Sweet Meriam’s Farm welcomes interns Joel Pitney of Oregon, Nell Hanssen (back
left) and Kristen help turn under a cover crop and turn up the soil to dry before rototill
ing. The stone house on the Markley farm was built by Kristen Markley’s great-great
great-grandparents, Phillip and Rachel Markley. Kristen is the sixth generation to farm
the land.
Sweet Meriam’s Farm
Nourishes Soil And People
GAIL STROCK ishing people with the freshest
Mifflin Co. Correspondent of vegetables, and nourishing
the soul through a healthy life-
BEAVER SPRINGS (Snyder st yl e .
Co.) - It’s all about sustainabil- Markley and Hanssen oper
ity - the desire to sustain, to a tes Sweet Meriam’s Farm, a
nourish. community-supported agricul-
For Kristen Markley and Nell tural farm (CSA) that supplies
Hanssen of Sweet Meriatn’s fresh organic vegetables and
Farm in Beaver Springs, it’s all herbs to members from June
about nourishing the soil, nour- through October. Members join
Nell Hanssen of Connecticut came to Sweet Meriam’s
Farm in January to add her expertise with CSAs or com
munity-supported agriculture. Seedlings are started in the
farmhouse in February, then moved to the greenhouse.
by buying a share in the vegeta
ble operation and then receive
more than $lB worth of fresh
produce each week for 22 weeks.
The share fees coming in from
many members at the beginning
of the season helps CSA farmers
cover production costs and as
sures them of a market.
For Markley, co-owner of the
vegetable operation, it’s a very
meaningful way to keep her
family’s 130-acre farm in agri
culture for the sixth generation.
“My grandfather grew grains
for Walnut Acres (an organic
health food store and farm in
Penns Creek). My grandmother
Meriam Markley was very com
mitted to organic farming,” ex
plains Markley. “In fact, I’ve
named the vegetable operation
after her. Her strong spirit,
loving heart, and passion for or
ganic farming still inspires me.
This farm means a lot to me. It
feels good to till the soil my
ancestors tilled.”
Markley concentrates on
building healthy soil through
cover crops, composting, and
Kristen Markley (left) and Nell Hanssen tend to early season seedlings in their green
house. They’re thinning swiss chard, kale, lettuce, leeks, and cabbage.
Hannah Markley enjoys an organic tomato grown by her
Aunt Kristen Markley.
crop rotation. Although she and
those she works with prefer
working with their hands in
quiet farm surroundings, they
do use a rototiller and Markley’s
grandfather’s old Allis
Chalmers tractor. They also irri
gate from the nearby pond
during droughts.
Markley has sold organic veg
etables at local farmers markets
and restaurants for the past 10
years. This year, she’s expand
ing into the CSA enterprise. To
do this, she advertised over the
Internet for someone experi
enced with CSAs. Nell Hanssen,
a Connecticut native who ran a
CSA in Maryland, then joined
Markley as co-owner of the veg
etable operation.
“CSAs offer an alternative to
the conventional food system
that creates a gap between
where food is grown and put on
the table,” explains Hanssen.
“Farming this way closes that
gap. It lets the consumer know
how their food is produced.”
Markley and Hanssen encour
age members to come and see
how their food is grown. They
want members to visit the farm,
help in the garden and on har
vest days, and explore the woods
and enjoy nature.
“People have gotten discon
nected from where their food
comes from. I want to connect
the community back to the
farm,” said Markley, who has
worked in the Rodale gardens
and currently works for the
Pennsylvania Association for
Sustainable Agriculture
(PASA).
“I want members to see that
we offer varieties of produce not
offered in the store. The produce
in stores is bred for shelf life and
often lacks the flavor and nutri
tion that’s in home-grown varie
ties,” Hanssen said.
Markley and Hanssen grow
more than 40 kinds of vegetables
and herbs on five acres of the
farm. The rest of the pasture
and fields are rented to a tenant
farmer for his heifers. Markley’s
experience selling vegetables at
farmer’s markets has taught her
that people are willing to try a
new variety of vegetables if
they’re taught how to prepare it.
Hanssen says none of the vari
eties offered are unusual to her
or Markley, but patty-pan
squash and edible flowers might
make some customers pause.
Customers are usually open to
a new kind of eggplant, but
(Turn to Pago B 3)