“Mom is the backbone of the family, though
she prefers to stay behind the scenes,”
Melissa says. “She does a lot of prep work
and helps with the kids. I’m the front person
for the family since my brothers are kind of
reserved. They help extract the honey and
prep vegetables and berries if I’m in a pinch.
Dylan helps me at the Dorset Farmers’
Market, and I’ll help them with oiling the
beams and taking photos for their market-
ing.” Melissa’s partner Phil Bowen is a barber
and pitches in whenever and however he can.
“My
mom’s
sister-in-law,
Aunt
Monika, comes from Germany for three
months every summer. She helps with
the kids and the rabbits. And like my
mom, she’s happy to lend a hand with
anything in the background. That gives
me the time and energy to focus on the
preserving at the height of the season.”
Pitchfork Preserves
Melissa entered the food world when
she was 14, waiting tables at a retirement
community in Millbrook, New York.
“That taught me about food production,
high-quality service, and the importance
of relationships.” When she moved to
Southern Vermont, she worked at a
variety of restaurants and delis
including Dorset Union Store (formerly
Peltier’s Market), Christo’s, and Rachel’s
Gourmet Deli in Manchester. “Sissy Hicks,
Sherrie Baker, Athena Alexiou, and the
late Amanda Morris: these women were
and are my mentors in the food world.”
“Dad understood my entrepreneurial
personality and told me I could teach
myself anything with books and hands-
on experience in areas that interested me.
My family moved here right after I graduat-
ed from high school so I guess you could say I
went to the College of Vermont!” Melissa also
managed an alpaca farm in Bondville when
she was 19. Melissa’s first business was
growing and selling cut flowers but she grew
frustrated at how fast they died. “I was pregnant
with my daughter, Addison, and brainstormed
about making beautiful products that have a
longer shelf life. Then it dawned on me:
canning and preserving! Starting Pitchfork Pre-
serves gave me flexibility while raising my kids. The
business took off in 2010 and I never looked back.”
Melissa learned to can and preserve from her
parents and her grandmother, the source of
the recipes she uses today. And now Melissa is
sharing that wisdom with her own two children.
“Even when they were little, I gave my kids a
butter knife and let them help me prepare some
of the cucumbers or string beans. Addison and
Leif are good helpers in the kitchen, washing and
cutting some of the vegetables. This helps them
understand the whole process of growing and
preserving vegetables and working with their
food.”
“I try to give them a range of experiences, and that
includes coming with me on deliveries and to the
farmers’ market. Leif loves the timber framing
and cutting vegetables, and Addison loves caring
for the animals and making the preserves. I call it
‘world schooling’ since so much learning happens
outside the home!”
“Teaching kids the value of real food and
preservation is so important. A friend and I taught
a cooking class last winter for families in our
homeschooling
group.
Imagine
a
bunch of 5- to 9-year-olds let loose in a
commercial kitchen! They absolutely loved it.
We made homemade butter, stuffed dump-
lings, soups, biscuits, and carrot cupcakes.”
PHOTOS:
Page 20: Addison & Leif Henry enjoy a carefree moment at the farm.
Page 21: Thier grandfather.
Page 22: Leif Henry patiently holds a jar of honey near the apiary.
Page 24: Melissa shows a duck to Leif Henry & Addison.
Page 25: Leif Henry & Addison have some fun feeding the chickens.
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