From Field to Feast: A Talk with Oksana Bocharova

http://

Just east of Chestertown on McGinnis Road, Oksana Bocharova walks through her seven-acre organic farm to assess the impact of recent rains. Too much rain, she says, is as concerning as drought. She knows that much of the day will be spent trying to gain control over an onslaught of new weeds. But that’s just a part of the complexity of running an organic farm with no pesticides.

Oksana’s journey to Chestertown began in 1999 when she and her husband left Russia for the U.S. In debt after trying to run their own farm following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and without access to bankruptcy protections, they took the leap, having to leave their two children behind until they were situated in the U.S.. With borrowed funds and a program called the International Dairy Training Initiative, they landed in the icy pastures of Minnesota and Wisconsin, learning American farm life by milking cows and cleaning barns.

What began as a one-year plan turned into a new life. After repaying their debts with the stronger U.S. dollar against the Russian ruble, the couple decided to stay. Through hard labor, $20,000 in legal fees, and eventual sponsorship from a farm owner, Oksana secured a work visa. A few years later, she brought her children to the U.S. and began building toward permanent residency.

When her marriage ended, Bocharova remained with her children, eventually moving to Maryland to work with Horizon Organic and later the Fry family’s dairy farm. Encouraged by supportive employers and agricultural workshops, she began exploring how to buy land for a farm and family house. Banks turned her down—but a USDA program for immigrant and beginning farmers worked with her. After three years, she bought her farm.

Today, Oksana’s Produce Farm is a model of small-scale, sustainable agriculture: diverse, organic, and community-driven. Daily, she prepares for the weekend markets. At Chestertown’s Saturday Market, she usually sells out to her devoted fans by the end of day. Her eggs are famous among marketers.

Her son, a former electrical engineer, left his job to co-found a fermentation business with her. They now supply farmer’s markets across Maryland and D.C. with sauerkraut, pickles, and kimchi—products rooted in Oksana’s Russian traditions and American entrepreneurship.

Oksana also hosts lush seasonal farm-to-table dinners on her property, bringing together food, friends, and storytelling under the stars—offering a taste of resilience, heritage, and healing. The one I attended was spectacular.

Bocharova’s work is hard, and the seasons are increasingly unpredictable, but her philosophy remains steady: “I wanted us to plant roots here,” she says. “To call this home.”

For more about Oksana and to attend one of her amazing dinners, go here.

This video is approximately nine minutes in length.