The people, place & practices of the farm

The Farm

Farm History

After a fire destroyed the original 1760s farm house, Rob “Digga” Schacht built a new house and moved to the Quaker Hill, Connecticut property in 1994. During the renovation process, Digga decided to start sowing the early seeds of Hunts Brook Farm. It took many years to cultivate the property that exists now, including taming overgrown fields, forests and otherwise unmanaged land. Digga and Teresa married in 2001, and they began investing in equipment and infrastructure needed in order to grow healthy beautiful food and build a sustainable, viable business.

In 2008, with abundant offerings from the fruitful garden beds, the Schachts began a small community supported agriculture (CSA) program and expanded to sell at area farmers' markets and stock the on-site farm stand. What began as a way to distribute surplus to family, friends and neighbors is now the cornerstone of the business. The farm continues to grow and thrive with the incredible support by both the people who come to work at the farm and the community we feed.

We proudly comply with the CT NOFA Farmers' Pledge program, which solidifies our commitment to farming and running our business in accordance with sound ecological and economic principles.

Growing Practices

Nourishing our plants: Nutrient density

Our farm practices nutrient density soil management. This practice seeks to create a balanced soil through the application of natural minerals and beneficial microorganisms.

The amendments we use provide our plants with all the nutrients they need to thrive. Ideally, the investment of additional nutrients and minerals produce food that is highly nutritious, flavorful, has a longer shelf life and is full of life-force.

It all starts with our seedlings. We inoculate our seedlings with beneficial bacteria and fungi. We use Vermont Compost potting soil mix, humates, worm castings to complete the ideal growing recipe. We are fortunate that the farm sits on a plentiful aquifer, and the plants regularly drink up high-quality, clean water. To further “feed” the plants, we drench our seedlings with fish emulsion weekly. Oh, and let’s not forget the most important nutrient: Love!