Celebrate Mom with Fresh Air, Good Food, and Farm Hospitality
Celebrate Mom with Fresh Air, Good Food, and Farm Hospitality
Our third Farm Stay Story was sent to us by Alison Schwartz, who is a regular visitor to East Hill Farm in Troy, New Hampshire.
Piglets, East Hill Farm
One of our favorite things to do at East Hill Farm is see Jason Purdy perform his magic show. I have seen Jason every year for as long as I can remember. My mom runs a summer camp, and she hires him to perform at the camp every year. Last summer, she told me a funny story about two of my campers, Alana and Darren. Their parents took them to East Hill Farm for the first time, and when they saw Jason's show, they didn't raise their hands when he asked who was seeing the Magic of Jason Purdy for the first time. Their parents told them to raise their hands, and they explained that they weren't seeing Jason for the first time; they knew him from camp. So I wasn't surprised when I went into the dining hall last December and saw their family there! My family goes to East Hill Farm every year for a weekend in the summer, and for a week right after Christmas. Even though I am 22 years old now, the chickens, goats, and sheep have not lost their appeal. I look forward to feeding them and petting them. In the summer, I spend hours outside with the animals. In the winter, I bundle up in my winter coat and feed the animals a couple of times every day.
What makes winter at the farm special is hanging out with old friends in the living room, in front of the fireplace, knitting and crocheting. I invited Alana to hang out with us, too. She is an avid knitter, and I was proud to show her my knitting. I was working on a blanket and a hat. I asked Alana to teach me how to make a pom-pom for the hat, and she got a fork from the dining room and showed me how to make a pom-pom using a fork!
Every year at East Hill Farm is special in its own way. December 2012 was special because in the deepest part of winter, I saw two of my favorite kids from summer camp.
(Photos courtesy East Hill Farm, words copyright Alison Schwartz)
Celebrate Mom with Fresh Air, Good Food, and Farm Hospitality
This June, we’re packing our bags and heading to Aberdeen, Scotland for something pretty special.
Across the country, farms are welcoming guests in growing numbers, from short visits to longer stays, offering a close look at everyday farm life. It’s an invitation to see where food comes from and to experience farm life. Those who have chosen to do this have done so thoughtfully. There is no performance or theme, but instead a form of welcoming, a chance to share the land and introduce the families who care for it. From the outside, visiting a working farm can feel a little unexpected. The farmer has laden the breakfast table with jams they made and eggs fresh from the chicken coop. You step outside your door to pick fresh fruit from the orchard, or maybe you’re invited to try your hand at milking a dairy cow or holding a bottle of warm milk for a calf. The lights are on for your late arrival, and a friendly note on the table welcomes you to the farm. This is a visit to a family’s home in the countryside. At Farmstay, we work with farms and ranches across the country that welcome guests in many different ways. Some are just beginning their hospitality journey. Others have been opening their gates for decades, shaping hospitality through lived experience rather than any single formula. This is a small glimpse of the many farms that do this kind of hosting especially well (the first three farms on our list were early U.S. pioneers in farm hospitality, welcoming guests as far back as the 1950s).
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