Sara Zoe joined the Stout Oak Farm Crew in the fall of 2020, after 18 years of being a school librarian. She has a long interest and history working in local food and supporting farmers. Before helping to found Seacoast Eat Local (along with Kate and Jeff) in 2006, she farmed at diverse farms in Georgia, Minnesota, and New York, and spent many summers volunteering on Seacoast area farms.
Sara Zoe is the Farm Store Manager, but also plays a large role in supporting the harvest team, field team, and marketing efforts.
Her favorite task on the farm is actually harvesting! “The food is so beautiful, fresh, and delicious.” Getting to see all the ripe food in the field is a joy, and it certainly helps to inform Sara Zoe as she writes the wonderful emails that come your way. She is a master of thinking of creative recipes and food storage tips to help you use all our food, and we are so lucky to have her crafting those emails!
Speaking of tasty recipes, Sara Zoe’s favorite cozy weather meal is cabbage farro soup😋 As the self-proclaimed founder of the Napa Cabbage club, she does her due diligence to include Napa cabbage into as many recipes as possible!
“I cook with a Marco Polo philosophy – spicing up my local fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy, and grains. I love intense flavors and cuisines, especially the cuisines of Mexico, Cuba, Korea, India, and Thailand. I enjoy being really nerdy about food, and read cookbooks cover to cover for inspiration, then cook by feel and taste with the vegetables I have on hand.”
When she’s not on the farm, you can find Sara Zoe playing with her dog and cat, swimming in some kind of body of water, and reading.
Sara Zoe feels very passionately about farming as a path to a better future. “Farming is where my passions come together – I’m an Environmentalist, and I love great food. I love being outdoors in all weather, growing healthy food for community, taking care of the planet, and making sure all the people involved get treated with respect. I want to spend the bulk of my days working toward positive environmental ends in total contrast to the terrible impacts industrial agriculture has had on the earth and so many of the people who farm for a living.”