Becoming Farmers

In 2009, we had no idea what it would mean to own and run a small family farm. Eric, a graduate of The University of Chicago, had worked in the corporate world for fifteen years. I was a graduate of Pratt Institute, a graphic designer and a stay-at-home mom. In short, we were not farmers. But we are now.

We had always been foodies – Molly an avid baker, Eric a line-cook through college. In 2005, we planted a small lettuce and herb garden outside our home in Connecticut.

When we moved to London, each of our neighbors had a vegetable plot in their backyard. Growing some of your own produce didn’t come as a surprise to them – it was simply the standard. But what if it wasn’t just the standard? What if we actually found some land, bought a “family cow,” and started making cheese?

We looked at each other and laughed. That would be crazy.

But – what if?

Our family had visited Martha’s Vineyard in the summer months, and we knew the island had a rich agricultural history. On a cold and snowy day in February of 2009, we rode the ferry and first stepped foot onto this land. The truth was, we fell in love. We had found it – our place on this island. A place where we could raise our own animals and produce our own organic foods.

Our realtor told us we were crazy. And we were.

Our plan: make cheese. Formerly known as Rainbow Farm, our new property hadn’t been a working dairy since 1961. We wanted to modernize the farm. Our learning curve was steep. But before we knew it, our first three cows arrived. Thelma, Helen and Mary Nell. At that moment, we knew there was no looking back.

In 2010 we put a fridge on the porch, and started selling raw milk. The property was still more a construction site than a “farm:” bulldozers, dirt piles, barns propped by scaffolds and beams. Over the next few years, we began making cheese. At first, it was a lot of “pig cheese” – that’s cheese we feed to the pigs. It’s not cheese that humans enjoy eating. But batch after batch, test after test, month after month, something started to take shape. Eventually, that “something” became Prufrock. Stinky. Buttery. Wonderfully orange.

In May of 2013, the farm had its first and greatest major setback. We left a dishwasher running, and we had no idea what that would mean. In the middle of the night, we woke up to smoke and fire. By the early morning, our creamery had burned down. We didn’t know if this was the end. We took a deep breath and thought about why we had started farming in the first place: We wanted to produce good, organic food, and ultimately, we knew that this wasn’t going to stop us.

We had to rebuild. Reset. Rethink. It was a year before the cows came home and the milk began to flow. But once the farm was back in gear, our cheese was better than ever before. We knew we were getting somewhere. In 2016, Prufrock was awarded a first place at The American Cheese Society Annual Awards. It felt good. Really good.

Since 2015, our head cheesemaker Joe Alstat has worked to developed our seven current cheeses. Prufrock, our washed-rind cheese. Eidolon, our bloomy-rind. Bluebird and Bluebird Reserve, our two takes on the classic blue. RipRap, our hard alpine-style. Over the winter and spring of 2019, we developed the large format washed-rind Bon Anniversaire to celebrate the farm’s tenth anniversary. In the spring of 2020, when the farm stalled due to COVID-19, we began to make Banneker, our first long-aged cheddar.

In 2018, we expanded our small family garden into a true market garden that could produce certified organic vegetables well into the winter. We started with a half-acre of land and a small hoop house.

But with gardens’ manager Ethan, we’ve raised no-heat high tunnels, converted pastureland into five acres of full gardens, and now harvest vegetables every day of the year. We’re dedicated to no-till practices that reduce our reliance on machinery and preserve soil health for the full course of the growing season.

2019 brought a bakery to the Grey Barn – in fact, to the actual “grey barn” itself. Christian, our baker, works with three different sourdough starters to create our rotating selection of slow-rise, certified organic bread, which you can find in the farmstand six days a week. Melissa, our pastry expert, bakes delicious croissants, danishes, kouign amann, and other goodies, which join the bread selection Thursday through Sunday every week.

The spring of 2020 brought the farm its second great challenge – COVID-19. As usual, our farm team rose to the challenge. The farmstand crew transformed our retail front into an entirely new and socially distant space.

By the fall, we new we were desperate need of an expansion. We spent the winter and spring of 2021 renovating our old space – the new farmstand is double the size equipped with its own bread counter, brand new coolers, and an outdoor patio where we host the Chilmark Coffee Company Thursday and Sunday mornings.

In addition to cheese, veggies, and baked goods, the farmstand has raw milk, eggs, flowers, and a whole variety of meats available six days a week. So: milk, meat, cheese, eggs, veggies, bread, flowers. I mean, what’s next?

Who knows. There never seems to be a dull moment. We get to work with people we love each and every day. Calves are born, piglets scurry in the woods, and chickens scratch through the pasture. Ruby – our dog – is always getting into something. And we had the good fortune of this wonderful land to raise our family on.

Farming isn’t about farming. It’s about the people you work with, and the people in your community. Our team and our customers’ dedication to the Grey Barn is a strong as ours, and together, we move forward every day.

… Molly Glasgow, summer 2021