Harvest at the Woodward ~ Localvore Week, Day 4

I first heard about a store named  Harvest at the Woodward in Mt.Vernon, Ohio, from my friends, Corinne and Matt Gompf of Heritage Harvest Farm. The Gompf's have a market stall at Mt. Vernon's farmers market, and the store carries the dip mixes, herbs, spice , and teas that Corinne custom blends.

Jim and I were in Mt. Vernon on Sunday for the Dan Emmett Festival. We saw this lovely display. I realized that it was made by the store that Corinne has talked about. The store was open, so we went inside to check it out. Man, oh, man, am I ever glad that we did!

I soon realized that the store only carries Ohio produced foods, most from Knox and surrounding counties. I think that the Harvest at the Woodward is a localvore's dream store!

Not only does the store carry produce, it also has milk, cheese, eggs, and meats. Here one can find goat's milk, sheep cheese, and yogurt made from local dairies. Isn't that wonderful?

The day was hot and I did not have an insulated bag with ice packs in the car, so I did not do any shopping that day. But I can hardly wait to go baaa-ack (hopefully next week) because I am more curious than the Cheshire Cat about how sheep cheese tastes like!

Marcheta *sheepish

Day 4 Localvore meals

 Lunch

Jim stayed in town where his job site is at, so for myself I heated up the leftover pork with peach/pear salsa and finished off the apple/pear cobbler.

Planned for Dinner

Roast beef sandwiches (the beef was slow cooked with yesterday's stuffed peppers)

mashed or fried potatoes

marinated cucumber/onion/grape tomato salad

fried apples

fresh homemade tomato juice

Not sourced locally:* 

sandwich buns

Everything else is local and from the same sources as listed yesterday.



Corinne's Corner

Today's post is the last in the Outstanding in Her Field story that I wrote for Acres of North Central Ohio, due out in May.

It is Corrine's part of the article. I posted the "q" and "a" part of the process, here is how I incorporated Corinne's information into the story that included Joan Richmond (who is also featured in a special section of today's Mansfield News Journal...go Joan!), Mendy Crim Sellman, and Brenda Kocher. All of these women have my admiration.

Also, to read about a new business venture that *this* country woman has brewing, check out my World According to Marcheta blog.

Marcheta *busy, busy

Corinne, Living the Dream

Corinne Gompf worked in office jobs in a large city for 10 years. It was not the lifestyle that she and her husband, Matt, wanted, so in August 2010, they bought a farm in Morrow County with market gardening in mind. The Gompfs christened their farm Heritage Harvest Farm and put down roots, literally.  By the following season the young family had established themselves as a first-class vendor at farmers markets. In 2012 they started a Community-Supported Agriculture, CSA, program. Now entering their third year as market growers, Corinne has no desire to look back on her days in the corporate world. “I love working at home, earning an honest, modest and hard-earned living. This is how I want to raise my children. This is the dream I've had for a very long time”.

 

Corinne says that she wanted to become a market grower because, simply, she loves growing food. “The taste of fresh, chemical-free food that I grew myself is beyond compare, and I truly enjoy discovering new plant varieties from all over the world that I can grow for my family and share with my customers. I love the connection to the land and teaching my children how to sustain our lives through farm-fresh food. I wanted to live this lifestyle, fully immersed in homesteading: growing and preserving our food, keeping chickens, raising my family, etc. I wanted to create this all-natural, farm-fresh food heritage for my son, Fletcher, 4, and daughter, Emery, 10 months.”

Corinne’s eyes light up when she explains her proudest moment. “It makes me so proud that Matt and I had a dream for so many years, and we took a chance and did it. We made things happen. So often, people have dreams and just think, "Oh, wouldn't it be neat if..." Well, we put our dreams into action. Our business tripled in one year, and that verifies, to me, that we are on the right path. Our hard work and dedication to growing chemical-free food is our passion.”

Like Mendy Sellman, keeping animals safe is what Corinne says is the scariest part of farming. Corinne tends a large flock of chickens, which at one point were pecking each other to death. She would go to the coop to do chores and find chickens on top on one, pecking it. The hen might be dead, or close to it. If it was still alive, Corinne did her best to save it. Corinne says that each time was heart-breaking.

Corinne Gompf, Part 2, Expanding on the Dream

 

Today concludes my interview with Corinne Gompf, of Heritage Harvest Farm, but it is far from the end of the story. Corinne, Matt, and their two young children are really on the cusp of their journey of becoming market growers and living a sustainable lifestyle.

Corinne and Matt Gompf are proud
parents of Fletcher and Emery.

An easy way to share in the bounty that the Gompfs are working towards is to sign up for their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares, where you will receive a weekly portion of their harvest. Other ways are to shop at the farmers markets that the Gompfs participate in, or to stop by The Farmers Wife store where several of the Gompf's products are sold by Mendy and Russ Sellman of Rus-Men Farms.

Here is the rest of my conversation with Corinne, enjoy!

Marcheta *sharing

 OCJ

What is the scariest thing that ever happened to you on the farm?

Corinne

When I was pregnant with Emery, we were having a hard time with chickens pecking each other to death. I think we lost about 12 chickens. I would go to the coop to do chores and find chickens on top on one, pecking her. She might be dead, or close to it. If she were still alive, I would have to do my best to save her. Each time was heart-breaking.

 

OCJ

What was your proudest moment?

Corinne

It makes me so proud that Matt and I had a dream for so many years, and we took a chance and did it. We made things happen. So often, people have dreams and just think, "Oh, wouldn't it be neat if..." Well, we put our dreams into action. Our business tripled in one year, and that verifies, to me, that we are on the right path. Our hard work and dedication to growing chemical-free food is our passion.

OCJ
How do you market your produce?

Corinne

Heritage Harvest farm will participate in two farmers' markets for the 2013 season:
Mount Vernon Farmers' Market, Saturdays, May - October, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Powell Chamber of Commerce Farmers' Market, Saturdays, May - October, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

There will also be CSA pick-ups at:
Heritage Harvest Farm, Wednesdays, May - October, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. at 8546 County Road 46, Galion, Ohio 44833
The Farmer's Wife, Rus-Men Farms, Thursdays, May - October, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Customers can also find Heritage Harvest Farm's specialty items at
Harvest@TheWoodward, Mount Vernon

 

 

OCJ

What is your contact information that you want to share?

Corinne

www.heritageharvestfarm.weebly.com, and we always direct our customers and CSA shareholders to like our Facebook page.

 

Full-time Country Woman profile: Corinne Gompf, part 1

Corinne and Matt Gompf talk with a customer at NorthSide Farmers Market
as son Fletcher hams it up for the camera :)

The thing that I notice most about full-time country woman Corinne Gompf is her infectious smile. The thing that I admire most about Corinne is her dedication to the healthy family lifestyle and business that she is growing with her husband, Matt.

This young mother of two left the corporate world for work in  sustainable agriculture. In just a few short years she and Matt have expanded their operation to include CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares, setting up at farmers markets, and supplying eggs and other products to The Farmers Wife store, run by fellow full-time country woman Mendy Sellman (read Mendy's profile here).

Recently I interviewed Corinne for a story about women farmers for Acres of North Central Ohio. Here is part of that interview in the original Q and A format.

OCJ

Why did you decide to become a farmer?

Corinne 

I wanted to become a market grower because, simply, I love growing food. The taste of fresh, chemical-free food that I grew myself is beyond compare, and I truly enjoy discovering new plant varieties from all over the world that I can grow for my family and share with my customers. I love the connection to the land and teaching my children how to sustain our lives through farm-fresh food. I wanted to live this lifestyle, fully immersed in homesteading: growing and preserving our food, keeping chickens, raising my family, etc. I wanted to create this all-natural, farm-fresh food heritage for my son, Fletcher, 4, and daughter, Emery, 10 months.
OCJ

When did you start your business?

 

Corinne

My husband, Matt, and I bought our farm in August 2010, with market gardening in mind. The following spring was our first year growing fruits and vegetables for farmers markets. In 2012, we started our Community-Supported Agriculture, CSA, program. This will be our third year.

 

OCJ

What are the biggest challenges on being a woman on the farm?

Corinne

Being an effective, creative, nurturing mother to two young children and operating a market farm is challenging. I never want my children to feel like I don't have time for them because I am working so hard to keep the farm operations in check. This is still a learning process for me. When things happen, I can't wait until 5  o' clock for my husband to come home and take care of something.

 I have to problem-solve, or at least make a temporary fix. Women farmers never get enough credit for the work they do, and that is very frustrating. Farmers are always men in the media, and women are "just the wife." This is not true on any American farm, and it sure isn't on ours. We're partners; we're both farmers.

OCJ

What are the best things/ advantages/ joys of being a woman on the farm?

Corinne

I love working at home, earning an honest, modest and hard-earned living. I worked office jobs in Columbus for 10 years, and I never want to go back to that. This is how I want to raise my children. This is the dream I've had for a very long time.

 

Stay tuned to this blog for part 2 of Corinne's story tomorrow :)

Marcheta *questions, questions