My Day started off a little differently today, I went and test drove a few trucks. Within a few more weeks I should be driving a new truck to visit farms, I am so excited. The truck I currently drive has a lot to be desired, no air, no radio, holes in the seat, broken cup holders, no tailgate and reeks of garbage. Even the farmers make fun of it. What a great way to start the day.

Since I was so busy shopping I will only get to two farms again this week. I need to step it up a little if I am going to get all the vendors checked before the first frost. I will stay fairly close to KC today and check two vendors in the Saint Joe area.

John Goode from Wathena Kansas has been coming to the market for at least 10 years. During that time I have continued to see improvements to his farm. This year he received his organic certification from the USDA. Way to go John! This process is quite pricey, requires a lot of paperwork, inspections and is very timely, which is why many of the vendors don’t choose to go down that road. Over the last 10 years John has terraced some of his fields, added two high tunnels and one greenhouse and purchased a concession trailer so he can roast peppers by the bushel and sell them while at the Market. John uses this concession trailer and his generator as a cooler for his produce after picking, very clever. Today when I arrived John was busy harvesting lavender for a customer’s special order. He was nice enough to take time to show me around. Stacey, John’s wife, was busy in the field planting sweet potatoes. They had just planted various varieties of melons and pumpkins earlier in the week. The same day the Oklahoma tornadoes hit John had a terrible wind come through his farm and damaged two of his high tunnels, they  started making repairs yesterday with the help of a few of John’s friends from Jamesport, Missouri. All the plastic was ripped off and parts of the frame was twisted. John had to harvest all the produce in one of these tunnels so repairs could be made. What a setback. 

In his main greenhouse they were still harvesting a variety of herbs, kale, garlic snips, lettuce, beets, cucumbers, small bell peppers, rainbow chard and cabbage. Closer to the house he had a row of rhubarb which looked very nice. Stacey told me the red raspberries should be ready in about a week and the blackberries in two to three weeks. They also have a few flowers to sell and BBQ wood which they split, chunk and bag.

John is in the Farmer w/ Local Supplement category so can also sale produce purchased from the local auctions or another farmer as long as it is harvested no more than 500 miles from the City Market. So the tomatoes you see John selling at the market are supplemented, at least for now. He did have field tomatoes, eggplant, celery and a wide variety of peppers and squash planted; they just are not producing yet. Did I mention they have also started raising ducks so will sell duck eggs at the Market this year.

Stacey has added three short hair sheep to the farm but these are not for eating, my first clue was the name tag on the fence. Once you name them they are very hard to eat. Rocket was very friendly but must have had the munchies; he kept chewing on my shirt and clipboard. Goode Acres is at the Market every Saturday in stalls 5-8, you can find more information at www.goodeacres.com

Fifteen minutes later I arrived at Natures Choice located in St. Joe right off 169. As I pulled in the drive I could see everyone was hard at work in the very large berry patch Fred planted last year, it looked great.  Not a surprise since Fred Messner is a master at what he does. If you are at the market and have a question about growing produce Fred is the “go to guy”. Fred explained the painstaking care they put into training this year’s vine to go one direction for easier picking and next seasons vine on the opposite side of the plant. They do this with various lines stretch from end to end of each row at various heights and with special clamps so not to damage the plant. After the berries are harvested this year the old vines will be trimmed back and the new vines will be trained for next season, very time-consuming and fascinating. 

Helen Messner had to show off her new toy for getting around the farm. (See Photo) It was really nice to get a guided tour with a little shade. Fred got a little carried away this year planting potatoes, they have an acre planted. That is a lot of potatoes. Their fields and greenhouses are full of tomato plants 1,000 plus in the field, 500 cherry tomato plants in the greenhouse and an additional large amount in another greenhouse. They have been super busy since they also have row after row of other vegetables as well.  Last year the Messner’s had solar panels installed so run everything off the grid, what a great operation. 

Fred and Helen have a farmer in training working with them this year. Chris Padgett raises chickens and turkeys on their farm. All the chickens are fed a non-GMO organic blend of local grains with probiotics, vitamins and trace minerals. Chris starts with day old Cornish cross chicks, at three weeks he moves them into portable field shelters where they are allowed to range on fresh pasture daily. These portable shelters are moved every two weeks to a fresh plot. He currently has 1000 birds, 80 chickens for laying eggs, 20 ducks for laying eggs, 200 chicks which will provide eggs by late September and another 600 for meat. What a very cool operation. Fred and Helen Messner will be selling chicken and duck eggs at the City Market in the near future. Chris has a guard dog in training to protect the chickens from predators such as raccoons and opossums; now he is just a very adorable pup. He is a Great Pyrenean mix, which many of the farmers use for protecting their livestock.

 

Fred and Helen are at the Market every Saturday and most Sundays. Saturday stalls 12-14 and Sunday 60-62.

I will keep you all updated on my new ride and of course will have pictures. Hope to see everyone at the Busker Festival tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will take place in the north east corner of the Market along 3rd street. For more information visit the City Market web site under events.