Every Wednesday at 5, the Purple Porch Coop opens its doors so that the purchasing of shiny fruit and green, just-pulled-from-the-dirt vegetables can begin. There are other items for sale: a raw pizza dough ball, mixed and ready to be rolled out and cooked, nitrate-free bacon, fresh-cut flowers, cakes and candies made from organic cane sugar, oats and dark chocolate, digestive tonics made from garlic and ginger.
The mood is friendly and, nicest of all, the farmers themselves are there to help. Among them are several families and couples. While the adults, the Hebron kids help bag customers' food at the busy Family Farm's Cooperative table. At least one of the five sisters of Five Sisters Farm is usually there, checking on your order and filling it.
Manager Greg Koehler writes that transparency is one of the foundational values of the PPC, and Wednesdays is when you see it in action. Having spent the week tending their crops and their animals, the farmers are present and ready for human interaction. They are busy, but available for questions. When was this picked? How do you cook this? How do you can it for winter storage? At least one of the farmers has a blog -- Michelle Hebron keeps one at http://thehebrons.com/. It includes pictures of their grain-fed Thanksgiving turkeys, cute kids holding big squash, recipes and other news.
Interested in becoming a member? Check out http://www.purpleporchcoop.com/.
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