food inspired by the book Chanukah Bear by Eric Kimmel), and Strawberry Kiwi Maple Mamas Seltzer.” - PINGREE
“Chaga coffee, bacon, and skirt steak...if you know you know!” - JEREMIAH
And you should also know that the person to ask for cooking tips is Jeremiah, he’s the cook in our farm house.
Langjager, they are the closest thing to a kabanos (dare I even compare!) Ferments, all of them (kimchi, sauerkraut, you name it—I love it). Cherry Farm Pops (anyone else already daydreaming of summer?) - NICOLE
WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT FARMING?
“The mud.” - MAGNOLIA
This is an astute answer, most farmers would agree. Mud season happens twice on the farm in New England (November to December-ish and March to April-ish) and it complicates everything...seriously everything.
“Cow poop on my legs.” - INDIGO
Honestly, I couldn’t agree more.
“The old chickens because sometimes they are sort of pesky.” - PINGREE
I don’t know where she comes up with this stuff. This bearded dragon-loving girl loves all animals and to hear her call the old chickens pesky is just too funny.
“Financial stress.” - JEREMIAH
Yes, an unfortunate reality in this business but slowly, it gets better...or maybe our threshold improves?
“The surprises you find in buckets.” - NICOLE
You just really never know what you’re going to find in a farm bucket, it can be really nasty. You don’t understand how nasty until you work on a farm—sludgy, maggoty, syrupy, decomposing...I’ll stop.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT FARMING OR LIVING ON THE FARM?
“The animals.” - MAGNOLIA
“The animals.” - INDIGO
“The animals.” - PINGREE
“Not one day is the same, not one day is mundane. You can imagine what 2020 plus farming was like. Farming is so explicit, real...raw. Being outside with the livestock makes me feel alive.” - JEREMIAH
“Every day is an adventure, it’s never boring, I’m always learning. And having children to share these farming experiences with is absolutely the best.” - NICOLE
Now that you’ve gotten a peek into our farm world, we hope you’ll stick around for the ride. We’ll be sharing about what it’s like to live, work, and play on the farm, highlights of our makers and farmers who fill the farm store shelves, collaborations with local chefs to share seasonal recipes, and much more. Make sure you subscribe to our email list to follow along!
