Spotlight On…
by Melissa LaScaleia
This month, we bring you the Inside scoop on two vendors from the DeVille Street farmers market who touched our hearts as well as our taste buds.
Millgrove Farms— Stewards of the Land
Who: Ben and Carol Williams, married thirty-five years.
The what: A-50 acre sustainable farm— a trailblazer in change and sustainability— in Georgetown County on the Black River. Growing specialty and heirloom varietals. Providing clean, affordable, and healthy food for Georgetown County.
Why do you farm sustainability? My husband has an amazing passion for the land and the animals. The entire farm is a living, breathing organism right down to the dirt. He wants to protect what God has given us and maintain it as a sanctuary for wildlife— to live in peace and balance with the land.
What does it mean to be sustainable? We don’t spray or alter anything. We allow the land to produce at its own pace where it works symbiotically and everything takes care of itself.
What is farmer Ben’s background? Ben has been a Southern farmer his whole life. It extends generations, beginning with his grandfather in the old days of tobacco.
What is your vision? For everyone to eat sustainably and learn how to grow their own food, so as not to be so dependent on grocery stores.
Sweet Cheeks Baked Goods – Get Your Hands Full of Sweet Buns
Who: Owner Cathy Kelley
How did you get started baking? I’ve been baking since I was 12 years old. It was probably my mom’s way of keeping my sisters and I out of trouble in winter, since we lived in the mountains of Virginia where there was a lot of snow.
And the name? My son and daughter-in-law came up with it— they felt it really fit me.
Where do you get your recipes from? They are my mother’s; and also I may see a recipe I really like, write it down, and put it away to try later. I recently found my mothers cookbook from 1940, and I’m trying some things from that now.
What’s for sale at your stall? Everything I do is made from scratch. Cinnamon buns are my specialty; and my newest offering is lemon biscotti.
What’s one thing you love about what you do? It makes me happy to think people are getting something they normally would not get. I want people to enjoy their food.
Click here for more info on the Market Common farmers market,
Visit www.waccamawmarkets.org to learn more.
