OUR CREW
Don Zasada & Bridget Spann
Together we operate our family farm. We met as volunteers in Chile while working as community organizers in a rural village. We are living our dream. Dreams are a lot of work!
After living in Boston for 7 years working with The Food Project as the Director of Agriculture (Don) and at Massachusetts General Hospital as a domestic violence advocate (Bridget), we were ready to move out of the city and find long-term security on some agricultural land in the Northeast. A long search ensued, culminating with finding Caretaker Farm.
Our work and way of life at Caretaker Farm is our response to our life experience. We see connection to the land that grows our produce as vital to understanding our responsibility to each other and the earth.
Our two spectacular children, Gabriela and Micah, call Caretaker Farm their home.
Gabriela Zasada
You will often spot Gabriela working alongside the crew during the summers. She enjoys trellising tomatoes, harvesting on distribution days, and playing word games while weeding in the river field. Apart from working with the crew, Gabriela loves hiking/backpacking, rowing, and experimenting with new meals in the kitchen. She loves spinach, sweet potatoes, and all varieties of tomatoes.
Micah Zasada
Micah has always had an affinity for roaming around the farm and assisting with a variety of tasks. Most often seen barefoot, he especially enjoys early harvest mornings. The summer brings along some competing interests of hiking, fishing, and mountain bike riding but he always seems to find time to get his hands in the soil. Micah’s favorite vegetables to harvest include sweet potatoes, garlic and onions and he loves to eat husk cherries and carrots.
Severin Beckwith
Severin grew up in South Carolina and attended Clemson University majoring in International Business Management. He worked with the Peace Corps in Zambia as a “Linking Income, Food and Environment” Volunteer. The COVID pandemic forced Severin to return to the US after a year in Zambia and he then studied for a masters from Cornell University in International Agriculture and Rural Development. For the past two years Severin has been our Assistant Farm manager during the summer and Winter CSA manager from November through March. This season he is also in charge of the greenhouse, animals and irrigation. Severin’s loves to hike, participate in trivia nights, attend live music events or cook up a special meal with local ingredients. His favorite vegetables are radishes, red cabbage and anaheim peppers.
Daun Lee
Daun grew up in Mongtomery, Alabama and attended college at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, majoring in Anthropology with a focus in sustainability and food. She spent the past eighteen months on Jeju Island, South Korea as a Fulbright-National Geographic Explorer, uncovering the social impact of converting tangerine farms to solar farms and understanding the cultural and heritage value disruptions farmers are facing due to the country's greenhouse gas reduction goals. Previously a sustainability consultant, Daun was interested in our apprenticeship program in order to provide a foundation for her future of bringing agriculture and farmer rights to the forefront of sustainability initiatives. When not on the farm, Daun can be found cooking, rollerblading, crafting, and singing karaoke around town. Her favorite vegetables are kohlrabi and fennel.
Alex Moss
Alex grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and attended Colorado State University, majoring in Fermentation Science and Technology. Since graduation in 2021, Alex had been working at Root Shoot Malting in Colorado which supplies grains and non-GMO corn to craft breweries and distillers as well as having their own Malthouse. He is constantly learning about soils, fermentation, compost and alternative farming systems. When not on the farm, Alex can be found hiking in the hills, foraging for mushrooms, and reading history. Nothing makes Alex happier than eating Cayenne Peppers and Nasturtium flowers.
Molly Prom
Molly hails from Champaign, Illinois and recently graduated from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, majoring in both Environmental Science and Environmental Studies. She spent her final semester in Washington D.C as an intern for her senator. Molly has a passion for food systems that began during a SIT International Honors program climate change justice semester in San Francisco, Morocco, Nepal and Ecuador. She was also a seasonal intern at an urban farm near her college. An expert pianist, her other interest include bouldering and cross stitching. Molly’s favorite treats from the farm include Wax Beans and Leeks.