C2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 26, 1960
For people who like garden fresh produce but who don’t
have the time, space or inclination to grow their own,
roadside markets offer the perfect solution. There’s also
the bonus of a friendly greeting and a word of advice on
the preparation, if requested.
H. Raymond and Anna Lois Charles, 3493 Marietta Pike,
Lancaster, operate a small vegetable and flower stand out
of a converted barn on their property, well-known among
the local residents who are frequent customers.
Charles explained that the stand evolved slowly since
they went into the business about twelve years ago.
Originally, the Charleses sold sweet com to a neighbor
who had a buy and sell stand operation. When he dosed
his business, the Charleses decided to market the sweet
com themselves. From there, the line of vegetables ex
panded until today there is a “limited variety,” including
whatever is in season.
Hie emphasis is placed on pick-your-own vegetables,
including bull peas, green beans, tomatoes and lima
beans. About six years ago hull peas were offered as pick
your-own, and as Charles puts it, “We gradually worked
into other things.” When the hull peas are ready, they
advertise in the newspaper. With the other vegetables,
however, customers call for an appointment. “That
makes less people coming at a time so we can enjoy it.
When customers come for peas they often leave their
name and number and we give them a picking choice,”
Charles explains.
There is no one typical customer for their pick-your-own
produce. Charles says, “We seem to get a cross section.
We have retired people who drive out from Lancaster.
They are willing to come if they know they can get their
vegetables fresh.”
When the pickers arrive, they register at the stand and
then are directed to the fields. But Charles notes, “There
are some who don’t quite blow how, so I kind of watch and
can offer suggestions.”
A common sight at the Charles farm is Raymond
driving through the fields with his small garden tractor
and cart. He often carries loaded baskets back to the end
of the rows for the pick-your-own customers.
Of course, there are questions about preserving the
bounty, and Mrs. Charles says there are frequent
questions about preparing items purchased at the stand.
“I notice that among young people just starting to cook. I
once had a customer who was ready to buy a recipe. They
ask about all the squash.” The Charleses grow golden and
green zucchini, acorn, butternut, hubbard and pattypan
squash. c
Mrs. Charles notes, “Most of the people who pick by the
basket know what they are doing, unless they are younger
or have moved from the city.” Charles adds, “They want
to know how many quarts they’ll get from what they
picked.”
Charles explains that he and his wife enjoy working
together and both work at making the stand a success. He
said, “I do the planting and cultivating and a lot of the
picking. She gathers the flowers and dresses up the stands
-1 don’t have the knack.” He also pointed out that they
don’t have any outside help. “We don’t hire any help. We
only pick to sell over the stand what we have time for. We
don’t buy and sell because then we would feel a respon
sibility to keep the stand open. It’s just a family thing.”
Their son Dwayne, newly married, lives on an adjacent
An attractively arranged stand helps bring in customers. Mrs. Charles
prepares the vegetables and decides what will be diplayed.
Raymond and Anna Charles hate produced friendship
This couple picked roadside marketing
BY SALLY BAIR
Staff Correspondent
wmesiead c H/etps
Mrs. Charles waits on the customers as they
come to look over the flowers and vegetables. She
enjoys meeting them and has gotten to know many
of them well over the years.
lot and helps with the lawn work and is there to pitch in if
Mr. and Mrs. Charles go away for a day.
Mrs. Charles takes the primary responsibility of taking
care of customers, something which she cheerfully en
joys. Charles says, “Her parents went to market and she
inherited the interest. She enjoys selling.” He, on the
other hand, prefers to stay in the background. But when
they’re both m the house and a customer comes, he says,
“I do my share.”
Mrs. Charles is also responsible for two of the stand’s
specialities: flowers and blueberries. Three years after
they were married, 35 years ago, the Charles planted 175
blueberry plants. The plants are old and productive,
yielding delicious fruit. The blueberries are not offered on
a pick-your-own basis, because as Charles points out, “A
blueberry isn’t ripe when it’s blue Picking blueberries is
a real art and she (Anna Lois) has the secret.” Mrs.
Charles notes, “The demand for blueberries is very
good.”
A visit to the plants leads, to a lesson in how to pick the
luscious hemes. After they turn blue the butt end gets flat
and the blueberries get really plump. Mrs. Charles, ex
plains, “They just keep on getting bigger.” Of course,
there’s one big problem with waiting long enough for them
to get big and plump - the birds know a good thing when
they see it. To combat the bird problem, the Charleses
have employed several methods over the years, but
currently have an intermittent alarm which is to sound
*Mk
r*, fy*
Picking blueberries from 175 planu . a large job, jch Mrs.
every day. She says her goal is to get around them all once every week.
at their stand
like a bird in distress. Charles says it works for everything
but robins who seem undaunted by it. As a backup system
they also have two wires strung closely together above the
plants. One is electrified and birds don’t linger there.
Mrs. Charles said they once used netting, but it got very
expensive and one winter a sleet storm took down the
netting and its supports. Since then they’ve relied on die
bird alarm. It the birds can be kept away Charles says
they’ll have blueberries until frost.
Picking blueberries from 175 plants is no small task, but
Mrs. Charles said it is her goal to get completely around
the plants once a week. This means picking a portion of
them every morning. The only spray used on the plants is
for beetles.
Charles points out, “We farm organically. We haven’t
used any acid fertilizer for years. But we don’t advertise
as such.”
Cut flowers are also the province of Mrs. Charles.
Charles remarks, “There is quite a demand for cut
flowers at farmers’ prices.” Mrs. Charles specializes in
gladiolias, zinnias and snapdragons. She also has some
asters and this year will have cockscombs. She arranges
the bouquets, usually with a dozen flowers in each con
tainer. She has also taken orders for church altars and has
provided bouquets for wedding receptions. The whole
community benefits from her green thumb, because the
gardens surrounding her house are filled with a beautiful
variety of flowers. ~
There are a few potted plants on the stand, taken from
cuttings of her own flowers, and since her son married, Ms
wife is siq>plying fresh homemade bread on weekends.
There is a lot of work involved and when the stand is
open, the Charleses stay dose by so they can hear the bell
if there are customers. If they are both picking produce,
the stand is open with a note for customers to help
themselves and leave the money. “If no one is around they
help themselves. We’ve never had a theft. We have good
Fresh cut flowers are a speciality of the stand,
and Mrs. Charles cuts and arranges a few
bouquets daily and as demand requires.
4
is tackles