It’s springtime at Two Mountain Farm on Shaw Hill Road in Andover. Fruit trees are blossoming, flowers are blooming, and seedlings are getting bigger by the day. Signs of hope for an abundant harvest.
Farming is hard work, but it can be very rewarding. The farm’s new owners, Anthony Munene and Andrea Bye, believe they have what it takes to be successful in their new venture. The couple met in 2004 at the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming, where Anthony was a student and Andrea was a student intern.
For Anthony, farming was always just a way of life, a necessity that grew into a passion and a career. Andrea’s interest in agriculture began in 2002 when she got her first job on a farm here in New Hampshire. Together, the two have worked on and managed organic farms for the past 15 years. Their expertise is in horticulture, soil health, and community food systems.
The couple had been farm seekers here in New Hampshire for a long time. However, finding affordable and viable land tenure is challenging, to say the least.
Anthony and Andrea found Two Mountain farm on a farm land seeker website — New England Farmland Finder. Former owner, and current resident, Mary Anne Broshek valued local, organic agriculture, and placed the farm into a conservation easement with Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust. This helped with the affordability.
As for viability, the farm has been operated by a few noteworthy female entrepreneurs since 2005. “Whenever we meet people, they immediately reminisce of the farms’ luscious peaches and raspberries and the general peace and beauty of the farm’s surroundings atop Shaw Hill Road, with views of Kearsarge and Ragged mountains. Two Mountain Farm is a special place, and we are excited at the opportunity to be its stewards,” say Anthony and Andrea.
They understand the legacy that Two Mountain Farm has in the community and are keeping the tradition alive by offering Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares for pickup at the farm beginning on June 19. There will be COVID-19 safety protocols in place, with contactless, barnside pickup available Saturday mornings from 9 AM to noon. “We look forward to engaging the residents of Andover. It is more important now than ever before to build caring, supportive relationships with one another and to strengthen our local food system.”
June should be an exciting month, with seasonal delicacies such as strawberries, peas, spinach, arugula, lettuces, radishes, flowers, and herbs. To get in touch with the farm, contact Andrea.Munene@nullgmail.com. For real-time updates, check out Two Mountain Farm on Instagram and Facebook.