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)!