Meet A Farmer: Patrick Helman and Mary Catherine Graziano of Sandy Bottom Farm
Patrick holds up braided red onions, photo by Mary Catherine Graziano
Patrick Helman got his start in farming in the Hudson Valley of New York. He was initially interested in dairy, but when he moved to the Islands and began working at Pomykala Farm, he discovered he preferred vegetable farming, not least because vegetables don’t need to be milked in the winter.
After meeting Mary Catherine, who has roots in North Hero, the two settled in Isle la Motte, where, as Patrick says: “The land was cheap!”
At the farmers’ market, their farmstand, or out and about the Islands, Patrick is always ready with a witty remark. When asked why he got into farming, given how difficult it can be, he simply replied:“Why not?”
While Patrick comes across as humble and easygoing, that doesn’t mean that these two aren’t serious about their farm business. In getting started, Patrick and Mary Catherine (who works at Local Motion as Senior Manager of Education and Safety Programs) decided to not take out loans. Instead, they bought and built everything as they went. The first few years weren’t easy. Patrick credits “sheer stubbornness” in how they managed to build a barn, a greenhouse, two hoop houses, a walk-in farmstand, cultivate 1 acre of sod without a tractor, while also completing a total renovation and remodel of their house, all with a new baby!
Now, their hard work is paying off, and their business is growing in leaps and bounds. This year they have added a delivery-available vegetable CSA with 29 members, all but one of whom are Island residents. They are a vendor at the Champlain Islands Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Their farmstand is a popular stop for locals and visitors to Isle la Motte, they are doing more and more business with restaurants, and their farm was recently certified organic by NOFA-VT.
We asked Patrick what it was like farming in the Islands. The first thing he said was that he appreciated the support from the farming community, especially the help and advice he got from other farmers. Besides learning “all my commercial vegetable production skills” from Bob and Jane Pomykala, local farmers Christine Bourque & Adam Ferris of Blue Heron Farm and Amanda & Hugo Gervais of Savage Gardens have become mentors, openly sharing their knowledge with the new kid on the block. Plus, Patrick credits other Isle la Motte businesses for supporting them, especially Ember and Stacey at Happy Bird Poultry, who send lots of people down the island to their stand.
Sandy Bottom Farm at the Champlain Islands Farmers’ Market
Favorite Recipe Right now:
“Our favorite way to eat asparagus, other than fresh and raw, is to snap the spears into bite size pieces, then roast with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, cook some eggs sunny side up and serve them on a bed of asparagus drizzled with dijon mustard.”
Connect with Sandy Bottom Farm
Visit Sandy Bottom's page on the Northwest Vermont Guide to Agriculture to learn all about where to get their produce, as well as tons of other great, Islands-made products! Visit the main site at: www.nwvtgrown.com