About Jumping Spider Farm
About
At Jumping Spider Farm, we strive to nurture community care and climate resilience by growing food for our community and inviting others to connect, grow, learn, and imagine. We grow over 40 kinds of organic vegetables (and over 100 varieties!), including some specific varieties important to Farmer Sam’s Taiwanese culinary heritage. We have been growing food since 2021 at the Farley Center in Verona, WI, on Ho-Chunk land. Jumping Spider Farm was named after the Salticidae family of spiders. Jumping spiders are particularly friendly and curious, and quite bold–they will even appear to cock their head at you, and are known to leap great lengths to catch prey. They also hunt critters that would not be beneficial to growing vegetables, thus representing balance in an ecosystem. One day while reading in the grass, Sam saw a jumping spider tilt its head as if to look up in wonder. Since then, these spiders have appeared in times of transition to remind Sam that the universe has his back. These characteristics make jumping spiders the perfect inspiration and mascot for a small, local, organic vegetable farm like us. Not to mention, they are so cute!About
Meet Your Farmers
Meet Your Farmers
Sam Hsieh
Sam Hsieh
Sam Hsieh (he/him/they/them) is the lead farmer at Jumping Spider Farm. Sam made their way to Jumping Spider Farm by way of Honolulu, the Driftless region of Wisconsin, Chicago, and Taiwan, places that hold unique significance for him. Sam became interested in farming through a desire to learn about creating community structures that are truly sustainable, nurturing and resilient. They were particularly inspired by fellow queer, trans and/or BIPOC friends who supported their communities through food and agriculture in Chicago.
Sam loves sharing vegetables with you, trying new things, strategizing, and having weird/fun/introspective conversations with you in the field. Sam is also a part time educator at a middle school. He cares about people’s needs being met, redistribution of wealth, and appreciating his Ama (grandmother) by eating bittermelon (it’s good for your heart!). He loves farming alongside such knowledgeable and caring farmers at the Farley Center, and getting to grow food for you!
Sam loves sharing vegetables with you, trying new things, strategizing, and having weird/fun/introspective conversations with you in the field. Sam is also a part time educator at a middle school. He cares about people’s needs being met, redistribution of wealth, and appreciating his Ama (grandmother) by eating bittermelon (it’s good for your heart!). He loves farming alongside such knowledgeable and caring farmers at the Farley Center, and getting to grow food for you!
Katie Schofield
Katie Schofield
Katie (she/her) is excited to be farming at Jumping Spider Farm. Katie is an artist who also loves fermenting and pickling vegetables. She is originally from southwest Michigan and moved to Wisconsin from Chicago in 2012. Katie loves growing and sharing food, bartering, and drawing as many odd looking vegetables as possible. You can follow her art-making on Instagram @cocoonery. This season she'll be working in the field, writing the newsletters, pickling vegetables, and helping with social media.