Two dogs (Rosie and Barley), a cat (Auggie) and two people (Ralph and Patti) make up the year-round staff at Cheshire Garden.  The four-legged critters confine their labor to chasing rabbits, chipmunks, mice and voles, and barking (the dogs!) to scare off the deer who come to browse on the berries and plums.

Ralph, a former chef, is the man responsible for creating Cheshire Garden's exquisite specialty foods. He learned about good food from his Italian grandmother, a wonderful cook who knew the importance of good, fresh ingredients, so that even as a young boy, he appreciated the flavor of fresh herbs and garlic. Now, food is his passion - both growing it and cooking it.

I was lucky that my mother grew beautiful gardens, and put up vegetables, such as tomatoes and relishes, in glass jars. The best of all, though, were the raspberries, whether freshly picked in the summer sun, or preserved to be spread on popovers and scones in the winter.

I always loved her gardens, and while in college I enjoyed lots of botany and plant science courses, including one on organic gardening which led to my first independent garden in 1974. Fascinated by insect-plant relations, I also spent more than a decade as a researcher in the department of Entomology at the University of Massachusetts studying the behavior of insects in the apple orchard ecosystem. I began farming in 1978 in Leyden, Massachusetts, and joined Ralph here in Winchester in 1986.

Together, we farm this hill and turn our harvest into our very special foods. Ralph carved long beds into the hillside and filled them with compost to richen the soil. I start the seeds in the greenhouse and plant out the seedlings. Since we grow everything organically, we manage all of our plantings very carefully. Raspberries are pruned, thinned, and cut back every year. Strawberries are mulched, covered, and uncovered as the season dictates. We carefully scout for insects and hand-pick them or provide barriers or traps as needed. With our raised beds and meticulous, tender care, plants flourish here.

We pick every fruit, vegetable and berry at its sun-ripened peak. Since we don't rely on markets for our fruit, they don't need to be shipped and we can wait until they are perfectly ripe and most full of flavor for picking. Herbs, too, are harvested at peak flavor on bright, sunny days.

We put the same care growing our food as we do in preserving it. We slowly simmer our preserves and sauces in kettles on the stove, in small batches of just a dozen jars or so. Mustards are mixed just eight jars at a time. Vinegars, of course, are made just one bottle at a time.

For all these reasons, you'll never find our food in your supermarket, or even in big natural food stores. We are found in some of the finest hotels, specialty shops, bakeries and farm stores in New England. We try to offer something special - food made by hand, with love - for all our wonderful customers and friends.

P.S. We love Farmers' Markets, where people get a chance to taste our wonderful foods, then become life-long customers. Here's a listing of or markets and shows.  Send us e-mail or call if you'd like more information on these.

A Small Circle of Friends

As much as we try to grow everything for our products here on the farm, some things (like onions) just don't do well here, and in some years weather (like drought or hail) can cause calamity. We get our organic onions for our JazzBerry from dear friends who also have certified organic farms. Farmers' market customers know Tom Ashley of Dancing Bear Farm - he's the guy with the heirloom tomatoes and the beautiful produce. Tom grows onions for us, and since he also grows peppers and peaches, we have a back-up supply if calamity strikes.

Friends who feel like daughters offer us help a day or two each week during the season. Elisha and I have been close friends since I was 25 and she was three - she's the daughter of some of our closest friends, Kath and Rich DiMatteo who gave us the brilliant drawings of our cats for our labels. Elisha lives across the river in Vermont with her husband Rich and daughters Asha and Juniper. They love coming here and helping us pick fruit or playing water games with Barley. Lara began helping us out when she lived nearby a dozen seasons ago, and now does just about everything better than me. She often brings her son Dante in the summer to help out and play with the other kids. All together we get lots of work done, and have lots of fun doing it.

A Carefully Chosen Few

We don't really seek to sell our products in stores - since we're only putting up what we grow here, we don't really have a surplus of anything. We make an exception for some very special people who either were our friends to begin with, or have come to be friends after a long association. If you see our products somewhere, you can be sure that they are fresh, and that we have a close personal relationship with the proprietor.

Henrietta's Table at The Charles Hotel - Cambridge, MA

I know, it seems crazy to claim a personal relationship with such a classy place, but Henrietta's Table and The Charles Hotel are as down to earth as you can get in Harvard Square. Although frequented by the rich and powerful (the JFK School of Government is their next-door neighbor) Henrietta's Table is a place where a farmer feels as welcome as a queen. The hotel offers its courtyard for a farmers' market where we met Henrietta's chef Peter Davis about 15 years ago. Chef Peter was way ahead of the curve in showcasing local farmers and food producers and started using our products right away. We're proud to be both on the menu - our fruit preserves featured on the platter accompanying the finest artisanal cheeses in New England - and on the shelves of the little market at the front of the restaurant.

Wheatberry Bakery and Cafe - Main St., Amherst, MA

We first met Ben & Adrie at the Greenfield Farmers' Market just as they were getting started six years ago. We are so pleased and proud of what they've accomplished since then. Not only do they own and run Wheatberry Bakery & Cafe and offer outstanding organic breads, pastries, soups and sandwiches, they've also begun a CSA offering local organic grains and beans. In 2010, Pioneer Valley Heritage Grains CSA brought in 10,000 pounds of grains for its members!!! On their own farm, Ben and his beloved draft horse plow and till the fields, and both parents share bakery duty with bringing up elfin daughter Ella. Adrie writes a beautiful, inspiring blog called Fields & Fire about farm and home life including whole-grain recipes, poetry, knitting, and photographs. They are truly sources of light in our world. Learn more at wheatberry.org or localgrain.org. Look for our Farmstead Preserves and Farmhouse Mustards.

Red Fire Farm - Granby, MA

Greenfield Farmers' Market customers watched as Ryan Voiland progressed from growing vegetables in his parents' backyard, through Cornell and to eventually becoming one of the most respected farmers in Massachusetts and organic farmers anywhere. We're proud to be in the company of Ryan's outstanding produce.

The Food Shed at Enterprise Farm - River Rd., Whately, MA

Superb organic vegetables from 80 acres of valley fields now open year round (winter hours Tuesdays 2-6, Saturdays 9-2). In addition to their own storage vegetables and greenhouse greens, they offer fresh organic fruits and vegetables from east-coast farms (including organic citrus during the winter). Local honey, yogurt, maple syrup and our Preserves, Mustards & Vinegars are here too.

Canterbury Shaker Village - Canterbury, NH.

This living history museum has beautiful gardens, demonstrations of Shaker life, and an on-site restaurant featuring gourmet meals with herbs and produce grown there.

Hannah Grimes Marketplace - Main St., Keene, NH

The place where people look for special, New Hampshire made products.

Stonewall Farm - Keene, NH

This educational farm offers nature trails, animals, fresh milk, organic vegetables, and lots of local foods.

Ingenuity Country Store and The Basket Company - Central Square, Keene, NH

All the great toys and candy you remember as a kid, plus baskets and specialty foods, including our mustards.

The Bridges Inn - Swanzey, NH

This lovely inn in the heart of Cheshire County offers easy access to the many covered bridges in our area for which the inn is named. Our friend Susan Schuster is the innkeeper, mother of Elizabeth and David who worked here picking raspberries a decade ago. The family runs the inn together with Elizabeth's husband Claudio whom she met while in the Peace Corps in Honduras. Beyond the antique furnishings and modern amenities, a main draw of the inn is David's breakfast - creative gourmet fare using local ingredients, including our preserves and mustards.

Rosaly's Garden - Peterborough, NH (open May 21 - Columbus Day)

This beloved farm is a destination in pretty Peterborough, NH. Rosaly is famous for her flower cutting garden and pick-your-own fruit. She also carries outstanding locally made breads, pastries and specialty food products. Rosaly offers our Preserves, Mustards and Vinegars.

The Inn at East Hill Farm - Troy, NH

This is one of the best places in New Hampshire for a family farm vacation! They have lots of animals (all different kinds!) as well as swimming, hiking and many family friendly activities. They serve three meals/day featuring hearty farm fare, most of it grown on site.

Homestead Farms - Walpole, NH

This picturesque Connecticut Valley family farm carries our mustards as well as their produce and local cheeses.