Farmers' Market stop: Harrisonburg, Virginia

Well, we've made plenty of progress on the project; we've interviewed at least 35 people in less than a month and a half, a remarkable diversity of agriculturalists from Maine to Virginia. The hardest work is going to be transcribing all of this information!

The blog here thinks we're still back in Vermont. In fact, we've progressed the last few weeks and done interviews in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia! Tonight is our last evening in Virginia before we head west to West Virginia, down to North Carolina and then onward to Kentucky, Oklahoma, Kansas and points towards the Pacific.

Since we're so far behind on updating the blog (each entry takes a couple hours of photo editing, reviewing the audio and our notes, and typing), I thought I'd share some photos that I took at the Harrisonburg, Virginia farmers' market a few days ago. Kacy went to college in this town and has a friend who happens to be the president of the market.

Here are about 20 individuals of the several dozen involved in the Harrisonburg Market with their miscellaneous wares!

Thanks for reading! We'll do our best to keep you up to date...or at least less than a month behind us. Take care-- Trav--

Tom Hayman: Grains of Sense, locally roasted organic coffee, "divinely inspired."


Sherry Richardi.

Sharon Payne and her granddaughter, Briana Ford.

Rosalind Byler, pies and pastries.


Inger Brown and Rachel Wilson: homesteaders, keeping bees for some income.


Philip Hege: vegetables; he'd seen me taking photos of others and when I approached him he said, "You're shootin' people! I don't believe in that."


Matt Gingerich: produce.


Kate Nussbaum: lavender and related products.


Josie Showalter: market manager.


John Blalock.


Jenner Brunk.


Gayle Shirk: jams and confections.


Esther Ebey.


Derrick Cook and Dora Smith: homemade pasta; in Virginia kitchens don't need to be inspected as long as they are labeled as such. Consumers can choose to trust their producers.


Dennis Evans: cheese and dairy products, including "meow milk", a cultured product for cats.


Beth Schermerhorn: part of the Muddy Bikes project, an urban gardening organization that works with homeless and other populations. We interviewed them as well on their property; look for that post in the future!


Ann Marie Leonard: she has been involved with the market for over 20 years. She gave me two wonderful cookies as market closed.


Andrew Schaefer: produce and plants.


These are the people growing and creating your food, living in your community. They have a hand in the greater agricultural system of this country and deserve recognition; if only we could interview and photograph everybody!