Full Moon Waxing

After taking a hiatus from providing farm shares during summer '07, farmer and Progressive State Rep David Zuckerman [1] says that Full Moon Farm, which he owns with his wife Rachel Nevitt, will rise again in 2008. "The plan is to expand from last year's 180 shares to hopefully 250," the ag committee chair explains. "We recognize that this year we put our members and people newly interested in CSAs in a bit of a lurch [2]."

As of next March, the pair expects their farm to get even bigger. If all goes well, that month they'll close on a 151-acre piece of property in Hinesburg — a big step up from their current modest 14-acre plot. Because they have to start planting well before the closing, they'll stay in the Intervale [3] through the 2008 season. Even after they move, Zuckerman and Nevitt will maintain their CSA pick-up sites in Burlington.

They'll also keep living in Burlington, at least for now. "There's no house on this land; there are some barns and other infrastructure," says Zuckerman of the Hinesburg purchase. So Zuckerman will continue to represent Burlington in Montpelier, at least for now. In four or five years, he says, when moving becomes an option, he'll need to decide whether to pursue his political career in a new district: "At the time, [whether or not to run] would be something we'll have to consider."

To use their extra acreage, the Full Moon farmers are planning to branch out into raising animals, collecting eggs and nurturing a few fruit trees. That way, their customers will have easy access to most local components of a meal. But don't look for Full Moon to compete with Shadow Cross [4] any time soon. "None of this is on a large scale," explains Zuckerman. "It's really to expand what we can offer our members and the farmers' markets."