Both sides of Annie’s family have left their impressions about nature and gardening on her.
Annie’s mother always keeps a large garden, and so did her grandmother. Not letting age and physical changes deter her, Annie’s grandma utilized a plastic chair when weeding in her garden.
On the other side of her family, Annie’s great aunt Bessie Niemeyer Marshall, was the watercolor artist for the book With Paintbrush and Shovel: Preserving Virginia’s Wildflowers by Nancy Kober. Lately, Annie has been going through this book not only to learn more about flowers and nature, but to paint them as well! She is very creative and artistic.
Farming Beginnings & Career Path
Annie attended Northeastern University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services with a concentration in Counseling Psychology and a minor in Biology.
During her senior year of college, she enrolled in a Food Justice & Community Development elective class where she learned how unsustainable our current food systems are. She found herself awakening to many issues within our food systems that she previously wasn’t aware of and how to combat these issues. Supporting local, organic farms, creating strong, local communities, and food sovereignty are a few ways!
“I recommend reading the book called A Foodies Guide to Capitalism by Eric Holt-Giménez,” mentions Annie.
While taking that class, Annie found a job as a tea barista at Soluna Garden Farm in Boston Massachusetts. Soluna Garden Farm makes their own tea blends. They also have a café stand at the Boston Public Market and a small flower & herb farm.
“I was excited about working with the teas because I’m passionate about holistic healing and also how foods and herbs can be medicine. But the days I loved the most were when I worked on the farm. Getting outside, doing physical work, connecting with plants, and seeing what is possible with an acre or two of land inspired a passion within me I hadn't felt before,” Annie tells about her tea barista position.
Annie’s Role at CVO
Now that Farm Share is in full swing, Annie’s days are mostly spent either in the field harvesting or packing Farm Share bags on delivery days. She finishes up her day with whatever planting, maintenance, or other miscellaneous project needs to be completed.
Packing the Farm Share bags and sending them out the door is the part that makes Annie feel the proudest to be a farmer.
“It is amazing to be able to provide so many people with so much organic produce, while also connecting them with other local farms and businesses who are working toward a more sustainable food system. After the often long and hot harvest days, seeing the final product come together for people makes it all so worth it,” explains Annie.
Annie’s Thoughts on Being a Farmer
Annie states that, “It's challenging! Accomplishing big projects and doing hard work with a great team of people feels rewarding. Maybe not always in the moment, but it’s worth the hard work to see all we can accomplish together. It's also amazing to be outside and active all day.”
At Home
Lately, Annie has been excited about garlic because it is one of her favorite foods. She tried the garlic scapes that CVO offers for the first time this spring. She says it's been neat to learn more about plants she's grown up around, and also tends to her own garden at home.
Along with gardening and painting, Annie is a 200-hour Certified Yoga Teacher. You can check out her restorative yoga sequences on her Instagram account @yogaforfarmers featuring charming hand-illustrated fairies. The yoga sequences are not only for farmers but for anyone that needs to recover after hard, strenuous work!