Last week was proclaimed “Farmers Market Week” in Minnesota by Gov. Mark Dayton to celebrate the benefits of farmers markets and the agricultural products farmers provide.
Roadside vegetable and fruit stands have been popping up all along area roadways as the popularity of buying fresh-picked produce right off the truck continues to grow throughout the county and state.
The popularity has increased in part because of people’s interest in healthier lifestyles and foods — with many people looking for organic produce to avoid consuming toxins associated with pesticides, insecticides and herbicides.
Minnesotagrown.com issues a free directory that details 978 farmers markets, berry farms, garden centers, orchards, CSA farms and christmas tree farms.
Norm’s Farm Market of Becker is one of the many produce stands listed in the guide.
Norm's Farm Market — just a half mile off Hwy.10 on Hwy. 25— has a stand at the edge of the driveway that's open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. They sell sweet corn and other vegetables. The farm has been run by Norm Johnson and his family for more than 40 years. The Johnsons also sell at area farmers markets.
Four generations of the Johnson family still work on the 1,500-acre farm. They produce about 200 bushels, or 11,200 pounds, of sweet corn annually.
“We strive for quality and freshness,” said Norm. “I always say, ‘We don't have to be the cheapest.’ There's more important things than that.”
Farmer’s markets are booming across Central Minnesota and that is evident in that there's one scheduled almost every day of the week — Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Many vendors are present at multiple markets. They are experts on every detail of their products.
The Svihel family of Foley also have a farm and sell produce from roadside stands just off Hwy. 25. They specialize in blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, sweet corn and tomatoes. They also grow and sell zucchini, cucumbers, peas, green beans, green peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, squash and pumpkins.
Many people don’t know this fact but there are more than 1,000 different types of sweet corn. Each type has distinct characteristics.
“They vary in sugar content, the tenderness of kernel and they handle different,” said John Svihel.
The different varieties of corn require different picking methods. Svihel uses sweet corn that needs to be hand picked, while Johnson uses varieties that can handle a harvesting machine.
Either way, it gets the thousands of varieties of local sweet corn out to the consumer in the freshest way.
