Far From The Usual Grocery Stores, This Off-Grid Vermont Farm Delivers Surprising Value
Over 500 pounds of salad leave one hillside farm every week in season. The whole place runs on solar panels and batteries, with no power lines at all.
That off-grid setup started as a money decision. Running electric lines up a very long driveway cost too much, so the farmers simply skipped it.
They stuck with sun power because it pushed them to use energy wisely.
I actually prefer food with a story like that. The farm sits on just one acre of certified organic, no-till beds in northern Vermont.
Even in winter, the growing does not stop, thanks to trays of microgreens and shoots.
Ordering feels more like texting a friend than pushing a cart down a bright aisle. You pick your greens online over the weekend, then grab them a few days later.
It always leaves me wondering why more groceries do not work this way. So what does a tiny solar-powered farm actually put in your bag?
One Acre Is All It Takes To Feed A Whole Corner Of The State
Small Axe Farm proves that size is not everything. Heidi Choate and Evan Perkins started the business in 2008, and their market garden covers just one acre.
That acre sits on 45 mostly wooded acres in the hills of Vermont. Over the years, the couple grew a quarter-acre homestead garden into a full working farm.
The name fits nicely. A small axe is a modest tool that gets real work done, and the farm runs on that same idea.
Everything they sell is grown right on the property. No middleman trucks, no mystery warehouses, no produce that toured three states before reaching your plate.
Small Axe Farm is certified organic, which means strict rules about what goes into the soil. It also means you can toss a handful of greens into a bowl without second-guessing them.
For shoppers, that tiny footprint is actually a perk. The farmers know every bed by heart, and they can focus on doing a few things really well.
Think of it as a family garden that got very, very good at its job. Your salad bowl gets all the benefits.
Sunshine Runs The Show Here, Literally
No utility pole stands at the end of this driveway. The farm is 100% off-grid, powered by solar panels and backed up by batteries.
Going solar started as a practical choice. Stretching power lines up the long driveway was simply too expensive, so the farmers made their own electricity instead.
Years later, they kept the system for the planet’s sake. Living on stored sunshine forces careful habits, since every bit of power has to count.
That mindset spills into the whole operation. Coolers, wash stations, and lights all run on what the sun provides, so wasted energy is not an option.
Here is a fun twist for your next dinner party. Your crunchy salad was washed and chilled using power collected on a Vermont hillside.
Small Axe Farm also leans on its location for free heat. The south-facing slope works like a big solar heat collector, which helps stretch the growing season.
For a region known for long winters, that extra warmth matters. It means more weeks of fresh greens and fewer weeks staring sadly at store lettuce.
Your Salad Bowl Is About To Get A Serious Upgrade
Five hundred pounds. That is how much salad Small Axe Farm harvests every week during the growing season.
Greens are the heart of this place. Salad mixes and microgreens make up a big share of the farm’s income, so they get plenty of love.
The lineup includes salad mix, baby lettuce, and baby kale. Bok choi shows up too, ready for a quick stir-fry on a busy weeknight.
Fresh greens are a shortcut to an easy, healthy meal. Rinse, toss with a simple dressing, and dinner already looks like you tried hard.
A smart tip helps here. Store greens in a sealed container lined with a dry towel, and they will stay crisp longer in your fridge.
Because the farm uses no-till beds, the soil stays rich and alive. Healthy soil is the quiet secret behind leaves that look this lively.
Grocery store salad bags sometimes feel tired before you open them. These greens travel a much shorter road from the Vermont hills to your kitchen, and that difference adds real value.
Tiny Greens Keep Winter From Feeling So Gray
Snow on the ground does not shut this farm down. The online store stays open all year, thanks to microgreens and shoots grown through the cold months.
Microgreens are young plants harvested just after they sprout. They pack lots of flavor and color into a very small leaf.
Small Axe Farm offers several kinds. Look for Wellness Microgreens, Rainbow Microgreens, Organic Pea Shoots, and Organic Sunflower Shoots.
Not sure how to use them? Pile them on sandwiches, scatter them over soup, or fold them into scrambled eggs for a fresh bite.
Pea shoots taste a lot like spring peas. Sunflower shoots add a nutty crunch that makes plain toast feel fancy.
Kids sometimes warm up to microgreens faster than to big leafy salads. Letting them sprinkle the greens themselves can turn dinner into a small game.
In a Vermont winter, anything green feels like a gift. These little trays deliver a pop of brightness when the landscape outside is mostly white and brown.
Best of all, they come from the same off-grid hillside as the summer crops.
Summer Brings A Whole Rainbow Of Veggies
Heirloom tomatoes, salad turnips, and shishito peppers walk into a farm box. No punchline needed, because that combo is already a great dinner.
Beyond greens, Small Axe Farm grows a colorful mix of vegetables. Radishes, cucumbers, carrots, and fennel all make appearances during the season.
Garlic and onions round out the kitchen basics. Those two alone can turn almost any simple meal into something that smells amazing.
Pepper fans get options too. The farm grows jalapeno, Hungarian Hot Wax, and Shishito peppers for every heat preference.
Salad turnips are worth a try if you have never had them. They are mild enough to slice raw, so give them a spot on your next snack plate.
Heirloom tomatoes come in shapes and colors you rarely see in supermarket bins. A little salt and a slice of good bread is all they need.
Planning tip: build meals around what is freshest each week. That way nothing wilts in the back of the fridge, and you stretch your food budget further.
Shopping Happens On Your Couch, Not In A Checkout Line
Weekend plans now include grocery shopping in pajamas. The Small Axe Farm online store opens Saturday morning and stays open until Monday at 7:00 a.m.
Orders placed in that window are ready for Tuesday afternoon delivery or pickup. That gives you a steady weekly rhythm without any parking lot stress.
The system is simple to plan around. Set a phone reminder for Sunday evening, then check what is fresh before the window closes.
Pickup spots spread across the area. Options include Barnet Public Library, West Barnet Quick Stop, St. Johnsbury, Boule Bakery, Littleton Coop, East Burke Market, and the farm itself.
Some of those stops sit across the river in New Hampshire, which widens the reach. A little farm on a Vermont hill ends up feeding two states.
Shopping this way also cuts down on impulse buys. You choose what you need, skip the candy aisle, and keep more money in your pocket.
That is the surprising value in action. Fresh organic food, a short drive, and zero time spent hunting for a cart with four working wheels.
Seventeen Weeks Of Farm Boxes You Actually Get To Customize
Ever opened a farm box and found a mountain of something you never cook? The Summer CSA at Small Axe Farm tackles that problem head-on.
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Members sign up for the season and receive fresh produce every week, which helps the farm plan ahead.
This program runs for 17 weeks during summer. Each Wednesday, members can customize their box before Friday pickup day.
That flexibility is a big deal. You can load up on tomatoes one week and swap in extra greens the next.
Families with picky eaters will appreciate the control. So will anyone who already has a full fridge and does not need more radishes yet.
Joining a CSA also builds a real link to the people growing your food. Your money goes straight to a local farm instead of a distant company.
A handy habit is planning a few meals right after you customize. Write them on a sticky note, and Friday dinner practically cooks itself.
Summer in Vermont is short, so a weekly box helps you enjoy every bit.
The Soil Gets Treated Like A Treasure Chest
Plows are not invited here. Small Axe Farm uses no-till and regenerative methods, which means the soil stays mostly undisturbed.
Why does that matter? Leaving soil in place limits erosion, stores carbon underground, and cuts the need for extra fertilizers.
It also means less dependence on gas-powered machines. For an off-grid farm, skipping heavy equipment fits the whole philosophy.
The layout is clever too. Raised beds run east to west across the slope, catching rainwater and keeping soil from washing downhill.
The farm sits at about 1,500 feet on a south-facing hillside. That angle soaks up sunshine, helping crops grow over a longer season.
Home gardeners can borrow a few ideas. Try covering beds with compost instead of digging, and notice how the soil stays softer over time.
Small Axe Farm sells wholesale to local co-ops, grocery stores, restaurants, and schools. So you might already be eating their greens without knowing it.
Healthy soil leads to healthy plants, and those plants end up in lunchrooms and kitchens across the region. Not bad for one careful acre.
Every Building On This Hill Has A Comeback Story
December 2018 brought a fire that could have ended everything. It destroyed the microgreens propagating building and an unfinished wash-pack station, and damaged a new greenhouse.
The farm also lost its solar array and other equipment. For an off-grid operation, losing the power source was a massive blow.
Heidi and Evan rebuilt anyway. That kind of grit says a lot about the people behind your salad.
Here is another impressive detail. The farmers timber-framed and built every structure on the property themselves.
That includes the wash-pack space where produce gets sorted, washed, and packaged. It is the final stop before greens head out to customers.
Small Axe Farm sits at 731 Whitehill Rd, Ryegate, VT 05042, in the Northeast Kingdom area. It is often linked with nearby Barnet as well.
Since most shopping happens online, check the farm’s ordering options before planning a trip out. The pickup system makes things easy anyway.
Knowing this backstory makes each bag of greens feel a little more meaningful. Hand-built barns, sun-powered coolers, and a big comeback all come along with every order.