My Stay at a Vermont Farm Bed & Breakfast by Sveva Marcangeli

Liberty Hill Farm Inn, owned by Beth and Bob Kennett, have been bringing people together from all corners of the world under one roof since 1984. Having recently welcomed a seasoned global traveler Sveva Marcangeli to the farm, they were left with more than a heartfelt guestbook entry, rather an inspiring testament on the importance of community, connecting to your local farmer, and practicing gratitude. Take a moment to read an excerpt from her beautifully written piece below, and then follow the link for the whole article.

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My Stay at A Vermont Farm Bed & Breakfast: Liberty Hill Farm & Inn in Rochester, VT

Originally posted on SVADORE in November, 2022.
Excerpt reposted with permission.

Beth and Bob from Liberty Hill Farm & Inn provide a public service that big agricultural farms cannot provide. An experience for the public that creates memories and forms gratitude around the table. That’s why a stay at Liberty Hill Farm is not just a stay at a Vermont arm bed & breakfast – it’s a life-changing experience.

As we near Thanksgiving, I thought it would be fitting for me to write this article that touches on the matter of food, gratitude, and connecting with people. Food is what brings community to the table. There is no greater way to nourish the body and the soul than through the communal and universal act of eating and sharing a meal with others. That’s what the Vermont Farm Bed & Breakfast Liberty Hill Farm & Inn, owned by Beth and Bob Kennett, brings to people. It endeavors to nurture relationships among people from different walks of life who are looking to further educate themselves on the farming industry.

I’ve always been fascinated by farming. It may sound strange, but there is something about returning to the simplicity and traditional way of life that charmed me. I had stayed at farm stays in Norway, Italy and other places around the world, but none of them actually took it to the level of education of farming on a day-to-day basis in that area. It wasn’t until I watched Clarkson’s Farm, featuring one of my favorite reality stars Jeremy Clarkson from The Grand Tour and previously Top Gear, that I realized the time, money, and effort that went into maintaining this traditional practice that feeds us all. That’s when a sense of gratitude first sparked within me for this unthought of industry.

Here is a stat that will give you pause: If 12% of farmers are producing 90% of the food, you can bet the other 88%, like Beth and Bob, are not profitable. That’s why it’s important for you to stay on the farm. Small farms like Liberty Hill Farm & Inn support an American heritage, the small family farm, without raising taxes or food prices. They also provide an experience for the public that creates memories. This is not a hotel–it’s a farm. Beth and Bob are just letting guests visit their lives for a little while. These farm stays offer home cooked meals, community and real farm life experiences.

If you’re looking to escape your iPhones, Androids, TVs to a more organic world, than a Vermont Farm bed & breakfast stay is for you. It brings you back to a much simpler time and connects you with people you otherwise may not have met. My experience at Liberty Hill Farm & Inn will be recounted in the form of short chapters. Each chapter revolves around Beth’s homemade (and renowned) meals we shared with her and other guests at Liberty Hill Farm & Inn, each with a lesson and moment of reflection.

Chapter 1: A Dane, A Frenchman, A Latina, An Italian, and An American Go To Dinner

Meal: Almond maple chicken, wild rice, carrot souffle (a big hit and super soft and creamy), swiss chard (the last of the harvest), broccoli and brussel sprouts, and warm, soft and buttery cheddar biscuits topped with a layer of Cabot butter.

Liberty Hill Farm & Inn’s historic farm is located in the heart of Rochester in the White River Valley of Vermont. It’s October when I visit and the color of the trees are slowly dimming as winter approaches, but the farm is still very much alive. Cows graze the fields with the Green Mountains in the background. This 240-acre farm has an undeniable charm. The property’s buildings, including a main house and various farm houses, all have a Vermont country feel of days gone by. We pull up to the front of the main house and get out just in time for dinner.

We sat down at the table seated for 8 at 6PM sharp. Ok…we were a couple of minutes late, but gosh did we feel bad about it! The owners and our hosts, Beth and Bob Kennett, led us in grace and the experience and conversation commenced. We weren’t the only guests at Liberty Hill Farm. Tonight there were 2 other couples staying at the property. One couple was from LA – he was Danish and she was Latina. She worked with special ed kids, he owned his own environmental sustainability tech company. How did they end up here? They took a van trip across the US last summer and fell in love with the beauty of Vermont. They decided to come back and ended up at this Vermont Farm bed & breakfast.

The other couple was older and lived in New Hampshire, but were originally from Maine. They were reoccurring guests who had visited the farm on multiple occasions and were close friends of the owners and our hosts Beth and Bob Kennett. He was the man who invented Hannaford’s Guiding Stars for Health program. What I learned most from them though was about Vermont’s huge French influence. I had never put the pieces together, but it all made sense now. The French town names, the amazing food, the even more amazing French food I’ve experienced in the State. But why?

The conversation came about as we were talking about genealogy and where each of us came from. The man from New Hampshire, originally Maine, went onto explain that his last name was originally French, but his ancestors had changed it to sound American because the French were being persecuted (specifically the Acadians or Canadian French) back in the early 1900s. Beth’s family had a similar experience. Her family who lived in Nova Scotia was also French, but was kicked out and had to change their name so they wouldn’t be banished. It was a common occurrence for French people to change their last names while in America to evade being kicked out.

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To finish reading the rest of the story, please visit: My Stay at A Vermont Farm Bed & Breakfast: Liberty Hill Farm & Inn in Rochester, VT (it’s totally worth the click!)

Thank you, Sveva, for letting us share!