Almost seven years ago Laura Davis left her identification badge, company phone, fancy car and global travel behind at the $11 billion dollar company where she had made her career for almost 30 years. “When I left my global corporate job behind, I was only concerned about doing things I really wanted and I would definitely be my own boss,” Davis said. She had no idea it would lead to becoming a farmer, “to a life so fulfilling and rewarding, even though it is back breaking.”
Davis took workshops at Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) to learn about growing vegetables, organic gardening and the Albrecht Method of soil balancing, putting back into our soil the nutrients that have drastically declined over the last 100 years.
Long Life Farm was born in February 2011. During that summer Davis and her husband Donald Sutherland grew vegetables on ¼ acre near their Hopkinton home and sold them at the Hopkinton Farmers’ Market. They were hooked. Their CSA (community-supported agriculture) started with 25 families and is now up to 85. Long Life Farm grows over 100 varieties of vegetables and a few fruits. In addition to the Ashland Farmers Market (AFM) on Saturdays, they also sell produce at the Hopkinton Farmers Market, which Laura founded, on Sundays.
Spreading Organic Success. “When you love what you do, doors open with new and exciting opportunities,” Davis said. She is now the president of NOFA/Mass. Board of Directors. NOFA/Mass. educates and advocates for organic food and hosts workshops. Also, trained by Baystate Organic Certifiers, Laura has helped over 20 farms and processing operations go through the process of organic certification since September 2014. Today, she is an organic inspector as well. The inspector’s job is to verify what the farmer or processor has outlined in their organic system plan and growing practices. Customers rely on the USDA organic label and it is important to have assurance that the grower is following the rules.
New at AFM: Autumn Olive Berry Jam and Kimchi. At AFM this season, Davis will have a double tent with favorites she makes at home. Using the Worcester Regional Food Hub commercial kitchen in Shrewsbury, she makes almost all products from what she grows at Long Life Farm. Davis explained, “We love the autumn olive berries so much we had to make jam out of them and make it available to our friends and customers. Autumn olive berry has about 18x the lycopene as tomatoes, and it makes a great jam. We forage for these berries, and since we don’t control the area where it is grown, we cannot certify it organic.”
At the expanded Long Life Farm tent, visitors can expect to see sauerkraut, daikon and carrot pickles, daikon and beet kimchi, root vegetable ferment, hot pepper sauce, tomato sauce and whole tomatoes, tomatillo salsa, watermelon jam and ground cherry jam, as well as bitter melon.
Ashland Farmers Market opens June 10 and runs through Oct. 7 at 125 Front St., on the grass across from the library.
Issue Date:
May, 2017
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