After the storms the night before, Thursday, our last full day on the farm, was a wet one. In the morning, we forged the river to get up to the house, and met the others for breakfast. Glenn made waffles while Kris gave a tour to a large family stopping by to check out the farm. After the rain stopped, we weeded some more of the carrot beds (with a little help from Miel and her BFF, the new kitten, “Diddy Daddy”).I finished mowing and Amber transplanted lettuces and bok choi. After a little work in the fields, we went inside to help make blueberry and green tomato pies.
We spent the afternoon in the kitchen with April, talking about Australia, her new family, their adventures, and ours. Glenn worked on the mushrooms while Kris taught a weaving class at Heartbeet, the farm up the road. We made a trip to the general store in “the common” and stopped by the Strong’s place. The Strongs are a sweet-as-pie elderly couple that live up the road and have been making maple syrup for years. They are a mainstay in Craftsbury and a stronghold in the world of maple syrup. When we returned, the house smelled like Christmas (a slight mistake on my part, using masala instead of nutmeg in the green tomato pie…they smell really similar ok. I mean really similar.)
We had a quiet evening with an all-pie dinner (frittatas too), great conversation, and even better company. As the sun set on the Wild Branch Valley Farm, we sat around the dining room table with our new friends enjoying the moment. Dinner was bittersweet. Just as we were getting settled, it was time to go. Not that it would take long to get settled at the Covilles. From day one, we were warmly welcomed; not just as guests, as friends. As family. We said goodnight one last time, geared up with our headlamps, and headed back to camp.
The next morning, after packing the car and grabbing breakfast, we went out to the garden to say our goodbyes. Ok so I know we were only there for a week, but we really did enjoy it on the farm. We held back our tears as we hugged everyone.(For me, once the waterworks turn on, it’s hard to get them to turn off you know. We didn’t want to completely freak anyone out.) We bid farewell, and hit the road. If anyone is ever interested in Wwoofing, we highly recommend the Wild Branch Valley Farm. The experience was truly amazing.
Main things to know about farming in Vermont:
Damn fine people; hospitable, kind, laid back, environmentally conscious.
A very short growing season: unlike NC, in Vermont you can actually grow all the ingredients for a salad at the same time. For those couple of months, the conditions are ideal; Plenty of rain and very fertile soil.
Great swimming and delicious blueberries
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