Unique Produce and Making a Dream Reality

Spring is one of the busiest times of year for me but is also one of my favorites. The entire winter was spent planning and dreaming of what I should grow this year, how much of each plant I wanted to produce, and where I would place it all. With all the possibilities came both excitement and a lot of tough decision making. Now that spring is here, it is time to put my plans into action and make those visions become reality.

Since I will be participating in the Hampstead Farmers’ Market and will be starting a roadside farm stand this year (on Route 30 in Upperco MD), I will be growing more flowers and produce than ever. I got an early start on some flowers and cold-weather crops, having started some things inside under grow lights while the weather was still cold. But now that spring is here to stay, I am able to get a real start on my planting.

I already have broccoli, peas, various leafy greens, and several varieties of radishes growing in full swing. The first carrot and beet sprouts have also started to make themselves present. Before we know it, it will be time to pick the radishes and some of the greens, and the flower and vegetable transplants will be big enough to start selling at our stand before we know it.

I have sold small quantities of my produce to friends, family, and neighbors in the past, but have finally decided to make the leap into selling on a (slightly) larger scale this year. I had always wanted to do it and finally decided I had nothing to lose. There will be a lot for me to learn this year as I try to navigate this new endeavor, but growing plants has always been a serious passion of mine and I saw no reason not to try to expand what I already love doing.

Along with my two best friends, Brandon and Bradley, we will be selling flowers, herbs, produce, vegetable transplants, and art at our roadside stand that is located on their property. They are twins and live right near a main road, so the location for a farm stand seemed perfect. I will be supplying the majority of the produce, and the art will be created by Bradley, as the only art that I’m capable of producing comes in the form of photography. Brandon helps us out wherever he’s needed, but his main passion is in poultry. If you ever need to buy chickens or turkeys (or basically any kind of poultry) he’s the guy to go to. Because he has such a menagerie of birds, he will sometimes have feathers (such as molted peacock feathers) to offer at our stand.

For years I would dream that one day I would be a part of the Farmers’ Market. Well, one day I thought about it and realized that that “one day” wouldn’t come magically on its own. I decided that that “one day” had to start somewhere, so I decided to take a leap of faith and go for it. As fate would have it, there was an opening at the Farmers’ Market for a seller of baked goods (I’m an avid baker as well), so I was in! However, there wasn’t a lot of room for produce at first since they already had several vendors selling vegetables.

A short time later things took a turn in my favor. I was told that the Hampstead Farmers’ Market was in search of someone with “unique produce” and it almost seemed too good to be true. I have always been drawn to anything that is unique, different, or what some consider to be “weird”. For example, I grow green beans that are purple, beets that are golden, purple bell peppers, striped tomatoes, and carrots that come in a rainbow of different colors. If there is a strange or rare variety of vegetable out there, I will grow it. I have known other people who farm that tease me good-naturedly on the subject because I’m into the plants that most farmers don’t care to grow. But all of the sudden I will have the chance to have the last laugh because my “weird” produce is suddenly wanted.

I’m hoping that the unique colored vegetables that I grow will help draw the attention of potential buyers. Since a purple green bean or a golden beet isn’t something that you see every day, I believe that it has the chance to get people to stop and take a second look at my booth. The fun colors can also be a good way to get parents to encourage their picky eaters to try healthy food. After all, who wouldn’t want to eat something that is so rich is color?

Not only is my unique produce eye-catching but in some way it’s healthier as well. There have been multiple studies suggesting that purple vegetables tend to be higher in antioxidants. As a result, consuming the purple veggies increases your intake of beta carotene, as well as vitamins E and C, which can help greatly reduce the risk of contracting certain types of diseases, cancer and even heart disease.

It makes me happy to know that I am growing food that is not only beautiful to look at but can potentially increase the health of the consumer as well. Some of the things I grow cannot be easily found in the store, and some people might not even know that such varieties exists.

Since some of my produce is so different there may be some people that are afraid to leave their comfort zone and will steer clear of it. However, I hope that there will be enough adventurous people that are up to trying something new and different. After all, the taste is often the same as the “normal” varieties that you can find in the store. For example, the purple green beans taste very similar to the green ones. However, when it comes to beets, the golden ones taste a lot better than your typical red one in my opinion, and that says a lot considering I am a big fan of red beets. And when it comes to the purple bell peppers, I personally believe that they are sweeter.

Regardless if you like eating the colorful veggies or the standard ones, there is no denying the fact that eating anything that is grown fresh and locally tastes better than anything you buy in the store!

There is a lot of uncertainty that comes with growing produce. No matter how hard you try there will always be something that is out of your control, like the weather for example. And as it is that we are currently in the middle of a global pandemic with the Covid-19 outbreak, there will be some interesting twists when moving forward with the Farmers’ Market since we will have to meet new standards and guidelines to keep the public (and ourselves) safe.

Since the Farmers’ Market sells food it is considered an essential business and, unless anything major changes, should be allowed to open. Since this will be my first year vending at a Farmers’ Market I knew that I would be going into it with a lot to learn and take in, but the obstacles surrounding the Covid-19 outbreak have certainly taken this new journey on an interesting and unexpected turn, as none of us could have known this was coming. But regardless of what we will need to do to keep the market open and safe this year, I am up for the task.

I am excited to get this growing season started and I am looking forward to seeing how I fare at the Farmers’ Market and with the roadside stand. I am grateful for the opportunities that lie ahead, and will continue to focus on planting both my unique and my “normal” produce, all the while attempting to make my dream a reality.

Be sure to follow Allview Acres on Facebook for updates and pictures!

You can also follow the Hampstead Farmers' Market on Facebook, too!

Here is a link to the Hampstead Farmers' Market. We hope to see you there: https://www.hampsteadfarmersmarket.com/