It seems like it has been raining every Thursday for the last few weeks, I am so ready to have a sunny dry day to visit farms. I got a late start again this week so I thought I would visit two farms which are located on the same road in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. In the past I knew these two farms have had some issues with flooding from a nearby creek so I was not surprised to see a section of the road covered in water. I stopped where I was and called Kaying Lor to see if it was safe to cross over the creek since the water was not rushing. He told me that it was not a good idea and I took his word for this. Last year they were working in their fields and the creek suddenly rose and they had water up to the doors of their van, I wanted no part of that so gladly turned around.

Just up the road from Kaying Lor is the farm of Dennis and Youa Thao. They have two locations they farm in this area, one of which is on the other side of the flooded creek and the other is surrounded by bobbed wire and has a locked gate. Since I could not reach Dennis on the phone it looks like I will be heading back to Pleasant Hill in the near future.

As I head towards Leeton, Missouri I was sort of dreading the long uphill curvy drive I knew I would have to drive up to reach Janette and Don Neal’s home, especially since it was still raining. What a relief when I saw that the drive was in good shape. I found Janette busy baking bread to take to Sedalia to sale at their Friday farmers market, it smelled wonderful. Janette will bake bread on Friday to bring to the City Market on Saturday. The Neal’s put in a licensed kitchen a couple years ago in a n effort to extend their season, they are usually at the Saturday market during the winter. Janette quickly showed me what was left in their greenhouse and what they had planted in the surrounding fields, we did this as she watched the time so she would not burn the batch of bread she had in the oven. The fields close to their home get rotated every year and are currently planted with green beans, cherry tomatoes, okra, melons and a few more items which were just too muddy to reach. Janette and Don played tag team today showing me around. Don got in the truck and we drove to their main field which is about three miles from their home. This is where the bulk of their produce is grown. Don and I maneuvered around the large puddles and mud past 600 foot rows of beautiful cabbage, tomatoes, fennel, broccoli, watermelon, cantaloupe and purple kohlrabi.  Bristle Ridge farm grows a major amount of candied onions, 40,000 to be exact. The large onions were peeking out of the ground, I know what I will be buying on Saturday. The Neal’s sell at the City Market every Saturday and Sunday for most of the year and are located in shed 3 stalls 112-115 on Saturday and shed 2 stalls 57-59 on Sunday.

Next week we are off to Arkansas, Seneca, Anderson, Carthage and Springfield.