Neither Jillian or Adam Varney were born and raised on farms but Jillian spent six years working as an apprentice and farm hand before she and Adam bought their own place in 2007. After working on various CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms, Jillian had an interest in starting her own and now, after 10 years, Small Family CSA has grown from 23 members to 310 members with 13 different pick up locations!
The Varney family loves the vibrant, multi-generational community that takes an active role in growing their own food; Small Family CSA offers a Worker Share program where 35 different people from the community come out to the farm and work in 3.5 hour shifts in exchange for a CSA share. Another bonus—they get to work for themselves, at home. They raise their two small kiddos (ages one and four) on a farm and provide a wholesome environment with constant access to nature, the changing of the seasons, and the bounty of the earth. And then there’s the food. From cherry tomatoes right off the vine to carrots out of the ground, the overabundance of organic, fresh food is a total plus for Jillian, Adam and their growing family—snacks are everywhere!
But there’s another side to the story. Jillian says, “The most challenging parts of this business are the stresses that come with such an intense operation. We work seven days a week during the growing season and quality family time is limited. We end the day tired and sore. Growing a business with two small children is challenging because the children have a lot of needs and so does the farm. Adam and I divide and conquer a lot. You have to be a bit of a workaholic to be successful at farming!”
Even though the kids are still very young, they help Jillian with the chicken chores by collecting eggs and sprinkling feed. They also hang out when the crew is bagging carrots, potatoes and beans, or ride their little bikes around the barnyard when mom is in the packing shed.
Small Family CSA loves visitors and hosts official farm events every year. They have a spring strawberry pick and potluck in late June or early July, there’s a fall raspberry and pumpkin pick and potluck—hayride tours are offered at both. There’s also an opportunity to for walk-around farm tours, but only in advance and not on harvest days because there’s just too much busy work to be done!
Online: smallfamilycsa.com
