Rockingham County Farmers’ Market opens

Buying and eating fresh took on a whole new meaning at the grand opening of the Rockingham County Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning. Nothing contained preservatives or had been processed; everything was fresh from the farm or someone’s kitchen.

At the market, Katherine Howerton bought some spring onions that came from Jimmy Strader’s Oregon Hill farm. She planned to cook the onions along with pinto beans and cornbread for supper.

“I come every Saturday and buy fresh vegetables. I look forward to it,” said Howerton. “I can have country cookin’ all week.”

Strader said Howerton is one of his faithful customers. He has been selling his onions, radishes, turnip greens, spinach, lettuce and plants at the farmers’ market since its initial opening. He said business is good.

“This market is one of six in the whole state that can take credit cards and food stamps,” Strader noted.

Goat cheese from Sleepy Goat Farm in Pelham and lamb from Massey Creek Farms in Madison were among the other fresh fare at the market Saturday morning. Brenda Sutton, director of the Rockingham County Cooperative Extension, made a frittata with fresh eggs, kale, spring onion and goat cheese for market customers. Phyllis Kennon and her 7-year-old granddaughter Kaitlyn, both of Reidsville, sampled the frittata.

“Delicious,” said Phyllis, after she took a bite of the frittata. “It tastes like it’s healthy for you, too.”

To Phyllis’ surprise, Kaitlyn liked the boneless lamb shoulder so much that she went for seconds.

“She’s a picky eater, too!” said Phyllis.

Tabbie Nance of Greensboro enjoyed the lamb as well.

“You must try it. It’s wonderful,” she said. She and some friends came to Chinqua Penn for the angus sale, saw the sign for the farmers’ market and decided to stop by and see what was available. What Nance found was all the products you would expect to find at a typical farmers’ market.

“You feel like what you’re getting is the true product,” said Nance. The “true product” is what Garland and Ruby McCollum’s customers got.

“It’s pasture-raised lamb, 100 percent grass fed,” said Garland, owner of Massey Creek Farms. He and his wife have been raising Katahdin sheep on their farm for 20 years. Up until Saturday, the McCollums had mainly sold their sheep to ethnic markets.

“This is our first year selling retail cuts. It’s a learning experience,” said Garland. “We didn’t know what to expect, but we’ve been happy so far. Good turnout of people.”

Since lamb is a new product for the farmers’ market, the McCollums tried to educate the customers about lamb by sharing recipes and information about its nutritional value. (Lamb is very low in cholesterol and a rich source of conjugated linoleic acid, an antioxidant).

Fresh herbs from Running Pine Herb Farm, owned by Sam and Deborah Crumpton of Reidsville, were a popular seller at the market’s grand opening. Odella Coble of Eden searched for basil and rosemary to complete her herb garden, which also contains oregano, dill, parsley, peppermint and thyme.

“I love organic and natural,” said Coble. “It’s so much healthier for you.”

Coble said she is excited that Rockingham County is beginning to offer more organic and natural options. She found out about the herbs through the Rockingham County Cooperative Extension.

For farmers’ market shoppers with a sweet tooth, Krystal McDowell of Reidsville offered up her “Half Baked” baked goods. McDowell said her chocolate chip cookies had been the best seller, followed by her red velvet cupcakes.

“Usually what I sell at the market is what you can just pick up and eat while you’re shopping,” she said.

McDowell has been cooking ever since she can remember. Her mother believed that cooking is something every “Southern lady” should know how to do. A lot of the recipes that McDowell uses, such as Southern pound cake, are her mother’s old recipes.

“I took her recipes and just ran with it,” she said.

McDowell, who works full-time at a TV station, bakes in her home kitchen, selling her baked goods as a supplemental source of income. Saturday was her first time selling her baked products at the farmers’ market. She admitted to being a little apprehensive when she learned she would be selling her cookies and cupcakes in a barn, but she changed her mind after spending a couple of hours there.

“It’s a down-home, cozy feel to it,” she said.

Indoors and out, the Rockingham County Farmers’ Market has a friendly atmosphere, according to Jerry Roberts.

“It’s family-oriented. Everything’s local,” said Roberts, who sold kale, lettuce, onions and honey from his farm on Benaja Road at the market.

Carol Shuffler came to Rockingham County from her home in Union Grove for the angus sale at Chinqua Penn, but when she saw the farmers’ market, she knew she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stop and shop.

“It just looked like a fun place to look around,” she said. She bought a wooden wine bottle holder at the market.

Bob Barrett sold his solid wood bowls, wooden wine bottle holders, bird houses and bird feeders at the farmers’ market. He has been making items from wood for the past 10 years.

“It’s all local wood that comes to me one way or another,” said Barrett. “I sell it here and I go to the Greensboro Farmers’ Market.”