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Heirloom Vegetables
 Our flavorful produce is used by our catering department to showcase the best flavors of the season. In addition, we sell our produce at local farmer's markets and country stores, as well as direct to the consumer from our farm. If you are interested in our produce, please call 802-325-2461 or email info@brownboarfarm.com for more information and availability.
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A century ago, a wider variety of plant foods were grown for human consumption. As in many other industries, modern agriculture has become more specialized and industrialized and today most commercial food crops are grown in large monocultural plots, utilizing limited plant varieties to provide increased productivity and consistency. Modern agribusiness seeks food plants tolerant of pesticides and that produce fruits and vegetables that are engineered to withstand mechanical picking and cross-country shipping. Certain varieties may be picked before ripening and then aged off the vine artificially. Flavor and nutrition are often of less concern that other commercial factors. In comparison, Brown Boar Farm is interested in growing historically correct vegetables that have distinct flavors. We have turned to the past to find heirloom vegetable varieties that can provide our customers with the unique tastes and variety that, in many cases, only their great-grandparents may have known well. 
Most authorities feel the cutoff for heirloom vegetables is 1951, when the first plant hybrids were developed, while other authorities use earlier dates. Often, heirloom vegetables are described as plants that are open-pollinated. However, open-pollination can be a problem for farmers who save seeds, as certain vegetables like squash and brassicas can cross readily if not isolated from similar varieties. At Brown Boar Farm we obtain our heirloom vegetable seeds from trusted sources, or by carefully harvesting the seeds ourselves so we can help preserve these varieties and produce plants that are true to their ancestry. We look for vegetables that can satisfy a large variety of tastes and for plant species that can thrive in our Northeast climate without the need for any chemicals to promote their growth. We extend our growing season with greenhouses connected to an outdoor furnace, heated only with dead timber harvested from our own forest management efforts, which eliminates our reliance on petroleum based fuels. Occasionally, we may grow hybrid vegetables to meet the requests of our customers or if we cannot find an heirloom variety that will survive in our climate. However, you can be assured that Brown Boar Farm will always label its products truthfully and never describe a product as heirloom unless it is from a plant variety that pre-dates 1951.