And it tastes so good.
Years ago, I was at the Sunday Columbia Pike farmers market and noticed a stand with the most beautiful greens on display. I recognized arugula, a robust salad mix, and something that resembled bok choi. Colors ranged from pale green to deep pine to purple.
A cheerful farmer with a wiry build, piercing eyes, and a short beard greeted customers and swiftly rang people up (we would soon come to refer to him affectionately as Farmer Brett). I noticed a flyer on his table with information about subscribing.
A month later, I was swinging by a fellow subscriber’s porch on my way home from work every Thursday to retrieve our bounty of various greens, sweet potatoes, early fall peachy mama peppers, fresh eggs, and other goodies from the field and sometimes the cellar (preserves of some sort or another). When spring arrived, we brightened up our living room with a tall bouquet of flowering quince from the farm.
The summer bounty brought yellow potatoes, tomatoes of all sorts, cucumbers, okra, fresh herbs, the coveted pint of flavor-packed petite strawberries, and other treasures.
In the early years, we split a subscription with another couple, but as our families grew, a full share became necessary. We took our kids down to the farm in St. Mary’s Country for Labor Day celebrations, letting the kids run after chickens and touring the fields.
After about ten years, we decided to take a break. I believe it was a couple winters of an overabundance of turnips due to frigid weather that pushed us over the edge.
As I was whipping up a batch of salad dressing last spring, following a recipe from Farmer Brett’s summer cookbook, I decided to search him up online to see how the farm was doing. It was alive and well and really sounded the same, except they now pack their greens and herbs in biodegradable bags instead of ziplocks.
Twenty minutes later I had my subscription forms filled out and a check made out to Even’ Star Farms. We immensely enjoyed a summer of the flavorful tomatoes, cucs, and whatnot, but the real party started today. We picked up our first winter share, and it contained a bag of those magical greens that first drew me to the table about 16 years ago. It’s so good to be back.
My Corner of the Village 