2012 North American Farmer's Direct Marketing Convention
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Food Service Catering vs. Doing It Yourself
Program Code:
260
Date:
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Time:
2:30 PM to 3:30 PM
EST
SPEAKER
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I am the owner of The Farmer's Shed which is a garden center, roadside market, and kitchen. We have been in operation since 1999 and opened the kitchen in 2002. The kitchen was featured on Diner's, Drive-In's and Dive's on the Food Network in 2010. We grow vegetables on the farm for the market and kitchen. We have a cornmaze and haunted house also on the farm. The farm does strawberry, vegetable garden and pumpkin patch tours.
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Steve was raised on a corn and bean farm in central Illinois. His first career was as an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) practicing a specialized ministry of Pastoral Counseling. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree and was director of a large counseling center sponsored by 15 congregations in Minneapolis. In 1995 Steve and his wife Lee and their two sons joined Steve's sister on her North Carolina hobby farm to start Goat Lady Dairy. In their 16th year the Goat Lady family and staff not only make 40,000 lbs of goat cheese each year -- they also host 4000 visitors who come to the farm to enjoy Dinner At The Dairy, or Open Farm Days or special events like farm weddings. Last year Goat Lady began a Community Supported Agriculture organic vegetable farm. Their CSA deliveries vegetables weekly to 150 Triad households. In 2010 Steve and his wife Lee were named as "Sustainable Farmers of the Year" by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.
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Description
In order to reduce loss of vegetables and fruits from the farm market, we opened a kitchen to use the day old vegetables. In season we freeze excess vegetables and fruits to be able to use local products during the off season. We also make casseroles for the customers to take home and bake.