 Elijah Lagreze here from Boulder Top Farm in Montague. I've been farming solo on my own property about four years and prior to that I learned how to farm, forage and grow mushrooms from my father, Paul Lagreze, who you can find at the Northampton Tuesday market. I grow a variety of mushrooms, fruits and vegetables and make value-added products including Hot Sauce, Jerk Seasoning and Umami Bomb Mushroom seasoning among others. We are a small family-run farm and this is my main source of income for the year and the wonderful patrons of the Amherst Farmers' Market have been supporting us for quite some time. I used to sell at the Amherst Farmers' Market alongside my dad over 10 years ago and expanded starting my own business and I hope to continue serving the community for some time to come as Boulder Top Farm! We have a few acres of vegetable and fruit production as well over a few thousand inoculated shiitake mushroom logs and indoor grow facilities for gourmet mushrooms. See you at the market!
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 Hello! We are Sofia and Derek and we own Rabbit Run Farm, a small scale vegetable and flower farm located in Worthington, MA. We use regenerative farming methods that go beyond the organic agriculture standards. I’m Sofia and I own and operate the farm with my spouse Derek. This is our first season farming on our land. It has been a winding journey to get here and we are both elated to be a part of the Amherst Farmers Market as new members for 2026! We feel a deep connection to this work and love to share our passion for agriculture with others. Owning and operating our own farm is a dream over a decade in the making. Derek and I met in 2014 during my senior year of college. He had farmed for three years prior and was eager to return to it. We moved to Pennsylvania to work on a 35 acre farm. I loved the seasonal nature of being a farmhand, working hard in the summer and having time to travel during the winter. We both enjoyed getting to spend our days outside, doing rewarding work, meeting customers, producing delicious food, and getting to spend our days together. After that first season working together we knew we wanted to own a farm. We were daunted by the prospect of having to save enough money for acres of prime agricultural land and expensive equipment. We became interested in regenerative farms that grow a large volume of produce on just a few acres. We made the decision to work the following season on a farm that was highly productive, even though they were only farming 1.5 acres with hand tools. This experience was deeply impactful. We realized that we could own a farm without as much capital and by adopting regenerative farming methods, we could build healthy soils, grow nutrient dense food, and reduce our use of plastic and fossil fuels. We worked for years as farm hands and then managed a farm in Cohasset, MA. We were always saving money to start the farm one day. In 2022 we decided to move to Western Massachusetts to start looking for land. We were drawn to this area because of its natural beauty, vibrant culture, agricultural roots, and proximity to central mass (where we both grew up). Finally we found land through the New England Farmland Finder, a program that connects existing farmers selling their land to farmers that are seeking land of their own. It was a special experience to connect with the previous owners of our farm and know the land was deeply loved prior to our arrival. It feels incredible to finally be building our own business from the ground up. We are excited to be doing work that helps feed our community and contributes to a strong local food economy. We are grateful that farming allows us to explore ways that agriculture can contribute towards slowing climate change and how farms can be more resilient in the face of extreme weather. We hope that our love for growing food will shine through in the produce we bring to market. This year we have an expansive crop plan. We love to grow salad greens and aim to have them every week at the market. Complimenting our greens, throughout the season you will find we grow a little bit of everything, from cucumbers and tomatoes to gorgeous flower bouquets. We love to cook, and promise to bring the highest quality produce to market. We also strive to eat locally every week of the year and want to help you do the same. We use high tunnels to keep produce available year round. When we moved here we dreamed of having the opportunity to be a part of the Amherst Farmers Market. It is such a vibrant market with wonderful vendors and a dedication to local agriculture. We can’t wait for the market to start and look forward to meeting you on Saturdays at the Amherst Farmers' Market on the Amherst Common!  Hi! I'm Jen, the owner & creator of Free Spirit Farm in beautiful Wendell, located in Western Massachusetts. Inspired by a love of animals & nature, I create eco-friendly products that are both gentle on your skin & on the planet. From a young age I was connected with animals and nature. Growing up in an artistic house in Plymouth MA, my mother taught me to be creative and appreciate art, while supporting my horse and animal obsession. I went to the University of Massachusetts for Equine Industries and Pre-Veterinary Medicine; I have worked in the Animal Health industry for over 20 years. In 2021 I began making goat milk soap with my Nigerian Dwarf goat Annie's milk. My passion for creating soap grew because it fed both my love for creativity and my science background. Since I have made many products for our family to share with others, using natural organic simple ingredients, many I grow in my garden. My side business has begun to grow. We now have an awesome herd of 13 mini dairy goats. Two years ago, we built a barn studio where I can create my products outside the home in a beautiful, spacious setting. Simplicity is better for our health and our environment, with a firm belief that plants are the original medicine. Each product is made with great thought and care. Every bar is cut, shaped and wrapped by hand. We use eco-friendly packaging whenever possible. I am very excited to be part of the Amherst Farmers Market community, make new friends and share our products and now you can find us in downtown Amherst on Saturdays at the Amherst Farmers' Market! See you on the common! With Gratitude, Jen LeVangie  My name is Shawna Schuster. I am the founder and owner of Summer Snoballs, a Hawaiian-style shaved ice business. I am a U.S. Army veteran and a proud mom to two children.
I am originally from Arkansas/Oklahoma, growing up along the border. Shaved ice/snow cones were always my favorite summertime treat. As a kid, I always looked forward to the snow cone shacks opening for the season. A perfect summer day was spent playing at the pool and stopping for snow cones on the way home, a blue-mouth smile on my face (My favorite was blue coconut). After graduating high school, I attended the University of Arkansas, focusing on general education classes. After three semesters, I started to feel the symptoms of burn out. So, I dropped out of college and joined the military. I wanted to travel, feel proud of what I was doing, and challenge myself. My job in the military was satellite communications and network technology. My first duty station was Korea, where I was placed in a communications unit. I was also given the additional duty of being my unit’s BOSS representative. BOSS is Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers. It is a program designed to help single and unaccompanied Soldiers by providing recreational activities, volunteer opportunities, and quality of life resources. My job was to relay the current or upcoming events to the Soldiers in my unit and advocate for their needs. My second duty station was Fort Hood, Texas (Fort Cavazos), where I was assigned to a combat unit. This was where I met my husband, Jordan. Jordan was also in a combat unit, working as a tank crew member on an Abrams tank. Jordan and I would later deploy to different areas. I went to Iraq and he went to Europe. After deployment, I decided to reenlist for another four years, being stationed in Hawaii. In Hawaii, I was stationed at Schofield Barracks in an aviation support unit. We moved to Hawaii just before the start of the covid outbreak. After being on the island for 2 years, and the initial panic from covid had settled, we decided to have our first child. With the birth of our son, I decided that being home for him was my top priority, so I made the decision not to reenlist when my contract ended. The decision to move to Massachusetts was based on several things. We already had an established support system here in the form of lifelong friends. We also knew that we would want to have a second child, so healthcare was also an important factor. I also wanted to return to college and finish my degree. So, education, not only for me but also for our children, was important as well. We moved to the Amherst area in 2023. Since then, we have frequented the Amherst Famers’ Market. One of the things we value most about the area is the availability of local produce and support for small businesses. We value the sense of community and want to be a part of it. I recently graduated from Holyoke Community College with my associate’s degree in science. I will be attending UMASS Amherst this Fall studying microbiology. One of my goals is to work in a hospital laboratory setting. I would also like to work on research projects as well. I started Summer Snoballs because I noticed that shaved ice was very hard to find in Massachusetts. With snow cones being such an impressionable part of my childhood, I decided to share that passion with my community. I decided to start small by operating out of a 10X10ft tent at the Amherst Farmers’ Market. My hope for this business is to bring joy to the local families and have shaved ice be a part of their summertime memories, like mine. My plan is to open a food truck next year so that mobility to other events is easier and I can make a bigger impact on the community and surrounding areas. As a recent patron, and now as a NEW accepted member vendor of the Amherst Farmers' Market, I am excited to be part of this vibrant community and to see you out there for some season fun during the market season on the common! ;) |
AFM Marketblog
Bringing you organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised, locally-sourced blog posts on a semi-weekly basis from the Amherst Farmers' Market. Archives
April 2026
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