Meet Our Farmers: Troy and Carol

Nairn Family Farms is tucked within a shady, heavily wooded plot of land in Southern Missouri. Husband and wife, Troy and Carol, dreamt of a simple farm life for them and their three boys. And in 2021, they found exactly what they were looking for.

Before Nairn, Troy was a truck driver, often spending long periods of time away from home.

"I was tired of being gone. I love working from home - not having anywhere to go or anyone looking over my shoulder wondering what I'm doing….well…except for them!" Troy smirks as he gestures to the gaggle of girls singing happy songs of clucks and coos at his feet.

Meanwhile, Carol works daytime hours as a nurse at the local health clinic. Each evening, she swaps into her farm boots to round out the day of chores.

"Each night, I walk the barn, run the conveyor to collect any last eggs from the day, and round up the girls."

Nairn is a family operation. Their three sons - ages 9, 11, and 14 - help out during the mornings, nights, and weekends.

"It's nice to have our boys grow up here, where they learn a good work ethic and can just be boys," Carol reflects. "Before this, we lived in town, and they didn't have much to do. Now, all they have to do is go outside, and they find things to do. This keeps us all busy, and that's what I really like about it."

In addition to raising hens, Troy and Carol are gardening gurus, planting everything from corn and beans to a rainbow of fresh fruits and veggies. According to Carol, the garden gets a little bigger with every passing year.

"We usually plant everything-tomatoes, cantaloupe, cucumber, melon, radishes, turnips-whatever we've got room for!"

With such a plentiful harvest and egg supply, it only makes sense that the Nairn household spends a lot of time in the kitchen. Years ago, Troy's great-grandmother taught him the art of canning. Today, the couple loves to pickle and can their produce.

"And the eggs…we make hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, fried eggs…." Carol pauses and giggles, "We sound like Bubba from Forest Gump when he's talking about all the shrimp!"

Aside from enjoying an endless quantity of farm-fresh eggs for breakfast, Carol does a lot of baking. "Eggs come in handy for that! I love finding new recipes and trying something different."

Lucky for us, we can try something new too. Carol shared one of her favorite recipes for Zucchini Cake, and it's delightful. Click here to try it for yourself!

Want a 360° view of Troy and Carol's Farm? See it here!