MEET OUR CREW
Susan Flynn
Owner/Operator
Inspired by healthy food, healthy ecosystems and the desire to be connected to the earth, Sue set out in 2016 to look for potential farmland property in Southwest Michigan. Her dream was to create a working organic farm that would restore soil health and also serve as a retreat space to welcome visitors into a deeper connection with nature and the source of the food we eat. From the moment she stepped onto the land of what is now Verdant Hollow Farms, she knew she had found something special. With each season, the vision of the farm as a retreat is becoming more of a reality. Previous to farming, Sue was a professional accountant, community volunteer and full-time mom to her (now grown) four children. She is a certified yoga instructor and mindfulness meditation teacher. She lives near the farm with her partner Ted. You are most likely to find her in the garden with her hands in the soil and a big smile on her face or getting purposefully lost in the woods.
Molly Muchow
Farm Manager
In 2016 Molly became the land steward and farm manager at Verdant Hollow Farms after years of dreaming up a space with her employer turned close friend, Susan. Together they created a vision of a place where people could gather to learn about the magic of nature and find peace in an often chaotic world.
Although Molly spent the majority of her previous career as a chef in Chicago, she has rediscovered her passion for animals through managing the multi species livestock program of the farm. All of the childhood hours Molly spent with her sister observing and interacting with all backyard creatures from frogs and turtles to stray cats and pet rabbits have come full circle in her passion to create a healthy ecosystem on the farm through responsible animal care.
When Molly isn’t staring at sheep and overseeing farm operations you can find her spending time with her three boys, snuggling her beloved dog Captain Coconut, or keeping her hands busy with knittingand potion making.
Get in touch: molly@verdanthollowfarms.com.
Brett Muchow
Farm Manager
Brett Muchow is a farm manager with his wife, Molly, of Verdant Hollow Farms. He is a father of three boys and enjoys the flexibility of the farm life that permits him to keep this role a top priority. Learning the skills to manage the land, working with a variety of tools and machines, and designing structures and systems to enhance the farm are his primary interests. He finds joy in the changing seasons which dictate his workload and finding new ways to discover how to best work with the land, animals, and even the people (sometimes grudgingly) on the farm.
Before the farm, Brett was a National Board Certified Teacher on the south side of Chicago. He spent eight years at a selective enrollment high school teaching English, and over four years in middle schools. His desire to teach and learn with kids is now fulfilled by volunteering at his boys’ schools. Brett looks forward to sharing Verdant Hollow Farms with others and making it a place for education and an experience with nature.
Get in touch: brettmuchow@gmail.com
TAYLOR Hartson
Farm Hand
Taylor Hartson (they/them) is a farmhand at Verdant Hollow Farms, joining the team in 2022. A jack-of-all trades with an interest in and passion for all things livestock, veggies, and flowers, Taylor can usually be found washing eggs, tending to the bees, helping herd animals from one pasture to another, or harvesting and maintaining plants in the garden. They're especially enamored with the goats, with all of their spunk and mischievousness.
In addition to helping around the farm, Taylor is a PhD student in sociology at the University of Notre Dame, studying the experience of queer farmers in the Midwest. Their research focuses primarily on how farmwork helps queer folks explore their identities and how queerness shapes their relationships to plants, livestock, and land.
When they have a spare moment, Taylor is usually crafting something with their hands, whether brewing beer, knitting sweaters, spinning yarn, making cheese, or cooking with the bounty from the farm and their garden.
Daria Lenderman
Garden Manager
Daria first joined the Verdant Hollow team as garden manager for the 2022 season and is passionate about nurturing the health and wellbeing of the plants, animals, insects, microbes, and more that call the garden home. She gets her green thumb from her grandmother, who first showed her the beauty, love, and joy that tending a garden can offer to others. Daria hopes that visitors to the garden leave feeling more deeply connected to themselves and the ecosystems that hold us all.
If she is not in the garden, you can probably find her playing with the goats or snuggling with her favorite barn cat, John. Off the farm, Daria is also the proud pet parent of her dog, Juno. As a total astrology nerd, in her leisure time she also enjoys stargazing and talking about the moon.
Get in touch: daria@verdanthollowfarms.com