Fresh, organic food at heart of families’ stands at farmer’s market

Seven years ago, a Southern California couple left suburbia and bought a farm in Ohio. The…Seven years ago, a Southern California couple left suburbia and bought a farm in Ohio. The husband didn’t come from an agricultural background — he hadn’t been raised on eggs from the henhouse or milk from the pasture.

Jeff Mott, 45, and his wife, Shelley, began a new type of farm business, one built on a manageable scale. This enabled their family to utilize and appreciate the farm while remaining capable of traveling and relaxing during the short off-season, which lasts from November to February. And their contemporary agrarian venture is not an uncommon one; dedicated small-scale food growers keep farmers markets well-stocked from Seattle to Pittsburgh, offering fresh produce to urbanites for the majority of the year.

The Mott family began its business by planting a wide variety of greens, from the commonplace sugar snap pea and Swiss chard to the more unusual eight-ball zucchini and dandelion greens. Jeff Mott focused on the concept of permaculture, a type of ecological engineering based on developing sustainable farms and settlements modeled after natural ecosystems. The orchard on his land is a mix of fruit trees and berry bushes designed to attract a variety of pollinators.

As the farm grew in production, its distribution network grew to include both Pennsylvania and Ohio. In a single week, the Mott family now attends numerous markets, delivering their fresh, organic, local produce to consumers and restaurants alike.

Intrigued by the plurality of culinary options presented by food growing, the Motts eventually began to vary their selection by adding more exotic Asian plants, influenced by Shelley’s background — her family had sold vegetables in Chicago. The two now hawk Italian, heirloom and Asian vegetables and encourage clients to explore and try new flavors.

“I want to do as much local as possible. We have an ethnic niche, and it’s what I love,” said Jeff Mott, who has attended the local Pittsburgh markets for the past three years.

The transaction between farmer and eater extends past the kitchen table in the case of Jen Lea, 23, one of Mott’s regular clients. A graduate student at Pitt’s School of Public Health, Lea began helping out on Wednesdays at the Motts’ stand at Phipps Conservatory. There, she converses with the patrons and points out interesting facts and uses for the wide variety of products laid out on the table.

“I much prefer farmers markets and local food. The taste of the lettuces — it’s one of those things that you almost have to taste to believe it, but it’s such a difference,” Lea said. “The flavors are phenomenal — cooking what’s in season, it’s very natural.”

Lea said she is one of many who have become taken with the concept of “Slow Food,” a movement started in Italy in 1986 that promotes a fresh, clean, wholesome attitude toward agriculture, according to Slow Food International’s web page. Slow Food puts a focus on eating seasonally, primarily through small-scale producers with moderate prices.

Lea took the theory to heart, buying seasonal produce, tweaking favorite recipes to include her new purchases or freezing others to last throughout the winter.

As indicated by Jeff Mott and Lea, not all agrarians are from an agricultural background. Farmers market vendors such as the Clarion River Organic, a co-op from Sligo, Pa., often build lasting relationships with their buyers, whose interest grows into a greater involvement with farming. Such stands will offer “shares” to interested consumers, allowing families to receive a weekly portion of farm goods that typically contains an assortment of recently harvested produce.

Aubrey and Justin Hillman are two such people.

“We really appreciate the local produce, which we get here and at the community gardens,” Justin Hillman, 29, said.

And the tradeoff allows farmers and urbanites to enter a symbiotic relationship, as the farmers receive payment early in the season and the consumers receive fresh food, as well as an education about the qualities and flavors of what they’re ingesting.

“For us, it’s the community aspect, supporting the local farms. Personally, I like to know where it’s coming from. I can talk to the farmers, find out what has been happening lately,” Aubrey Hillman agreed.

Justin Hillman had not been raised on local produce. While his wife had grown up working on an orchard, he experienced something new upon trying fresh fruits and vegetables and said he noticed a remarkable difference. The couple has made plans to become farmers themselves, but for now they are simply maintaining a small garden and studying the practices and economics of farming.

Mark Haines, 23, of West Michigan, joined the network only a few short weeks ago on the advice of some friends. Acting as a porter for Clarion River Organics, which includes numerous Amish farms, he grew more involved with the ideology of his clients. Despite his short time working with the co-op, he’s become mindful of what he ingests daily.

“I began eating more healthily, staying away from processed foods and the like. At some point, you really want to know what’s in your food — and for that, you need to get to the source. There may be things you don’t like about your food, and that’s not on the label,” Haines said.

The message of natural, fresh food dominates at the weekly market at Phipps. The mantra of natural food can be heard repeated throughout the stalls, as many of the vendors proclaim their products’ lack of hormones, pesticides and other treatments frequently used by large-scale agriculture businesses. In addition, many of the vendors will listen to their clients’ comments, vary their harvests to fit popular demand and educate clients about the various uses and pairings of their produce.

Hannah Finke, 24, of Prospect Meadow Berry Farm, a newly formed garden-to-business residing in Butler County, offered delectable bites of black raspberries — a tart, milder counterpoint to their sweet red cousins — and radish pods, seedlings that can vary in flavor from mild to hot.

“Whole Foods and such, you can’t guarantee local. We’re here, ready to answer any questions about how it’s grown, how it tastes, etc.,” Finke said.