One of our new partners this year is also one of our largest! Newmarket Plantation has 540 acres of fertile farmland in Milford, Virginia. The original plantation house was built in the 1750s, and many of the original structures still stand today (albeit with the help of a bit of necessary TLC). The farm has been owned by Robby Caruthers for 20 years and is currently managed by Philip Smith.
Historically, the plantation has grown and harvested grains, but recently Robby expanded his operation to include vegetables (lucky us!) Newmarket Plantation grows corn, broccoli, cabbage, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, turnips, and potentially grapes! This season, they’re also trying their hand at both “Yummy Yummy Peppers” and Jalapeños. The plantation is GAP Certified and uses water-conscious irrigation drip lines for some of their thirstier crops. To help make sure that their crops flourish, Newmarket Plantation is also home to a dozen bee hives that happily pollinate the plants when they’re in bloom.
With over 500 acres to farm, Newmarket Plantation employs 16 people! Perhaps the most enthusiastic of these employees is Robby’s son, known around the farm as “Junior Junior.” He’s so passionate about farming that he took extra classes in high school to graduate early. He’s ecstatic to be done with high school, but not so that he can hang out with his friends, or move away for college. He graduated early so that he could start working on the farm full time as soon as possible. A third generation farmer, hard work is in Junior Junior’s blood, and now he can spend his days continuing the family tradition and doing what he loves – farming.
Most of the business that Newmarket Plantation gets is through small customers, so it’s no wonder that partnering with them is the perfect fit. They have the opportunity to make sure their sustainably grown food makes it into customer’s homes all across Virginia. We try and make it easy though, after they drop off their harvests at our packing facility we do the heavy lifting of the “last mile” transportation! It’s a win-win! The past two weeks the farm has been harvesting their gold bar zucchini for us. Deep yellow (like squash) we hope you’ve been enjoying this less common variety of zucchini – it’s perfect for all your zucchini recipes!
About Seasonal Roots
Since 2011, Seasonal Roots’ online farmers market has connected Virginia families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. Our neighborhood market managers – who believe in living better through scrumptious, healthy eating, being kind to animals, protecting the environment, and spreading joy – home-deliver freshly harvested produce, pastured eggs, grass fed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare. We empower our members to eat better and live better with more nutritious, flavorful food that’s good for us and good for the planet. More info at seasonalroots.com.