Green Hill Farmer Beth Hook

Green Hill Farm is home to many animals, a sugarhouse, gardens and more.

Beth Hook married into the family that still owns the land the farm sits on today. Her father in law purchased the property in 1949.

In addition, many people participate in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), buying shares for a season of fresh eggs and harvest from the gardens.

The house that Beth and her husband, Pete, live in was originally on South Street and moved to this location. There are 76 acres that make up the property.

Twenty acres are used for pasture for the beef cows and 2 acres are used for the vegetables. There is an array of vegetables, berries, cut flowers, eggs, firewood and maple syrup all found here. The produce is chemical-free.

“The CSA started 13 years ago when Pete wanted to get back into farming. He also taught at and after teaching there for 30 years retired only a handful of years ago,” Hook said.

Beth has a handful of responsibilities that come with the territory of farming. She introduces new recipes, gives updates on the farm, all membership communication and answers any questions that those in the community may have.

“I started a weekly newsletter called “Hay From the Farm” where I get to talk about vegetables in a humorous way. There’s a lot of produce that we grow and sell that some people may not be familiar. The newsletter gives me an opportunity to explain ways to use the items that we grow. I also give updates like sharing the birth of an animal,” Hook said.

There are about 25 family members of the CSA with 30 being the limit. A full share costs $500 for the season and there are three pick-up dates that members can choose from each week.

“We order everything from seed and Pete does all of the transplanting, weeding and rototilling. We also direct-seed with things like corn, beans and more. I pick most of the produce. We also some “U picks” where those that have the shares come on their pick up day and we will let them go directly into the field to pick a certain amount of peas, string beans, cherry tomatoes and more,” Hook said.

Everything is done on the honor system with items available on a given day posted on a large white board. The season runs from the end of June until the end of October. Working on a farm posed many challenges, the weather being the biggest.

“When the weather doesn’t cooperate, our crops are directly affected. It’s so frustrating. Things tend to catch up in the end, but many get off to a slow start especially with all the rain we get through the month of May,” Hook said.

One of the misconceptions that Beth shared is the fact that in today’s society, people are used to getting things when they want them. On a farm, the produce is dependent on the right conditions.

“Running a farm is not like a grocery store. You have to like all vegetables and be willing to cook in bulk and get creative. We love the fact that our food is grown and not manufactured or genetically modified,” said Hook.

“There’s nothing better than having a customer say that something they got from the farm was the best they ever tasted, which happens quite a lot,” she added.

Green Hill Farm is located at 140 Green St. Their email address is ghf@townisp.com.