Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Robin Silverman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Robin, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I opened Tripping Gnome Farm in July, 2022 and can honestly say that it was the biggest risk that I have ever taken. I started my agricultural journey with absolutely zero previous experience. Raised in New York City with no farms or even green grass anywhere in my immediate vicinity, I landed in Massachusetts after college and spent the next 30 years raising my family with my husband and teaching Latin to middle and high school students. As my youngest child neared high school graduation, I decided it was time for me to make a change and try something different for the second chapter of my career. Having been an educator through the Covid pandemic, I was very depleted and knew that I needed to put my own health first and find a different venture that would nourish me. A few years earlier, we had bought some land in Maine which included fields and a few outbuildings, so we made the decision to relocate there and start a new adventure. After throwing out a bunch of possible ideas—brewery, ceramics studio, event space—we eventually decided to start a farm, growing culinary mushrooms, microgreens, and field produce. I signed up to be a vendor at my first summer farmers’ market before I knew I could even grow anything—I just assumed I would figure it out! As I am about to start my fourth growing season, it is hard to fathom how much I have learned, how much infrastructure we have built, how many connections I have forged with other small business owners, and how many hours I have worked to plant, grow, and harvest the food which we provide for our customers. I am now one of the veteran vendors at that original farmers’ market,and we have a vibrant and dedicated group of customers who regularly visit us at our own farm store or one of the local summer and winter markets. We have also been able to grow enough food to donate produce to our local food pantry every week, all year round. Most importantly, we have created a community here at Tripping Gnome Farm where people come to find organic, local food, play a round of disc golf, eat a farm-to-table meal, or just enjoy the space together. I still feel like I’m just starting out, but I am overjoyed with the progress we have made and can’t wait to see what’s next!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Robin Silverman, owner of Tripping Gnome Farm in Freeport, Maine. At Tripping Gnome, we grow field produce in the summers and culinary mushrooms and microgreens all year long. With the goal of creating community at the farm, we also offer a free 9-hole disc golf course, a farm-to-table dinner series, and two event spaces which we rent out for family events and overnight stays. Something that sets us apart is that everything we grow is sold either fresh or freeze dried. I work with my cousin who owns a freeze drying business in Maine, and I bring her any mushrooms or produce that we don’t sell within a few days to freeze dry. This preserves them at their peak flavor and freshness. The freeze dried produce, which boasts a 25-year shelf life, is sold along with all of our fresh produce in our farm market on the property. In addition to selling all of our products fresh or freeze dried, we have also made a commitment to donating food to our local Freeport food pantry every week, ensuring that we have absolutely no wasted food at the farm.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

In everything I do, I try to be kind, welcoming, and helpful to those around me. I am a very relational person and making connections within my community is a priority. People recognize these qualities as I interact with them at the farm, and it’s created a warm, safe environment that people enjoy visiting and returning to. In addition, the fact that we are open all year selling fresh produce and mushrooms fills a winter niche that is a welcome addition to the plentiful seasonal produce found in Maine. Our vast selection of freeze dried produce has also set us apart and has become a very marketable asset for us. Although I am fairly new to the world of social media, our Instagram and Facebook accounts have also helped us reach a broader audience and have been an excellent means of communicating about our events and happenings at the farm.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I was a teacher, I regularly worked way beyond my bandwidth, spending an inordinate amount of my after-school hours answering emails, correcting papers, or planning lessons. There was great need in my school community and I felt that it was my responsibility to serve that need. While I know that I benefited my school with my work, I did not value my own time as I should have. In my second career as a farmer, I have learned to enjoy my time at the farm and also savor my off-farm time with family and friends. I have created a much healthier work-life balance and feel happier and more content as a result.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trippinggnome.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trippinggnome/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrippingGnomeFarm/