I was off on Monday but Scott was working so Roscoe and I took a drive out to the farm he works at. I love it there! Their main business is strawberries (they run a u-pick and sell to the local grocery stores) but they do so much more. They have a raspberry u-pick, greenhouse where they grow a crap-load of tomatoes and cucumbers. They grow rhubarb, squash, turnip, pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, beans and peas. They have a large market at the end of their driveway where they sell all of their fresh produce (by the honor system I might add - it's not manned most of the time so they have a locked cash box that you leave your money in). They also have a large and very nice Saler beef herd (this is where we have bought most of our cattle), sheep, chickens and eggs. They sell fresh, "grass fed" beef and sheep but they have high quality show cattle as well so they do sell quite a bit of breeding stock. Every time I go there I am awed by the diversity of their business. This is exactly the type of business that Scott and I hope to evolve to, so to say that they inspire us is an understatement.
While I was there I helped Scott pick some tomatoes in the greenhouse and restock the market. It was fun! Although I know I only did about 1/100th of what Scott does in the run of a day so I know it must get tiring, I can definitely see why he likes it there so much. Before leaving, Brian (the owner) gave me some tomatoes and potatoes that were slightly blemished, but otherwise fine, that they couldn't sell in the market as a result. As I was leaving, I then stopped at their market and picked up a box of raspberries (which are SO much better than the ones I buy in the grocery store) and some cherry tomatoes.
Some of the goodies I got at Walkers and some from my own garden |
I strongly urge you to eat fresh food when you can. Even better yet, have a small garden of your own. You don't need to live in the country or on a farm to do this, there are plenty of ways to make it work for your situation. However, if this just isn't for you, at least buy local foods. Not only will you be supporting local farmers and the economy in your own town but it's also so much better when it's fresh. Taste aside, chances are if a farmer is selling at a market or opens his farm up to people to come visit and buy right off the farm, he's doing things right. Not that all farms that don't do this are doing things incorrectly, but it shows that he takes pride in making sure his facilities are well kept and you can see how the animals are treated and crops are grown. I am not a supporter of the "organic" craze or the terms "grass fed", "steroid and hormone free" or "free range", but I am a HUGE believer in supporting your local farmers. There is something to be said for knowing exactly where your food is coming from. I hope this at least makes you think twice about buying carrots from China rather than at the famer's market down the street. Get out there and BUY LOCAL!
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