I had to catch up on a few things in the office today so got a late start. I have four farms I want to get to but I am pretty sure that won’t happen if I want to get back to KC before dark.

I always watch the weather when I visit Kaying Lor and Cher Chee Yang in Pleasant Hill, MO. Their farm is next to a creek which has a tendency to come over the banks when there is a heavy rain and the road can flood quickly. There have been years when I have had to turn around and come back another day. No one was there when I arrived so I slipped on my boots and walked through the fields. Their flowers were beautiful especially with the fields as their backdrop. Kaying sells beautiful cut flower arrangements at the Market. In addition to flowers they are also growing Water spinach, Thai peppers, long beans, rice, eggplant, okra and purple hull peas.  You will find Kaying and Cher Chee at the Market on Saturdays in the middle farmers shed and Sundays in the shed on the south side of the market.

I decided to keep heading north to Leeton, Missouri. Jeanette Neal has been wondering where I have been this year; I usually visit their farm much earlier in the summer. Jeanette, Don and their son Jeremiah handle the farming and Jeremiahs wife bakes all the bakery items they bring to the Market. She was busy baking cookies when I arrived. Usually when I visit the Neal’s are still farming some acreage they have a few miles from their home. This has been a rough year so they have finish digging onions and the field is done for this season. Closer to their home they are still harvesting cucumbers, eggplant, assorted peppers, okra, tomatoes and assorted squash. Jeanette also has some very beautiful aloe plants they will bring to the market as long as the weather stays warm.  In the next few days they plan to plant spinach, carrots, kale and basil in the high tunnel where they are currently growing cucumbers. Bristle Ridge Farm is at the City Market every Saturday stalls 112-115 and Sundays stalls 57-59.  You can follow them on Face Book.

Next week I am taking the week off from visiting farms but I will be back at it the following week.