Green Meadows Farm

Joanne Patton is the widow of Green Meadows Farm’s founder, Major General George S. Patton. She assumed his role in recent years, overseeing the Farm Manager and the firewood operations, in conjunction with her family – all supporters of organic agriculture. Joanne’s travels as an Army wife made her an aventurous eater. All vegetables are her favorites – but eggplant (especially in her caviar recipe) is tops!

For those of you who are new members, we thought it would be appropriate to begin the CSA season giving you some background on who your farmer is. Andrew Rodgers is 34 years old and grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. He was an English major at UMass, Amherst (where he met his wife, Diana) then worked for The Gartner Group, conducting market research focus groups for the high tech industry. Not satisfied with an office job, Andrew tried to figure out how to incorporate his passion for the outdoors and environmental issues into a career. He visited a CSA and decided this would be a great way to save farmland from becoming developed, and to work outside instead of in an office. He decided to return to UMass, this time for their Master's Degree program in Soil Science through the Stockbridge School of Agriculture. At the same time, he took a job working on a small CSA farm in Sudbury, MA (now called Siena Farm). His next farm job was the assistant farmer at Sterns CSA in Framingham. Six years ago, he became the farm manager at Green Meadows Farm. Since then, the farm has grown. He's increased the crew, and the farmstand is now open six days a week to the public. He believes it's very important for people to know who grows their food, so feel free to say "hi" to Andrew when you see him at the farm. He welcomes questions and suggestions on how to make Green Meadows a better farm and community asset. He is also training his two young kids, Anson and Phoebe to become future farmers.

Diana oversees the farmstand , marketing and events for the farm. She
grew up in Southampton, NY worked at J.M. Pike Farm in Sagaponak, NY during high school and college summers, in the fields and at the roadside stand. She studied art education and photography at UMass, Amherst, then studied fine furniture making in Easthampton, MA. She worked for WBUR when she found out she had an intolerance to wheat gluten. After this, she decided to learn more about food and food issues. She spent several years in marketing for natural foods companies and Whole Foods Market before joining Green Meadows Farm. She is married to Farmer Andrew and has 2 children. Her favorite vegetable is asparagus, and she continues to learn more about food, every day.

Since joining the Green Meadows Farm crew three years ago, Israel has proven himself to be one of the fastest workers and always with a eye for detail. His great work ethic has led to his promotion to Harvest Manager. Israel is responsible for making sure the produce that comes into the stand is of the highest quality possible, that there's enough for distribution and that the crew works as fast as they can. He's originally from Guatemala where his parents own a shoe store. Israel's favorite vegetable is onions.

Robin grew up in Peoria, Illinois, and currently lives in Salem, MA. She was as a special education teacher for grades 1 and 2 in Waltham and Salem for 35 years. Last spring, she began working on the farm as a work-for-share. When she retired in June of 2008, she became a valuable member of our farm crew and is now our farm educator. Her favorite part of working on the farm is to take care of the animals, especially the sheep. When she's not farming, Robin reads a lot (about five books at a time). She also quilts, does needlepoint and oil paints, and says there's never enough time to do it all. She's "waiting to find out" what she'll be when she "grows up". Her favorite vegetable is delicata squash.

Kiersten is 22 years old and joined the farm after graduating from Gordon College this spring with a major in Sociology. What really interested Kiersten in working at the farm was the idea of being part of something responsible and sustainable for our community and earth. She knew she could feel good about contributing to Green Meadows Farm's success. We quickly realized how responsible and organized she is, and Kiersten is now in charge of grocery ordering and the grocery co-op. Kiersten was raised in Santa Barbara, CA. When she "grows up" she'd like to be enjoying life. Her favorite vegetable is cucumber. When she's not "farmstanding", she likes to ride her bike, play soccer, play guitar, explore the North Shore and go to the beach.

Kim grew up in Hamilton and is 29 years old. Her mother, Joyce, has been a member at the farm for years and Kim would join her mother for CSA pick ups while home visiting from St. Louis, where she lived for five years. Green Meadows was her first exposure to a CSA, and she loves to watch the connection between people and their food source. She left St. Louis last summer and volunteered with the field crew. By the end of the summer, she was hired. She says she has a special place in her heart for sheep wrangling and rotten tomato baseball. Her favorite task on the farm is harvesting. Kim is also a freelance journalist and spends most of her free time writing, and lying on the beach thinking about story ideas. When asked what she'd like to do in the future, Kim says, "thinking about the future induces insomnia for me. I am practicing being present and trusting that as I evolve with my path". Her favorite vegetable is Eggplant (Nadia variety) cooked parmigiano style, with linguini and a glass of Chianti.

Steph is 23 years old and grew up in Rockport, Massachusetts. She works in the farmstand and helps us keep organized when we're closed by cleaning. Steph says her favorite thing about working at the farm are the people, and how much fun she has working with a team so enthusiastic about healthy living. When she's not in the farmstand, Steph is a nanny. She is currently taking classes in Early Childhood Development at North Shore Community College and would one day like to work in a school setting with young kids. Her favorite vegetable is asparagus.

Lee joined the farmstand crew this summer. She is originally from a farm in Kentucky, where her family grew tobacco and raised vegetables and meat for their own consumption. For the last ten years she has been living with her husband and two cats, Watterson and Mollymay, in Massachusetts. She works for Wyeth Biotech doing Quality Assurance most of the time, and joined Green Meadows Farm because she was looking for another way to feel connected to "her roots". Lee says that she loves the idea of being proactive about health, and being close to nature. When she's not working, Lee enjoys traveling and going to the gym. Her favorite vegetables are squash and broccoli.

Sonia Sanchez has just arrived from Puno, Peru. It's a town near the Bolivian border. She is our newest MESA student at Green Meadows Farm. MESA stands for Multilingual Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture. We have worked with this program for several years, educating young farmers from South America about our Organic practices here at Green Meadows Farm.

Back in Peru, Sonia studied Agronomy at the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano. While in college, she worked at a farm where she grew traditional Peruvian crops like potatoes, wheat, beans, oats and quinoa. Sonia is very interested in learning more about organic farming techniques and greenhouse production while she is here in the United States so she can start a farm on her family's land when she returns. She is also looking forward to learning more English. Her favorite vegetables are carrots and lettuce.

Jim is one of our newest arrivals at the farm. He grew up in Beverly, Massachusetts and attended St. John's High School and was an English major at Emory University with a minor in Music. After college, Jim worked as a technical writer in Austin, Texas. He is now an apprentice at Green Meadows Farm because he is interested in both the physical and the intellectual challenges of farming. He's interested in learning all aspects of organic farming, from vegetable production to raising livestock.

When he's not farming, Jim likes to read, go fishing, and run. In fact, Jim just signed up for the Gloucester Triathlon and is recruiting others on the crew to join him. Look for the Green Meadows Farm team at the race! His favorite vegetable is garlic.

Sara is working in both the fields and in the farmstand. In 2008, she graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a dual major in both psychology and nutrition. She then worked for Shelburne Farms on their farm to school initiative before backpacking through Europe. In the future, Sara is hoping to get more involved with farm to school programs, and teaching kids how to eat better. Her favorite vegetables are peas and beets.

Katie Harrington

Katie is the new farmstand chef. She grew up in southern Ireland, and spent her summers in the country working on farms. Katie was working for Ned's Groceria in Gloucester baking beautiful pies and cookies when it suddenly closed and three weeks later, she saw our posting for a prepared foods manager. She says she knew it would be the perfect job for her because of her love of food and her strong connection to the land. When she comes to work, she loves the noise of the roosters and even the smell of the pigs because it reminds her of her childhood. When she's not at the farm, Katie spends time with her two children and loves biking around Cape Ann. She loves having a glass of wine and cooking with friends. Katie also teaches sewing and knitting to children. Her favorite vegetables are beets, especially pickled beets!

Look for new dishes in the farmstand from Katie including shortbread cookies, quiche, and pies!