I arrived in Northfield, Vermont on a rainy, overcast morning to visit with the FarmHers of Green Mountain Girls Farm. Green Mountain Girls Farm was founded by two incredible women, Mari Omland and Laura Olsen, with a mission to make consumers farm-fresh. Together, they purchased this hidden gem in 2007. In previous roles, both worked in and had knowledge of environmental conservation, and thought farming made the most sense to continue their impact in the world. They founded the farm with two main goals in mind:
- Sharing their farm with the world through agritourism
- Providing food that is nutritious fuel and delicious to enjoy
Pasture Raised Pigs
Now, Green Mountain Girls Farm is diverse and focuses on pasture raised livestock.
Our first stop on the farm was to visit the pigs.
Mari and Laura plant a cover crop mix of peas and oats and clover seed for the pigs to graze on while in the pasture. The cover crops were in full bloom for the pigs to munch on. (I even got to try some before the pigs got to it!) They will also create an environment for a luscious pasture in the future. However, the clover seed emerges in the wintertime and is underneath the cover crop.
After learning about the pasture, it was time for belly rubs for the pigs. They are definitely some spoiled pork.
Farm-Fresh Produce from the Farm Stand
Next, we moved on to their farm stand. The farm stand gives a taste to locals of the farm-fresh grown food. In fact, the food is picked to order. Can you say fresh?!
I headed out to the field with Mari. After trimming the stems off of a huge head of cauliflower to fulfill an order, we fed the stems to the hogs. Nothing is wasted at Green Mountain Girls Farm.
After looking at the gardens with Mari, we went inside to get out of the rain. It was time to head in to learn an old pastime from Laura: canning.
Farm-Fresh Old Pastimes
We canned green tomatoes. When they are finished, the canned tomatoes will go into the farm’s store for sale to consumers. They even use fresh ginger grown in Vermont in their canning recipes.
After canning, we moved onto another pastime of Mari and Laura’s that is recently becoming all the rage: making bone broth.
Mimicking nature where there is no waste is so important for both FarmHers. Bone broth provides many important nutrients and makes every part of their animals truly usable.
From chicken bones to turkey feet, nothing is excluded from their bone broth in order to live like our ancestors. In fact, some say some bone broth nutrients are better than botox!
The True Farm-Fresh Experience
I left Green Mountain Girls Farm completely inspired. Mari and Laura’s passion for agriculture and a healthy planet is extraordinary. They both are completely connected to their farm. From the makeup of the soil to the nutrients in each and every vegetable, they are one with this lifestyle and will eagerly invite you in.
Visiting Vermont in a few weeks , hope to get by your farm..