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Paul Horton (shown above) and Sally Beckwith own and run Foggy Meadow Farm in Benson, VT.
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All of their produce is organic including these beets which were sweet right out of the ground. They are not certified by the USDA since their customers are all local and know that the farm is an organic operation.
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Any smart Vermont farmer uses old Farmalls since they are cheap to buy and run forever if maintained properly.
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This is one of many cultivators that get rid of weeds without using chemical sprays. It is the original and natural method for keeping fields from being overrun.
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Paul grows greens all year round but without heated greenhouses. These are tomato plants in mid-June that are well on their way to producing fruit.
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One of the vegetables he grows is kohlrabi (right row) which is well known by older consumers.
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Paul uses interns during the summer who live in their own house on the farm and spend days weeding and harvesting. My daughter Caroline worked for Paul one summer as part of the crew.
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Greens are washed in these oversized spinners—many operations use larger vats of water which can become contaminated. Paul refreshes the water after just a few batches to keep everything fresh and clean.
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Foggy Meadow was an old dairy farm that Paul and Sally purchased about 7 years ago. It was a lot of work turning it into an organic operation.
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The local country store just a few miles down the road. Across the road is an old-fashoined used bookstore in a large barn.
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My 22 year old, Caroline, worked at Foggy Meadow Farm one summer. Here she is in Paul's truck with Emily's dog, Button.
About the Author: Christopher Kimball
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My father also ran an organic farm on his dad’s 5 acre farm. He was organic back in the 1950s and 60s, back before it was chic, because he didn’t have the money for expensive fertilizers or pesticides. He composted (his well-kept compost piles were a grand sight to behold!) He used us, his six kids, as his planters, weed-pullers, hoe-ers and pickers. He developed his own strains of strawberries and sweet corn by cross-polinating different plants. We liked picking strawberries best, because we could eat as we picked; fresh strawberries ripe on the plant sure were sweet! Nothing like supermarket berries from far away California. He liked to plant the less familiar vegetables as well; we were no strangers to kohlrobi or rutabega (although as a kid I hated the taste of those!) But slaving away at weeding, hoeing or picking long rows of beans, corn, peppers, beets, cabbage and other produce in the hot broiling sun wasn’t my idea of the best use of a lovely summer afternoon (we weren’t paid for our work either), so for years it turned me off gardening. Now I do some container gardening, mostly tomatoes, peppers and herbs. No weeding! Just watering and making sure the critters don’t get after them.
I grew up on a small dairy farm in Wisconsin. We also had Farmall tractors. The only difference with the one pictured is the front wheels weren’t spaced far apart; they were directly under the front of the tractor. I had a tendency to day dream during my teenage years while driving tractor. Going over a woodchuck hole with the front tire would bring me back to reality in a hurry!
Yes indeed , I to remember growing up on my grandparents farm, organically run part out of the cost of fertilizer as well as just they’re love of keeping it natural. I too remember my first attempt at driving the tricycle front end john deere of my uncles ,got it stuck in the swamp upon losing control of that narrow front wheel stance..lol many happy memories from the farm.I as I’ve aged have come back to growing my own veggies and have taken the organic route to doing so, and very happy with the results even if it means a little extra work.