ABOUT US
2023
The Farm
Woods Market Garden is a 165-acre farm, producing roughly 30 acres of certified organic vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers every year. The farm has been an iconic destination and mainstay of the local community for generations, dating back to the early 1900s when the Wood Family first started farming here. Bob and Sally Wood first opened the farmstand in the 1970s, and ever since the farm has been known for its fresh and outstanding products, attention to quality, and deep commitment to serving the local community. The farm is rich with prime agricultural soils, and an abundance of available water from Jones Brook and Jones Mill Pond. In addition to the fields, we manage roughly 1 acre of greenhouses in order to produce the highest quality crops possible, grow a wider selection of crops, and extend our growing season.
The Farmers
Dan and Elyse both hail from Massachusetts, where they met while attending UMass. Dan has been farming since he was a teenager, working on his first farm in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, and has a degree in Plant, Soil, and Insect Science. Elyse worked for many years in Natural Resource Conservation, living and working all across the country including Hawaii, Alaska, Idaho, Washington, and New York. Dan and Elyse spent close to 10 years living and working in western Washington state on the Olympic Peninsula, where they had their two young children, Clara and Theo, before moving back east to purchase the farm. We are excited to help provide our community with delicious and nutritious food and beautiful plants for their gardens and landscape.
Our Farming Practices
Our vegetables and fruit and all of our farm fields are certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers Association (VOF). We practice crop rotation, use no synthetic herbicides or pesticides, cover crop all our fields annually, and select varieties that taste the best and are the best suited to our region and growing conditions. Every year we strive to improve our farming systems, so that we are the best possible stewards of the land, can produce the best crops possible, and can provide the best work environment for our wonderful employees. If you have any questions about our farming practices, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask us directly, we are always more than happy to share.
2000 - 2022
Jon Satz purchased the farm in 2000 from retiring owners Bob and Sally Wood, where it had been in the Wood family for a century. With its location on the banks of Jones Mill Pond and Rte.7, the farm held a place in the hearts of those who grew up "going to Wood's" or those who traveled through and stopped for goodies each summer as they returned to nearby lakes. Summer at Wood's was a true feeling...one filled with overwhelming sweetness, color, and energy. The buzz that could be felt inside the farm stand each day was palpable, and something that people craved coming into spring each year after making it through a long Vermont winter.
Jon, his wife Courtney, and their two sons, owned and operated (along with a bevy of talented employees) the Wood's farm and market until 2021, when Jon's life ended suddenly after a courageous battle with cancer. It marked the end of an era.
Looking into 2022, Courtney is focused on finding the next caretaker for this special property....someone who will continue the legacy of Vermont farming that the Wood family started, and a legacy that Jon enriched so mightily in his 22 years of tending this land.
A Tribute to Jon Satz (5/9/1965 - 8/25/2021)
Farmer Jon brought such life and energy to the farm at Wood's Market Garden. His passion was first and foremost, always being a good farmer, and feeding the community around him. His commitment to sustainable growing practices allowed our farm and market in Brandon to blossom into a destination for beautiful organic vegetables, quality bedding plants and some of the sweetest strawberries around. Jon was the owner and primary caretaker of this special property for the past 22 years.
Jon was a mentor, a friend, a husband and dad, a wise and generous man who shared love, knowledge, and good food with those around him. He was hard working, curious, funny, respectful and kind. Jon was always looking for ways to adapt the farm and business and continually sought knowledge that would help establish him as one of the most respected vegetable growers in Vermont.
Jon was diagnosed with cancer in early 2020, just a month before the world shut down from the pandemic. Business adaptations happened quickly and our community supported us in what would become very limited growing seasons for the next two years. Jon's courage never wavered, even with a terminal diagnosis, and he continued to work through the end of our 2021 farm stand season, making a CSA delivery on the last morning of his life.
Jon died suddenly on August 25, 2021 without warning or goodbyes. It is a loss unimaginable to so many who were tethered to his heart threads. His contributions to the farming community, and the community in which he lived, will hold fast for a very long time.
As we know so well, the world doesn't stop moving. Seasons will continually change, and the farm will come back to life in some way. We are currently searching for the next passionate farmer to take over here at 93 Wood Lane. It's truly a remarkable spot with rich history, and deserves to be tended with full focus and fervor. Jon's spirit will forever be here, but I have realized that this chapter, this BEAUTIFUL chapter of our lives, has quietly come to a close for my family. I'd say 22 years is a pretty good run, and I thank each and every one of you for supporting us throughout our time here.
Fondly,
Courtney Satz
Farm History
The Wood family farm has been an iconic destination for generations. The farm stand on Rte. 7 has changed a bit over the years, but has always retained its nostalgic charm for visitors. Once the site of a restaurant, gas station and garden market, there were also cabins situated along the edge of the pond where you could escape the bustle of the big city. The Wood family also operated a dairy farm here, and the big red barns remain visible and in use today. Customers love sharing stories of their memories of Wood’s and it was our honor to keep this special place full of life.
