Farah's Farm: Part 3, Making Your Own Food

Do you think you could go a week without a trip to the grocery store? If you had to? If you wanted to try to grow your own food, would you know how? At Farah's Farm the goal is precisely that.

Farah Masani, the farm's namesake recently gave Patch a tour of the farm and an overview of how it works. The property at 32 Horseshoe Road was once part of Orem's Dairy Farm. Now it is home to six residents – Masani calls them homesteaders – who work very hard to grow their own vegetables and fruit, keep chickens and ducks who lay eggs, keep bees who produce honey and barter for the rest of their food needs.

Touring the farm and its satellites - property owners nearby who have some spare land to be farmed often barter with the homesteaders – one realizes it is indeed possible to live off the land.

"Right now there are only one or two items we need to buy from the supermarket," said Masani, though she does make frequent trips to the market for another reason.

"Every morning I go to the Village Market and they set aside produce that would have otherwise have gone in the dumpster," Masani explained as she called the chickens for a feast. "There's lettuce, fennel, broccoli rabe, parsley -- and all of this would have gone in the dumpster, so I go pick it up and put it in boxes and bring it here for the animals and let them eat."

In the back yard at 32 Horseshoe Rd, every you look there are chickens and ducks, and, therefore, dozens of eggs to be collected. In fact, the day of Patch's visit there was a total of 33 chickens and 10 ducks.

With the exception of "Duck" – previously owned as a pet by a woman in Manhattan who took him in as a duckling but by 10 weeks had a huge duck in her home – all the chickens and ducks are an integral part of the farm.

"We don't name our animals because they are livestock, not pets," said Masani.

"Duck" was previously named "Dartagnan," but when they learned he was a she, the name became "Duck." "Ducks are very friendly and like people," said Masani. "You can pet them and they will follow you around."

Moving inside the house shared by Jason Long, Brandon Beller, Robyn Mortiboys, Tim McManus and Masani (There is a cottage on the property where the sixth homesteader, Jules Blight), there are signs everywhere of the self-sustaining lifestyle.

In the kitchen there are baskets of fresh eggs, bins full of root vegetables, herbs hanging up to dry and rows of mason jars full of relish and apple sauce. There are jars of honey and a refrigerator full of dishes prepared from farm produce.

In the basement there are more herbs drying and a freezer full of uncooked apple pies, as well as items like corn and peach sorbet to get the homesteaders through winter. 

The word "commune" may come to mind, but it doesn't really fit, considering all six residents have full time jobs. After all, there is rent to pay.

Masani explained that all the farming is done in their spare time and went on to list everyone's occupation. Blight is a 911 Dispatcher for the Town of Greenwich. Masani loves to work with local school students (like Wilton High school and Giant steps) to teach them where their food comes from and practices farming therapy. Her education and career in social work and therapy helps her work with children in the fields. Currently, Masani is the Purchasing Director and local Food Forager for 9 Barcelona Wine Bars and 4 Bar Tacos. Mortiboise is a financial assistant who is also an actress with Wilton PlayShop. McManus is a nurse who works in the VA hospital. Jason Long is a farmer by profession and is practicing to become a Bhuddist monk. 

Some of the work gets done through a volunteer-based CSA. Members of the community volunteer their time on the farm in a barter arrangement, which is an ongoing theme on the property.

Masani uses the beehives as an example. A beekeeper tends the bees in exchange for honey. A neighbor up the road with horses swaps hay for eggs. There are visits from a cheese maker and a woman who makes applesauce and relish that is bartered and sold on the front porch-slash-farmstand.

The farm also supplies a few restaurants like Bistro 7 in Wilton, Oak + Almond in Norwalk, Le Farm in Westport, and Barcelona.

Masani and Long are so enthusiastic about their lifestyle and eager to share their knowledge with others or arrange barter scenarios. She and Long even do some consulting for people who'd like to farm in their backyards and don't know where to start. 

Masani can be contacted at farahmasani@gmail.com