The 1936 Oklahoma family farm behind Once Upon a Farm

A Veteran's Seven-Hundred-Dollar Bonus in 1936

The story begins in 1936 during the depths of the Great Depression. Garner's maternal grandfather, a World War I veteran, cashed his federal veteran's bonus check for roughly $700 to purchase the 20-acre property. It was a modest sum. At the time of the purchase, the land held only a tiny two-room wooden farmhouse with no electricity, no running water, and no indoor plumbing. It was raw, demanding ground, but it provided a lifeline for a struggling family.

Garner's mother, Patricia 'Pat' English Garner, grew up on this homestead alongside six siblings. Life on the farm required relentless daily effort. The family planted long rows of potatoes, green beans, lettuce, radishes, and tomatoes, harvested wild blackberries from the fence lines, and gathered native pecans from towering grove trees. They raised livestock and tended a wood-burning cookstove that heated the house in winter. That intimate connection to seasonal farm food shaped Pat Garner's lifelong approach to cooking and family meals.

Decades of Rest and a 2017 Restoration

Over the passing decades, family circumstances shifted and the agricultural fields eventually went dormant. The land rested. For nearly 40 years, the Oklahoma acreage sat largely unplanted as pasture, preserving the soil's natural structure without exposure to intensive industrial chemical fertilizers. In 2017, after joining the organic infant food startup Once Upon a Farm as co-founder and Chief Brand Officer, Garner made the decision to buy the farm from her Uncle Robert to protect its heritage.

Rather than commercializing the land from afar, Garner partnered directly with her family members who still resided on the property. Uncle Robert and Aunt Janet took on active management roles, overseeing the extensive multi-year transition to certified organic agricultural standards. They repaired the historic fences, restored the irrigation infrastructure, and tilled the resting earth for new organic crops.

What Thrives in Locust Grove Today

Today, the Locust Grove farm operates as a model of regenerative organic farming. The soil responded with vitality. The fields rotate through a diverse mix of specialty produce tailored for infant and toddler blends:

• Organic Blueberries: High-bush berry patches cultivated for antioxidant-rich fruit purees.
• Field Peas and Sweet Potatoes: Nutrient-dense root crops and legumes that rebuild soil nitrogen naturally.
• Winter Rye and Cover Crops: Planted between growing seasons to prevent soil erosion and feed beneficial microbes.
• Persimmons and Pumpkins: Autumn harvests that bring natural sweetness and beta-carotene to seasonal recipes.
• Honeybee Hives: Managed apiaries that pollinate the flowering fruit trees and native wildflowers.

Produce harvested from these fields feeds directly into Once Upon a Farm's 'Farmer Jen' product line, creating a clear traceability link from a single Oklahoma plot to grocery coolers across the country.

A Full-Circle Family Legacy

The most heartwarming aspect of the Locust Grove restoration is the intergenerational circle it completes. Nearly ninety years after Pat Garner helped her parents pick green beans in dusty overalls, she walks the exact same fields as an honored matriarch, watching her grandchildren explore the revived rows. The land that once sustained a family through economic crisis now nourishes a new generation of infants nationwide. We find that continuity genuinely inspiring. It shows that honoring family roots can yield something delicious, enduring, and deeply good.