Find Your Friendly Local Farm

This Summer has been a unique one not only in that I've had the kids home with me but that I've also had the time to visit local farms with them. This may not seem like a big deal, but it has seriously upped our quality of life and the quality of food that we've been consuming. From blueberry picking almost all Summer, subbing in on a friends CSA, we've been really enjoying our time down on the farm. When an old co-worker from my Border's days contacted me about visiting her family farm, Applefield Farm in Stow, we were more than up to the task! Open seasonally April through October, Applefield Farm (724 Great Road, Stow MA) is cultivating about 25 acres of land and running 8 greenhouses. The impressive farm is a hidden gem right on 117 and worth the trip, though it only took me 15 minutes to get there!

The Propah kids and I took a tour around the farm and of course Wes just loved running around like the wild and crazy three year old that he is. We scoped out the amazing collection of house plants as well as the mums, dried flowers, fresh bouquets and the pick your own fields. We talked about propagation (house plant nerds unite!), the farming techniques used on the property (they use all generally accepted organic production standards) and the history of the farm (family owned and operated from the get go). The care and consideration that the folks at Applefield Farm take in bringing all the fresh goodness to our table, is awesome to see. From their roadside store, to the local Whole Foods Markets, to the Farmer's Markets and local restaurants and more, they're working to bring all their fresh goodness to as many spaces as possible.

To me, it's important to find local farms and makers to support. Keeping your business in town or the surrounding towns is not only important to the local economy but it helps to keep your family grounded in something important, the community. There is a time and place to shop the big supermarkets but there's nothing that compares to speaking to a farmer or someone who packs things up for the farmer's market. These are the people of your town, working to bring the good stuff to you, the fresh fruits and veggies, the stories and the warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you're supporting your local farmers!

You can visit Applefield Farm through the end of October or when their season opens again in April. Follow them on Instagram for all the farming snaps you can handle and snag all their info updates on Facebook!