My Little Produce Stand

Last weekend, I took a field trip. I went to a little produce stand to check out the goods.

For the last several years, I’ve been on the hunt for a local farmstand where I can get yummy things like big, juicy summer tomatoes, sweet silver queen corn and crisp, crunchy cucumbers that were in the ground the day before and can be on my table for dinner that night.

Farmer’s markets are popular where I live, and I love supporting local agriculture. But, I’ve also grown weary of the “scene” that ensues on a Saturday morning at our local farmer’s market: crowds of people about with fancy coffee drinks in hand, shopping for things like $7 artisan peppers and homemade charcoal soaps.

Over the years, I have chased one local farmstand as it moved from location to location…until finally, it was basically a day trip to get there. That, and the shelves began to be stocked with more home decorating items at steep prices than fresh produce.

My dad grew up on a working farm in middle Missouri, and all my childhood memories involve fresh produce – either from my grandparents’ garden or from our own.

In my childhood home, we had a huge garden that my dad lovingly tended each season. It was filled with green beans, cucumbers, blackberries and dill. (I am certain there was much more, but these are the things my little 4-year-old brain honed in on.)

Dad would give me a plastic bucket to help him gather the beans, going up and down each row snapping off the green little gems. I used to play hide and seek in the blackberry bushes – always careful not to get hung up on the thorns. And, I can remember standing on a chair next to my mom at the kitchen counter while she pickled dill cucumbers in glass jars.

Nearly every road trip with my parents involved a stop at a roadside stand for corn, tomatoes or peaches. And anytime we moved to a new city (which was several), one of the first things we scoped out was the best place to pick up fresh, local produce.

You can imagine my dismay when I realized that I am basically living in what feels like a farmstand desert. (Sure, we have plenty of grocery stores with nice produce, but they just don’t compare to the fresh-out-of-the-ground, dirt-still-on-the-skin stuff!)

Well, buckle up because today I found what just may be “my little produce stand”! A hidden gem on the side of the road and filled with delicious goodies that still have the dirt on them. It’s not very big, and the parking lot is jammed (a good sign for sure), but the goods were gold I tell you.

My bag was filled with some gorgeous tomatoes, silver queen corn, fresh green beans and a huge green pepper. You can be sure there was some caprese salad (I just trimmed my potted basil! and delicious grilled vegetables on the menu this past week.