I’ve always thought of farming as an art form; farmers, by definition, are creatives, and the world is constantly changing around them and challenging them. They are always adapting and responding.
In our agricultural community, farmers are paying more and more attention to how they present their work; they are creating their own beautiful art form, a fusion of nourishment and imagination.
Farm markets and vegetable stands are an essential part of the sense of community that still lives here. This is one of the few places where we often see each other, catch up, see new babies and buy fresh and healthy food.
Sunday, Maria and I make our rounds of our farm market, some beautiful vegetable stores, and stands. We get most of the food we will need during the week.
I am in awe of how beautiful food can look these days, and I took some photos this morning.
(Kari’s radishes. I had never tasted a delicious radish before, and beautiful enough to eat.)
The feature photo above is Kari’s Barnard Farm vegetables in a restored old-world farm stand she bought a couple of years ago and fixed up with her father.
It is perhaps the most beautiful vegetable stand I’ve ever seen or shopped in; it could almost be a modern art museum of vegetables; it is so simple and yet beautiful. I love its minimalist style.
In the summer, Kari sells and plants her vegetables; in the winter, she works on tapping trees in the forest for syrup. It is hard and cold work, but she says she loves it, she has to be outdoors a lot or it makes her crazy.
She bonded very quickly with Maria.
This is not how the corn was presented here, even a few years ago.
Portrait, Kari
Edgars Long Days Farm is the most beautiful vegetable presentation I have seen at the market or anywhere else. With the help of his daughter, he sets out his feed and vegetables beautifully and skillfully. He is a design artist.
Ben runs Geist Beef Farm; it’s common for the farm families to bring children and family to the market; I couldn’t resist this photo of Ben and Melanie. A beautiful presentation all of its own.
Farmers need to be everything. You need a strong background in science too. Also business, to understand loans, grants, and all the tricky government regulations bookkeeping. It’s the most capital intensive business you can have. To earn enough annually to support a family of four in a middle class lifestyle is a huge achievement. Now that climate change is effecting growing seasons, the same old same old products you’ve been producing may not be reliable anymore. It’s not a simple life the way people imagine. It’s brutal. They get $0.14 of every dollar the consumer spends at the supermarket. Without passion, they can be eaten alive.
Cara, I’m not sure, but I will be seeing her shortly and I’ll ask her and post a link if she has one…Thanks for the interest Jon
I know that you are busy Jon but was wondering if you had an email for Kari and her vegetable stand. The watermelon radish looks like a fun thing to grow. I also like the white, purple, and pink one but could not read the names on those. We grow kohlrabi in our garden so I know what that is. Thank you if you can help, if not, I understand.
Kari’s e-mail is [email protected].
Jon, thanks so much for profilng Kari (et al). I am delighted not only by the recent proliferation of sensational food purveyors, but also by the fact that there are so many “kids” driving the surge. We’ll be eating well and happily into our nineties. And beyond!