Halfway up one of the many green hills rolling gently a mile outside the small village of Enosburg Falls, Vermont, sits a small house built in 1870, a unique two-cupola barn and two acres of hard work done by five college friends.
This is the home of Duffy Hill Farm – a vegetable and duck farm that proprietors Lucy deWahl, Eli Hersh, and Sam Boutin describe as a “one-year experiment.” The three were joined in their efforts by “interns,” good friends Joe and Nate, who worked the fields for food and lodging.
In late summer, just months after they’d planted their first seeds, we sat down with these recent college graduates to eat Duck Nuggets with a honey mustard dipping sauce (see recipe below) and a beautiful beet, carrot and pole bean salad (see recipe below) to talk about food, farming, the trials of ducks, coming home, a marvelous salad greens mix, and the broad variety of vegetables in their fields.
The Duffy Hill farmers have been growing everything from Daikon radishes and basil to Forellenschluss, an Austrian heirloom lettuce whose name translates as “speckled like the back of a trout.”
Their salad mix is a blend of 11 varieties of greens, including mustard greens from spicy to gentle, Asian greens, chicories, and endives. Tasted individually, these ingredients range from bitter to mild, but together they create a lively blend of flavors that should (and will) convert anyone who only eats Iceberg wedges. With this kind of flavor you almost don’t need dressing, let alone other salad standbys like tomatoes and onions.
“We like variety,” said deWahl, who studied environmental science and agriculture. “There’s so much boring food that doesn’t get people interested in agriculture. We expect people to show our enthusiasm for interesting food.”
Boutin added that the wide variety of vegetables in their fields was also a form of security for this freshman farming effort. The fields were unknown and the business model was untested, so the hope was if one vegetable failed, something else would do well.
For a short-term venture, they’ve done enviably well. Their vegetables and ducks have been purchased wholesale this summer by area restaurants, and 21 people joined their C.S.A. (C.S.A. stands for Community Supported Agriculture – a program where people buy “shares” in a farm and reap their reward in weekly vegetables.) They also sold their bounty at the Enosburg Farmer’s Market and the Old North End market in Burlington. It’s a tribute to their hard work, business savvy and delicious food that they might actually turn a profit by the time their work ends this fall.
Though Duffy Hill Farm is not certified organic – simply by nature of the fact that it takes three years of working the soil to gain certification – make no mistake, these fields are organic.
“I’m not going to grow food that I’m not going to eat,” said Boutin.
For Boutin, deWahl and Joe Adams (their bandmate, childhood friend, and Duffy Hill intern), the farm was also a homecoming of sorts. The three grew up in the Enosburg area, and instead of doing something traditional after graduating – like touring the country or crossing Europe – the three decided to head home for one last summer season together. They were also testing themselves, thinking to their futures and their own interests.
“We wanted to see if we could,” deWahl said.
“There weren’t really jobs around here that interested us,” Boutin said. Running a short-term farm was not only a way to come home for a short reprieve, but also a way to get real life experience under their belts.
Even though he is not expecting to pursue agriculture in the long-term, Boutin said he hopes the hard work, initiative and self-motivation involved in the enterprise will look more impressive on a resume than a standard post-graduate summer job.
Hersh is the only one of the three who sees agriculture in his future.
“I’m definitely going to be farming,” said Hersh, adding that he won’t start his own venture again immediately. “This is kind of a one-year experiment … I’ve got a little more to learn.” Hersh, who has spent several years already working on diversified farms and raw milk dairies in Washington state and Western Massachusetts, said he hopes to work more with large animals and see where that takes him.
As for the farm’s apparent success, the 70 ducks were their ace in the hole. One hundred and fifty ducks generate the same profit as 450 chickens, they explained. So 70 ducks would cover their expenses should anything go wrong. And if everything went right, they might turn a small profit.
While we were sitting down with them, noshing on delicious duck patties and a stunning salad on a summer’s evening, it sounded like everything had gone according to plan.
As Hersh described their mindset going into the venture, “If nothing else, we’ll eat well and we’ll have a lot of fun. And we ate well and we had fun.”
If you’re in the area and want to celebrate the end of the season, join the Duffy Hill Farmers for their end-of-the-season bash starting on Sat., Sept. 17 and ending the next day. There will be bands, food, and a great time.
Recipes from Duffy Hill
Duck Nuggets
The meat of 19 duck necks (about 1 ½ pounds of meat, ground or finely chopped)
2 pounds ground chicken (to cut the richness of the neck meat)*
Egg and flour mixture (seasoned with parsley, oregano, salt and pepper)
* Regular duck meat works well too, but our young farming friends were using the whole animal, a trait that we respect and a taste we enjoyed.
Heat oil to 375. The Duffy Hill gang used a small Cuisinart fryer and cooked in small batches – so this recipe is definitely tiny-kitchen friendly. You can also just use a larger pot like we do here in our humble urban abode.
Fry each batch for 5-6 minutes, making sure your oil stays up to temperature. Drain and enjoy with a mixture of honey and mustard for dipping.
Beet and Pole Bean Salad
Beet roots, julienned or shredded
Pole beans
Carrots, julienned or shredded
Olive oil
Vinegar
This is a pretty self-explanatory recipe, really. But it’s as delicious as it is simple.
Toss vegetables in your favorite bowl. Mix up a simple vinaigrette, seasoning to taste. Bring it out on the lawn – if you have one – and enjoy with some friends.
(Launie Kettler)