Catching Up with Heather Surprenant, The Manager of our NEW Certified Organic Vegetable Operation
I first met Heather about five years ago when she would stop by our booth at the Norwich Farmers’ Market to get raw milk. She then ended up starting her own vegetable farm with a friend, right down the road from us! Although that venture wasn't able to continue, we are so happy to be having her join our Kiss the Cow team to grow a full selection of vegetables, herbs, and flowers for our farm store and CSA this growing season. I chatted with her recently to better understand her passion for veggies.
Did you always want to farm or did this interest come later in life?
I grew up in Randolph for the first 18 years of my life. I'm a first-generation Vermonter. I grew up surrounded by agriculture but never thought I would pursue it myself! I wanted to become a lawyer and move to California. I'd been a small-town kid my whole life, and I wanted to see what was out there.
I went to Smith College and studied Government, with a focus in human rights. After college, I moved to San Francisco for a couple of years. I started working as a law intern for a tech company, and it sucked my soul right out of my body. I quit and started farming. I was 23 and that was it. I never looked back.
It was like everything clicked for me. I loved growing food. I worked on that organic vegetable farm for 8 months until deciding that I needed to move back to Vermont to farm. Our state has a beautiful and vibrant food sovereignty movement, and I knew that coming back as a young person to farm in my home state would open endless opportunities for growth and connection. I apprenticed at Farm and Wilderness for 2 years, then became the Vegetable Production manager at Sweetland Farm in Norwich for a year, before moving to Barnard to start Moonlighting Farm.
What was that excited you about growing food?
I just wanted to be outside, moving my body. I wanted at the end of the day to look at the work that I had done and have it be tangible. The whole reason I studied what I did in college was that I wanted to make a difference in the world, for my community. It just happened that farming, not law school, was where I found that outlet. What people don't always see is that agriculture is an act of social justice. We are mitigating climate change, we are feeding our communities, we're contributing to the health of people and the environment. I just can't see any other line of work inspiring me the way farming does.
What is it about vegetables that moves you so much?
They are works of art! From one tiny seed, you get the most spectacular plant. Knowing that I was the one who cultivated that fills me with immense pride. Growing vegetables for me is how I communicate with the world. Eating is an act of love, and if I can convince even one person who’s never experienced such freshness or flavor to love eating greens, I'm set.
I first met Heather about five years ago when she would stop by our booth at the Norwich Farmers’ Market to get raw milk. She then ended up starting her own vegetable farm with a friend, right down the road from us! Although that venture wasn't able to continue, we are so happy to be having her join our Kiss the Cow team to grow a full selection of vegetables, herbs, and flowers for our farm store and CSA this growing season. I chatted with her recently to better understand her passion for veggies.
Did you always want to farm or did this interest come later in life?
I grew up in Randolph for the first 18 years of my life. I'm a first-generation Vermonter. I grew up surrounded by agriculture but never thought I would pursue it myself! I wanted to become a lawyer and move to California. I'd been a small-town kid my whole life, and I wanted to see what was out there.
I went to Smith College and studied Government, with a focus in human rights. After college, I moved to San Francisco for a couple of years. I started working as a law intern for a tech company, and it sucked my soul right out of my body. I quit and started farming. I was 23 and that was it. I never looked back.
It was like everything clicked for me. I loved growing food. I worked on that organic vegetable farm for 8 months until deciding that I needed to move back to Vermont to farm. Our state has a beautiful and vibrant food sovereignty movement, and I knew that coming back as a young person to farm in my home state would open endless opportunities for growth and connection. I apprenticed at Farm and Wilderness for 2 years, then became the Vegetable Production manager at Sweetland Farm in Norwich for a year, before moving to Barnard to start Moonlighting Farm.
What was that excited you about growing food?
I just wanted to be outside, moving my body. I wanted at the end of the day to look at the work that I had done and have it be tangible. The whole reason I studied what I did in college was that I wanted to make a difference in the world, for my community. It just happened that farming, not law school, was where I found that outlet. What people don't always see is that agriculture is an act of social justice. We are mitigating climate change, we are feeding our communities, we're contributing to the health of people and the environment. I just can't see any other line of work inspiring me the way farming does.
What is it about vegetables that moves you so much?
They are works of art! From one tiny seed, you get the most spectacular plant. Knowing that I was the one who cultivated that fills me with immense pride. Growing vegetables for me is how I communicate with the world. Eating is an act of love, and if I can convince even one person who’s never experienced such freshness or flavor to love eating greens, I'm set.
What's your favorite thing about veggies?
The seasons of growing. I love the early spring crops, the greens, the scallions. This is the start--and then waiting patiently for the summer veggies to take hold. I love the balance of having very little control within the seasonal rhythm. I can't rush the heat or rush the frost at the end of the season. Farming encourages me to have patience, to appreciate all the work I've done, and to trust nature. I love walking the field at the end of the day and seeing the work that was done. And I love coming back the next morning seeing the subtle changes that have happened overnight. Another ripe cherry tomato, an open flower on a pepper plant. Every single moment in the field is sensory.
Is there anything that you’re particularly looking forward to about growing vegetables at Kiss the Cow Farm?
Are you kidding!? Everything! The sheer notion that I get to contribute to further diversifying an already thriving farm is so exciting. Knowing that I will play a role in feeding my community and a new group of CSA members has given me so much energy during these winter months. Being able to grow on such a beautiful piece of land, while working alongside exceptionally kind people is all I could ever hope for.
But I think what excites me most is putting everything I have into this new adventure because I want you guys [Randy and Lisa] to be proud of this new chapter in your farming journey. I want you to drive to the farm every morning, and to feel what I've been feeling for years: complete awe at the beauty of growing vegetables. I want you to take the same nightly walk that I do, selecting what you want for dinner, feeling so full of appreciation for the bounty that this land gives.
The seasons of growing. I love the early spring crops, the greens, the scallions. This is the start--and then waiting patiently for the summer veggies to take hold. I love the balance of having very little control within the seasonal rhythm. I can't rush the heat or rush the frost at the end of the season. Farming encourages me to have patience, to appreciate all the work I've done, and to trust nature. I love walking the field at the end of the day and seeing the work that was done. And I love coming back the next morning seeing the subtle changes that have happened overnight. Another ripe cherry tomato, an open flower on a pepper plant. Every single moment in the field is sensory.
Is there anything that you’re particularly looking forward to about growing vegetables at Kiss the Cow Farm?
Are you kidding!? Everything! The sheer notion that I get to contribute to further diversifying an already thriving farm is so exciting. Knowing that I will play a role in feeding my community and a new group of CSA members has given me so much energy during these winter months. Being able to grow on such a beautiful piece of land, while working alongside exceptionally kind people is all I could ever hope for.
But I think what excites me most is putting everything I have into this new adventure because I want you guys [Randy and Lisa] to be proud of this new chapter in your farming journey. I want you to drive to the farm every morning, and to feel what I've been feeling for years: complete awe at the beauty of growing vegetables. I want you to take the same nightly walk that I do, selecting what you want for dinner, feeling so full of appreciation for the bounty that this land gives.