The summer is winding down but the farmers are replanting for fall so I plan to continue visiting farms for a few more weeks. I was surprised today when we hit a wall of rain on I-70 around Odessa, just a little sad it did not rain longer, everyone could really use it. Today I have farms in Moberly, Richmond, Lexington and Buckner to visit and had some company. Justin Cottrell, one of the owners of KC Commercial Realty Group which manages the City Market and Deb Churchill, Property Manager for the Market went along, it was nice to have someone to visit with since I had long stretches to drive between farms.

DanJo Farms is the first stop today and is located in Moberly, Missouri about 30 miles north of Columbia. Dan and Joann had been vendors at the Market when I started in 2003 but relocated their farm shortly after that and did not return to the Market until 2011. The Nelsons are at the City Market every Saturday year round. They are able to do this since they sell a variety of value added items in addition to produce. Dan took us into their licensed kitchen which is located in an out building next to their house. This is where they process the honey from the hives located on their farm, produce the baked goods they sell (today Joann was making peanut butter cookies) dehydrate vegetables, dry herbs and anything else they can think to do which will help to extend their produce into the winter months, they are always thinking outside the box. The Nelsons are currently harvesting tomatoes, assorted peppers, fresh herbs and horseradish. Two of their greenhouses are just sitting full of weeds and dried up vegetable plants. Dan told me they call this burning off the greenhouse, they let it get extremely hot which kills off all the bugs so they can replant for fall/winter. In addition to produce DanJo Farm also raises pigs, turkeys, chickens, ducks, cattle and goats which are processed in a USDA plant and then brought to the market. Some of his stock is located about 15 minutes north of his farm on land he leases. With the chickens and ducks come eggs which they also sell each week. We got to meet “Boris” the bore and a new batch of piglets. Dan is currently working on switching over to Hereford hogs; these are brown and white like Hereford cattle.  DanJo Farms is not always located in the same stall on Saturday so if you can’t fine them, just stop by the yellow information tent and we will point you in the right direction. www.danjofarms.com

 

 Next we head west on 24 highway towards Richmond, Mo. Keith Calvet is a fairly new contracted vendor at the Market. His main crop is corn and green beans. At one time Keith and his wife Rita ran a large commercial vegetable farm but over the years have chosen to downsize. Earlier this year Rita passed away and Keith is once again making changes in his farming operation. He currently is picking the tail end of his corn crop and harvesting green beans. Keith grows a large amount of green beans and is able to manage this with very little help because he owns a green bean picker. If anyone has ever picked green beans you know it is backbreaking work. In addition to Calvert Produce, Keith also operates a skeet-shooting range, a bird hunting preserve and boards and trains hunting dogs. You will find Keith in pavilion two; stall 68 on Saturdays as long as he has green beans to harvest. www.birdfeverhunting.com

Justin and Deb have been waiting for the next stop all day. The Fahrmeier’s farm in Lexington, Mo and also own and operate a winery which is located on their farm. I have seen drastic changes occurring on their farm since 2007 when I visited them for the first time. Ron and Joan have been farming this land since the 60’s and during that time have raised cattle, pigs and produce. They currently have twelve high tunnels where they are growing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and artichokes. A high tunnel is a type of greenhouse, usually unheated, with a Quonset hut shaped frame and covered in plastic. The addition of high tunnels on a farm helps to increase production, in less space, and to extend the growing season by about four to six weeks. Brett showed us where they are planting their fall crops which are all being irrigated with water from their ponds. Their corn crop has been plagued with morning glories which have wrapped themselves around each stalk making it very difficult to pick. Who would have thought such a beautiful flower could cause so many problems.  Farmers have all learned it is a necessity to have a location where the produce can be washed and cooled. The Fahrmeier’s have turned an old hog barn into a walk in cooler equipped with a large machine used for wash produce. Not too far from the winery Brett showed us the beautiful mums they will soon be bringing to the Market, they were huge! The final part of the tour was the old barn they turned into a tasting area for their wines. The view from the patio is beautiful and a great place to check out the vineyards. Since I was the designated driver I did not partake in any wine sampling but it must have been wonderful because Justin and Deb bought a few bottles to take home with them. I always enjoy my visit with Ron, Joan and Brett. I only wish I could visit more often. The Fahrmeier’s are located in pavilion two, stalls 64 & 65 most Saturdays and pavilion one, stalls 27 & 28 on Sundays. Brett usually continues selling at the market at least through November. www.fahrmeierfarms.com    

                                                                                       

One more stop and we are done for the day. We were all so busy visiting we totally forgot to eat lunch and then it was too late and not a lot of good options.  Buckner, Missouri is on the way back to KC and since I had not been there for a few months was the perfect time to stop. Mrs. Frye was busy canning pickles, for their own use, so told us to just show ourselves around. All of the crops which were flourishing in the planting beds in July were totally burnt up so we headed up on the hill to see the crops that were planted a little later. The watermelon patch was not faring very well with the lack of rain so was not producing much. The peppers and egg plants, which love the heat, were looking pretty good. Marlin had two of his grandsons busy picking tomatoes when we arrived. Marlin picks them when they are a little green and lets them slowly ripen in boxes. This helps to keep them from splitting and getting sun burnt. The Frye’s are in the Farmer with Local Supplement Category so supplement all the peaches they have been bringing to the market. The peaches are purchased from Beckners’ Orchard in Lexington, Missouri. Frye farms are usually at the Market April – September.

Next week I plan to stay close to home and will visit all or most of our farmers in Kansas City, Kansas. Not much driving to do but a lot of farms to visit.

Tomato Pie

Ingredients:

1 folded refrigerator pie crust

2-3 cups mozzarella cheese

5-Large garden ripe tomatoes

1 Tablespoon dry basil

1-1/2 cloves minced garlic

3/4 cups mayonnaise or salad dressing

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions:

Unfold pie crust according to package directions. Place in a 9” deep-dish pie pan. Flute edges. Prebake according to the package directions. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and let set till melted. Meanwhile cut the tomatoes in bite size pieces, drain on paper towels. Arrange tomatoes over the melted cheese in the baked pie shell. In a small bowl combine the minced garlic and basil. Mix well. Sprinkle the mixture over the tomatoes in a medium mixing bowl; combine the remaining cheeses, white pepper and mayonnaise. Spoon the cheese mixture over the tomatoes, spreading evenly to cover the top. Bake in a 375 degrees oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until the top is a golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.