In order to learn more about our market’s farmers, their practices, and their dedication to local food, the CFM steering committee and market manager are committed to visiting each veggie producer. Since the market’s conception in 2003, site visits have helped us build community with our farmers, and just as importantly, they’ve allowed us teach farmers market shoppers about the source of their food. In the past month CFM committee members and staff visited Weathertop Farm, Cardo’s Sprout Farm, and D-Bar Farm.
See the Photo Essay:
Weathertop Farm
Weathertop Farm is a certified naturally grown veggie farm located on beautiful acreage near Forrestburg. This diversified operation includes vegetables, pigs and a variety of laying hens. Farmer Chris Buckalew and his family are always welcoming and eager to show us what’s growing in the fields. Chris explained that this year he’ll concentrate on tried and true varieties and crops he knows can be produced efficiently. That’s squash, beans, cucumber, zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, and okra. It won’t be long before his youngest children fly the coop, and each fall he teaches a semester at California Polytechnic University.
Cardo’ s Sprout Farm
If you visit the Cardo’s Sprout Farm stall at the Coppell Farmers Market you’ll find a beautiful variety of colorful field grown crops and microgreens. Micro greens are his signature offering. We toured the modified shipping container that houses the nutrient dense greens. Ricardo “Cardo” Orndoff also walked our group through an acre of blackberry bushes, plus an expanse of young fruit trees. He explained that the space between the trees is used to experiment with specialty field crops. During our visit we tasted ground cherries and wasabi flavored arugula.
D-Bar Farm
D-Bar Farm is an operation of impressive size. After touring an expanse of long veggie rows by way of truck, our group was invited to sneak a peek inside each of their 9 greenhouses. D-Bar Farm has been with our market since the early days; their booth stretches long across the front of our market pavilion. During our visit we saw that winter crops were transitioning out, and summer crops are just beginning to bear fruit. Owners Keith & Kassandra Copp, along with the help of three full time farm hands (including his youngest son ) are currently pumping out broccoli, cauliflower (yellow, purple and white), Swiss chard, kale, squash, potatoes,okra, kohlrabi, cucumbers, carrots, beets, cantaloupes, eggplant, peppers, green beans, blackeye, purplehull, and lady cream peas, and tomatoes galore.
