James Cox, A Master Preserver

James Cox, pictured above has been in farming for as long as he can remember. "I can't imagine another life," he said. At the local farmer's market, he sells his homemade preserves and pickles. From him, I bought some of the best jam I have ever had in my life. Surprisingly, it was sweet potato jam. I would have never imagined that sweet potatoes could make such an awesome jam, but he did it. That particular jam was his own creation. Furthermore, I also bought bread and butter pickles from him. Bread and butter pickles are my personal favorite, and his did not disappoint. They were delicious. The recipe used for those pickles were his great-grandmother's; it dates back to the late 1800's. Personally, I adore home creations such as these. I adore recipes that have traveled down the generations. They are a source of familial connection, even between producer and consumer.

Berea Farmer's Market

There is little better than eating organic honey spread over  homemade bread. The honey that I bought at the Flindt Family Farm was no exception. For only  $2.50 a bottle, my whole suite was pleased with the delicious buy. The women who worked at the booth was the mother of the Flindt household and she told me that in order to teach her kids about money management, environmental care, responsibility and organic farming, she started up a small farm. They have 3 honeybee hives at the farm and also grow sunflowers, peppers, tomatoes, green beans and pumpkins. She told me the the Berea Farmers Market is the only place they sell or ever will. However, this does not seem to be a problem because of their increase in business since moving to the new location. Although they are not certified, they are relatively organic and learning more through trial and error.

 Overall, I was incredibly pleased with the price and quality of their products! They were very friendly and talked to me about beekeeping, the difficulties and the benefits. I hope to continue going to the Farmer's Market.

Local Jams and Preserves

There's nothing better than fresh, handmade preserves to go along with your toast. Fortunately, if you're in Berea, you don't have to go very far to get it. Just mosey on down to the farmers market to get a good deal on a large variety of different flavors including Strawberry Preserves, Sweet Tater Jam, and even Chocolate Raspberry Java Jam. James Cox, shown above, has been coming to the local Farmers Market here in Berea for four years, but he's been making his own preserves since he was four years old. He lives on his own in an off-grid shed that he converted into a cozy little living space for himself. He uses organic techniques to grow his own berries for his preserves. However, the preserves are not entirely organic because he would have to charge way more than people would be willing to pay for them if they were. He says the reason for this is because of the cost for organic sugar being so high. When I asked how long it takes to create the preserves, he told be that any one with experience in making fruit preserves can finish the entire process, from preserving the fruit to sterilizing and storing in jars in under an hour. He may live on his own, but he sure keeps himself busy with his preserves.

Preserves aren't the only thing on the menu for those who visit Mr. Cox at his stall. Fresh, preserved pickles and different meat rubs are also available for those who need them. Each one, made by James himself from scratch. It is very hard to find a place like this nowadays. Don't let this gem slip through your fingers.

Udderly Bubbly Goat Milk Soap

The person that i talked to at the Berea Farmers Market, was a lady named Pamela. She is a Berea local who owns a goat farm. She uses her goats for meat, dairy and for making her soap. She sells various different scents of soap that are infused with different oils, and that are all made using organic methods and her own goats milk. Each soap has a different affect on the body ranging from helping with acne all the way to reducing anxiety. When asked why she started making this soap she replied, "I wanted to make a product that could help people. I have an allergy to poison ivy, so i use a secret ingredient to help counteract the affects of it." Pamela also sells individual viles of essentials oils that can be used for a variety of purposes.

Ron and Linda Sheldon

One place that I visited was a husband and wife that grew produce. Ron and Linda Sheldon live in McKee, Kentucky which is about 40 minutes away from Berea, accompanied by many curvy roads. They recently moved from Connecticut to McKee, so this was their first year farming in Kentucky, and, selling at a farmers market. They also grew back in Connecticut, but only the stuff that was in their own garden. Linda told me that this year was a little bit of a struggle for them. They had a time figuring out what to grow, what not to grow, what they grew too much of, and some things that they don’t grow enough of. It was hard because the gardens in Connecticut are planted at different times than Kentucky, due to the different weather. They found out that they planted their crops later than they should have. Also, the things that were popular in Connecticut, people don’t really care for here in Kentucky. This year was a learning year for next year. They did, however, have a lot of luck growing their potatoes and their winter squash. They grew a lot of winter squash, maybe “too many of those”, but were successful with selling them also. At the end of it all, we got so caught up in talking, I completely forgot to pay Linda for my tomatoes. They were really good and tasty tomatoes.

Peaceful Heritage

Kayla Barbour

ANR 100 Thr 10-11:50

Berea Farmer's Market

Focus on: Peaceful Heritage Nursery and Farm

Tuesday Oct. 4, 2016

 My first visit to the Berea Farmer's Market was this past Tuesday, October 4^th. It was a beautiful day and seven or eight vendors had set up shop, offering a variety of products from soap to squash. After careful browsing, I ended up spending a total of $40. Thankfully, I was generously given $20 from my two classes that both required this enjoyable assignment, so I only spent $20 out of pocket. When I left, my re-usable bag was filled with: six sweet potatoes, three bags of crisp greens (one romaine, one spring mix, and one freebie of mustard greens!), one braided strand of garlic, a half pound of lean bacon, two loaves of fresh sourdough bread, and three crème' pastries.

While there were a few different meats, vegetables, and grains available for purchase- I do not think this alone would be enough to sustain me or a community. I would get bored with the same few things so quickly, I'm also not sure if all nutritional needs could be met from just a few different options. Granted, it is nearing the end of harvest and Summer's abundance has run dry. There were kind of “slim pickings” that day at the Market, and I'm not sure if the production supply could meet the demands of our town. If we were to combine the farm store with the market, perhaps a majority of the food needs could be met! The farm store has a wider selection of products and also some prepared foods, so that could be a viable option for a stable food source.

I usually shop at Good Foods Co-op, Trader Joe's, etc. so the prices were comparable to what I'm already paying. However, I'll always choose local first to better support our economy here and reduce packaging & transportation costs. The sweet potatoes were grown by a Connecticut family that relocated here to farm about two years ago. The bakery shop, Clementine's, purchases from local growers and bakes fresh high-quality ingredients into fluffy deliciousness. Clementine's also purchased sweet potatoes there at the market, but their basket had a whopping fifty pounds! The bacon is also local and from Sunny Wolf Farm, located just ten minutes outside of Berea.

I chatted briefly with every vendor for a minute or two as I asked about the farm or production methods, etc. I learned the most from the gentleman at Peaceful Heritage Nursery and Farm. Peaceful Heritage is a small-scale organic farm located about 30 minutes Southwest of Berea down in Crab Orchard. Mr. and Mrs. Cothron are the force behind the family farm and business, and together they have converted an old acid-soil horse farm into an organic orchard and nursery. The all natural, GMO-free, Synthetic-free, low-to-no-footprint farm specializies in superior fruiting plants including: heirloom fruit trees, pawpaw trees, fruiting shrubs, berry vines, and other perennial plants that perform exceptionally well here in our local area. Peaceful Heritage plants do wonderfully elsewhere, but one of Cothran's goals is to promote the growing of fruits here in this “little-served and sometimes challenging fruit-growing region.”As a grower and direct marketer of certified organic produce, Blake Cothron (owner) has over 15 years experience working directly with Fruit Trees here in his native Kentucky.

During the brief chat with Blake, I learned a great deal about his methods of growing high quality produce in a nearly footprint-free manner. Basically just a husband and wife team with occasional help, the Cothrons take extreme care to be sustainable and efficient. Their farm land was originally used for horse pasture, so a great deal of labor went in to preparing the soil for planting. Using all natural and organic methods, the farm achieves high soil quality using: compost, manure, no-till farming, mulch, crop rotation, seasonal planting, and cover crops.

The produce is grown in raised beds that are seasonally rotated, such as vegetables outside in the summer then harvested and legumes are planted outside to re-neutralize the soil. The vegetables will then be moved inside, and after that harvest legumes will be planted there. The Cochrons also harvest heirloom seeds, to ensure the highest quality strains and best tasting produce. The farm is open by appointment only, so Blake and his wife are always excited to bring their goods to town and network at the Farmer's Market! Delivery service is also offered upon request.

The various products I purchased are all delicious and of high quality, but the beautifully crisp and hole-free lettuces are especically tasty. Overall, I am extremely pleased with my edibles and the experience I had talking with the farmers and vendors. Everyone I spoke with at the Market was so friendly, yet also very serious about their trade. The Farmer's Market is a well-loved asset to our local community and definitely my favorite place to purchase food. Small farms (for either production or personal use) are one of the best ways we can give back to our planet, so I support local all the way! Also, Blake and his wife kindly gifted me a bag of mustard greens and instructed me on how to cook them best. The gentleman at Clementine's discounted my purchase by $2. This random kindness would never happen at a grocery store! Most importantly, I feel inspired and motivated by the Farmer's Market to be more self-sufficient! I am really looking forward to having a little garden patch next year!

As I write this, nibbling on a fresh Clementine's pumpkin-puff-pastry, I'm feeling so thankful to be a Berea student and resident. My favorite thing is learning and sharing similar interests with others, mainly in regards to being pro-earth and sustainable. The Berea College and town is so passionate about our planet, it's truly the ideal place to learn and grow alongside nature! Our little community is so unique in many ways and this land is a mecca for earth-lovers! There seem to be small-scale farms and intentional communities all over the Berea area, and many are growing all-natural and organic products. While there are many healthy options here in Berea, the Farmer's Market is undoubtedly the key player in the distribution of our local food (system)!

Ron & Linda Sheldon

Linda Sheldon 

Wanna be Farmin' is the name of the company that is owned and operated by Ron and Linda. Ron is not in the picture because he doesn't like being in pictures. They are originally from Connecticut and got into farming because it was different, there is a high demand for it, they get to be their own boss, and they get to do what they love. "One of the best aspects of farming is that you get to see the hard work pay off when you sell produce to a customer"-Linda Sheldon. This can be said of many careers but especially in the farm world it takes a lot of dedication, blood, sweat, worries and time. For example an average harvest period is 90-120 days depending on the crop.However this is not including the time it takes to grow a "cover crop". They use mostly winter rye so they can protect soil nutrition and prevent top soil getting erosion. The produce that is grown at Wanna be Farmin' is tomatoes, cucumbers,squash, beans,eggs,and other vegetables. To be able to grow this type of produce they use irrigation so like in a year like this one their crops will survive. They have a smaller operation because of two reasons. The first being they do not want to hire more hands if it is not necessary; and the second being they want to put the hard work into it so that they can have not only pride in what they do but also confidence in the quality of the food. This is very honorable because they are insuring profit through the quality of their labor.However there is also a third way to manage the quality and that is by not using any spray on their crops. They meet the standards for being organic but the title and process are to expensive for them to complete. Another way they insure profit is that they have certain breeds of crops that result in "a better looking produce" because customers care about appearance. The two brands of tomatoes that is grown at their farm are "big beef & fountain fresh". These are both bigger in size and better looking. You can buy these tomatoes at the Berea Farmers Market for $ 2.50 per pound or a basket (which contains about 8-10 tomatoes) for $5. There entrepreneurship is helping to produce healthy and local food to the community. Hopefully by utilizing concepts such as crop rotation and cover crops they will continue to prosper and provide help to the town.

James Cox

"Variety is the only way to survive anymore" Mr. Cox tells me is I browse his many products. The variety of what he produces is staggering: pickles, sweet potato jam, apple jam, green tomato jam, raspberry jam, grape jelly, strawberry preserves, he even has two signature blends of spices to rub on meats his Butt Rub, and newly introduced Breast Rub that is sugar free. Mr. Cox grows most of his products next his home which is in the wilderness surrounding Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. Mr. Cox certainly has gotten away from it all choosing to live off grid, with his only electricity provided by a generator he runs only during the day. To most this would present a challenge of how to store their products with the lack of refrigeration, but Mr. Cox has gotten around this by relying on the same methods people around her have used for years, canning. "Not many people are left that know how to can. That's half the reason that my pickles sell as well as they do, even if someone can grow cucumbers they don't know what to do with it afterwards." Mr. Cox is one of the last of an old generation of farmers that are disappearing, and taking many of their skills with them. As Mr. Cox lamented about how little the new generations know about the old ways of farming, he told me about his grandfather who never used a tractor to plow his fields. Mr. Cox told me that his grandfather plowed his fields with a horse drawn plow until he became to old to handle a horse, his solution wasn't to buy a tractor or use hired hands to plow the fields, he simply trained a pony to work a plow. Mr. Cox ends our conversation by telling me that "the children in the city are lucky if they even know that milk and beef come from somewhere other than the supermarket. I'm honestly worried that if something doesn't change, people might just forget what my parents and grandparents spent their lives learning about farming."

Harmony Dawn

"I grow everything organically! I'm not certified though, that's just too expensive. This was a rough year, it was really dry and I ended up losing most of my starts because I was away from home when they were just starting to grow. I'll have more plants next year though!" Karena Harmon moved to Kentucky about two years ago after spending years studying herbal medicine all around the United States. She even worked in an apothecary. She learned so much, but something was missing, "I wanted to have some artistic freedom and be able to create my own things. I have a hard time with the selling aspect though. I love making things, but learning how to market and sell them has been difficult."