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On the Farm: Last Resort

We had the pleasure of visiting Last Resort Farm in Monkton, VT early​ in June. ​Our mission of the day: strawberries!

​Last Resort ​was gearing up for peak strawberry ​season, and we were excited to try some of the earliest berries.​​ ​The family farm has been run by Eugenie and Sam for 30 years, and now one of their sons, Silas, is taking over operations. Together they tend many different varieties of strawberries that have different flavors and ripen at different times, but their visitors only ask for “Sparkle” by name because of it’s extraordinary flavor. You won’t find this variety except for in the field because it’s a berry you have to enjoy right away!
​We went out to the field with Eugenie on a tractor, to talk berries and check out their progress. ​The plants​ were at various stages​, s​ome still showing flowers, others with plump, ripe berries ready to be picked and enjoyed.

Last Resort doesn’t spray their strawberries​, which can be challenging for a farmer and requires many strategies to combat pests​. Birds are one of the biggest threats to their strawberry crop, ​and you can see that ​netting is placed over the crops as they near peak ripeness to keep them away!

We also had a chance to visit some of the other crops we source from Last Resort. Blueberries are a few weeks away, but already starting to take shape.

Here you can see Eugenie looking into the future: the garlic field is thriving! When Katy Lesser first opened Healthy Living in 1986, ​she started buying Eugenie’s garlic for its sheer beauty and quality, and we’ve bought it every year since.​​ ​

It will be awhile before we get our first bulbs, but ​we got our first garlic scapes this week. A scape is the stalk and flower bud of the garlic plant, and you harvest it (and eat it!) so that the plant puts more energy into growing a big bulb instead of into making seeds. The family also grows many varieties of garlic for flavor and yield, as well as for different purposes like making garlic braids in the fall.

​We loved visiting on a sunny June morning, getting on a tractor, and spending time on the farm to see where some of our local organic produce comes from! Thank you Eugenie and Last Resort Farm for your hospitality.