WHO WE ARE
Anne is the owner, Bud is the worker bee, and Bob is the overseer… We are all the hands that work the farm.
BOB
Life is full of unexpected journeys, many of which lead to destinations and opportunities one never imagines. Bob was raised in the city, without guidance or instruction about how to tend fertile soil or grow late-season crops, so farming was far from his aspirations. Early on, while assisting a neighbor, he learned a little about living off the land while tapping maple trees. Years would pass before his path would lead him to his own land, he was slowly cultivating an interest in soil and farming. Before that, he would join the Army and transfer to Korea. There he would discover vegetables bursting with rich flavor and note their methods for successful growing in harsh wintery temps. He would return to America and later marry his wife, Anne. Her father would convey to Bob the conventional farming methods he knew and practiced. Bob would injure his spine severely, constantly burdened with incessant pain. He was left with little hope for a strong, healthy life, incapable of the rigor necessary to maintain a farm, which would become his new life.
…Yet miracles never cease, and by some miracle God answered Bob’s prayers. Soon he and Anne’s lives began to change, rapidly, and with a mixture of science and faith, the healing began–in both Bob’s body and to their land. After surgery, the neck pain subsided. Bob became well and active. The soil was tended and richened for growth. In his newfound passion and commitment to life, Bob found the strength and the opportunity to begin to practice some of the methods of farming he had acquired along his journey. He could grow vegetables in harsh weather, implementing the methods he had observed while living abroad. Along the way, the couple discovered inspiration–in their farming mentors, friends and family, in their community, in their land and foremost–in their faith.
ANNE
Fidelity of family and farm has long been at the heart of Anne’s life history. Though her father worked in a factory to support his family, at home her mother tended a hand-made life–from early morning milking the family cows, baking bread, churning butter, gardening and preserving, until the light’s last shimmer reflected off the needle of the day’s mending. Raising eight children was no small task, but together the couple utilized their land and resources to sustain the livelihood of their family. This is how the early roots of Anne’s love of farming began, from the beginning of her young life stretching to witness her parents continue their journey for over 58 years. Today Anne and her husband Bob, find themselves on the same parcel of landing, tending a legacy, by sustaining land and love of family.
(ROSE)BUD
Raised as a “city girl,” Bud never dreamed becoming a farmer. She never imagined herself as even a simple gardener, though planted in her mind were the early memories of her grandmother gardening and preserving. By chance or divine fate, she discovered her love of tending gardens when offered a position to assist with the operations of a small farm, at a time when her career was shifting and she felt open and curious about what the future would hold. The next thing she knew, she was elbow deep in weeds and lugging watering cans. Despite the heat and drought of summer, despite the cold and damp of autumn–despite the fact that the extent of her farming skill-set was distinguishing a hoe from a rake–she fell in love with her work. Every day in the garden meant another day of growth, as seedling sprouted and sprung up overnight. And day by day, she grew, gaining knowledge and experience in her new vocation. The following season she met Bob and Anne and was invited to join their blossoming operation. The timing seemed heaven sent–like rain falling after a long drought, in answer to a steady prayer.