History fuels growing interest: Thompson Family Farm in Farmington teems with vegetables, fruits

Laura loves hosting the community on her farm each weekend.

“My favorite part is building connection with people. People really value knowing who grew their food,” said Laura. “They want to connect to the land more than ever, which is fantastic. I just love building those connections and making people happy.”

A recent customer’s own family had rented the farm property in the 1960s.

“She talked with my dad for at least an hour about the farm, the soil, and how it had changed,” Laura said.

Thompson Family Farm is on land that has been an active farm for over 130 years.

“The first parcel of land was about 100 acres square,” explained Laura. “The barn was originally built in 1898. The house is at least 120 years old. It’s really awesome to be able to be a part of that kind of history.”

Laura grew up on the farm, learning canning and gardening from her mother. Her parents bought the property in 1987, moving from St. Paul to raise their family. For her parents, the land served as a hobby farm. “As a kid, I had very few friends who had this kind of life. I realized that not everyone had a garden or a mom who cooked from scratch and canned. I thought it was pretty cool to do things this way.”

Laura maintains five large garden plots where she raises berries and vegetables. Laura’s veggies include asparagus, beans, broccoli, cabbage, garlic, kohlrabi, potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, and zucchini. Herbs and over 200 pollinator-friendly flowers are interspersed with the veggies. She also has a growing orchard of apple, plum, sour cherry, and a pear tree that lost half its trunk in a 1998 storm.

“The pear tree continues to stand and thrive. It’s about 50 years old and still produces fruit. I love its story of endurance,” she said.

Laura is locally famous for her tomatoes. Last year her 163 plants produced nearly 6,000 pounds of fruit. What Laura doesn’t sell fresh, she cans — much of it as salsa, one of her favorite products that she makes. Laura also produces a variety of jams, much of it from fruit harvested at Northfield’s Lorence’s and Little Hill Berry Farms.

In partnership with New Frontier Farms, Thompson Family Farm offers a weekly meal kit that consists of produce and canned goods from Thompson Family Farm and locally raised meat and eggs from New Frontier. Half or whole kits are available. On site pick up or delivery are both options. The meal kits run through Labor Day. People can still sign up for a pro-rated meal kit for the month of August. Visit thompsonfamilyfarmmn.com for details.

When Laura’s not on the farm, you will likely find her pursuing her other passion of music. Laura teaches band for four different groups of students.

“I really enjoy teaching band,” she said. “Music has always been a space that gives me peace. I feel so lucky that I’m able to chase two passions.”

Walking with Laura through her gardens, it’s clear that she has found her happy space. Referring to it as “my corner of heaven,” Laura thrives in the space along with the bees, butterflies, fruits, veggies, and her dog, Sadie.

“For me, what makes me happiest is the history behind this place. I have pictures of me at 6 months old sitting on a pumpkin on one of the back garden patches. The history here just connects me to this place,” Laura said. “I’m really grateful that I had the chance to come back to this farm. Michael, my husband, and I are proud to be able to continue this legacy.”

Visit https://www.thompsonfamilyfarmmn.com or follow Laura on Facebook and Instagram @thompsonfamilyfarmmn for current events and available products.

Laura shared a recipe for one of her and Michael’s favorite summer dishes — kabobs. The recipe is for chicken, but it also works with lean pork. Laura usually prepares it with meat from New Frontier Farms.

Chicken kabobs

One of the best things about this recipe is the meat and vegetables are all interchangeable. We use this recipe all summer long and no two skewers are the exact same.

Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 pound chicken breasts

3 bell peppers

2 small-medium sized zucchini

3 onions

Soak wooden skewers for 20 minutes before assembling and grilling. This prevents the wood from scorching.

Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Cut chicken into approximately 1 inch cubes and put into marinade. Cover and let sit in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, cut all produce to fit onto skewers, and put into marinade. Assemble kabobs onto skewers as desired. Cook on medium-high heat on the grill for six minutes on each side. Enjoy!

Discover more local makers and growers by following @MeettheMinnesotaMakers on Facebook and Instagram.