It isn’t often that you meet a young person who has the determination and drive to become a farmer. And in swoops Ryan Voiland, who started his farming career when he was still in middle school! We’re excited to share the story of how Ryan started Red Fire Farm, in Granby, MA.
How was Red Fire Farm started? What was your inspiration?
Ryan Voiland started Red Fire Farm when he took over his parents’ yard as a teenager and turned it into a market garden in the early 1990s. The business was originally named Old Depot Gardens but was renamed Red Fire Farm in 2001 when Ryan purchased his first parcel of farmland in Granby, MA. The name Red Fire refers to both the large chestnut beam barn that is the centerpiece of the Granby Farm—the barn was rebuilt in 1921 on the foundation of the original 1800s barn that burned in a lightning strike—and to the popular staple red leaf lettuce variety called New Red Fire.
What makes your produce and farm unique?
Red Fire Farm is based around the idea of growing really tasty and delicious organic produce using sustainable practices. We like to eat a wide range of crops and varieties, and this shows in the wide diversity of crops and varieties that we grow in our fields. Keeping track of so many crops can be challenging, but we do it because we love to eat the wide breadth of produce that is possible to grow in New England! We use greenhouses and high tunnels to extend the season with winter greens, early tomatoes, late peppers, and store roots in our geothermal cooled root cellars and coolers to provide crunchy carrots, savory onions and a wide range of other storage produce all winter long. This keeps people eating local all year long, and it keeps our core staff of farmers employed all year long!
What is one of your favorite veggies you grow? Do you have any recipes you love to use them in?
All vegetables are favorites, and I hate to say I like one more than another. One crop we love at Red Fire Farm is garlic. May is a good time of year for green garlic, one of the first outdoor green and zesty crops to ripen each year. Here is a recipe for green garlic pesto. Many other seasonal produce recipes can be found on the Red Fire Farm website.
Green Garlic Pesto
10 stalks green garlic roughly chopped, including as much of the greens as desired
½ cup olive oil
½ cup walnuts or pine nuts (or other nuts)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs. Lemon juice.
1 Tbs. water
Place all ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust as desired. Use on pasta, pizza, or sandwiches.
Makes about 2-3 cups.
Why is buying and selling locally, and the local food movement is important to you?
Local farming can do a lot to help positively address so many challenges that society faces. Farming with environmental integrity can make our environment healthier, help counteract climate change, and make our landscape more beautiful. Healthy produce can help address food insecurity and bring better nutrition and health to people. Eating local produce from carefully selected heirloom and hybrid varieties also brings gastronomical joy to eaters, enhancing the quality of life. Local farming can also be an important driver in the local economy by providing employment in rural areas. Red Fire Farm employs over 50 people each year! Nothing is more fundamental than good food!
How does working with Food Connects help your business?
Food Connects is an important partner because it helps get produce from our farm packing barn to people who want to eat it. Distribution can be one of the most challenging logistical nightmares for small farms. Although we run several trucks to make produce deliveries, we still can't reasonably or economically deliver everywhere. In many cases, Food Hubs such as Food Connects can really help make the logistics and delivery of local foods work better for both the consumers and farmers.
Any events coming up or fun facts about your business/products?
We have organic pick-your-own strawberries at our Granby farm location. Berries start to ripen most years in the first week of June, and peas will also be ripe for pick your own at that time. We encourage everyone to come out during the strawberry season to pick and to enjoy some time on the farm. Later in the summer, visit for other pick-your-own crops (cherry tomatoes, beans, flowers, etc.), our pollinator-friendly sunflower spiral, or popcorn maze filled with Halloween scarecrows in October.
Anything else you would like me to feature? Anything that you are doing to respond to the COVID-19 crisis?
We are doing all the recommended COVID-19 safety practices (masking, social distancing, extra handwashing, and cleaning, etc.).