Matt's Country Market

07/01/2020

10/07/2015

So, it is October 7 already. Geesh. It got warmer these last few days, though. I have appreciated the beautiful fall moons, the call of the geese from above, and the gorgeous dusty horizon sunrises! Did anyone else watch the eclipse the other weekend? Beautiful! I have to admit, I have never watched one, and I got to see this one from start to finish at my sister's house down in Iowa.

Well, we have some more pics to let you in on! First, there's the goofy gourds, priced well at a half-dollar, I think. Then some later blooming Osteospermums dressed in pink. We have some broom corn for sale, starting at 50 cents. Then, the lovely and large Alfred at sunset!! This has been the favored pumpkin for his farmer all summer!

Come on out and take a look around! Tell us what you think! And give Matt a call if you have any questions!

10/03/2015

Happy Harvest Time - It's Fall!!! Combines are moving slowly through the fields, FCA semis are blazing past our house on the highway, the lane is full of drying up colorful leaves and pinecones, and it's PUMPKIN TIME!!

I love pumpkin time. Mat really likes vegetables - planting them, talking to them, watering them, picking and eating them...but we both love pumpkins and gourds! And I love sweatshirts and jeans and boots and scarves and gloves and soups with lots of beans and sausage in them and hot wings and fires and the smell in the air (well, not of the hog barns being cleaned, like yesterday, haha), crisp mornings, quilts like the one my mom made us this year, HoCake in the morning (ask me about HoCake any time you want and I'd love love love to tell you about it!), and big, loud CROWS! We don't really have any crows around our house, but I love them nonetheless!! Here are some pics I took today of Fall and how I spent my day - outside with gloves and a hat on... Mat scarred the pumpkin face a while back - it's cute! and the little orange kitty named GusGus is asking if any of you would like to adopt a precious little kitten just like him...or her...I'm terrible at telling these things until they're bigger. He's named after one of the mice on Disney's Cinderella.

Anyway, we have pumpkins in the veggie stand now, along with little goofy gourds as Mat calls them. Prices are marked. If you have any questions or requests, let Mat know! Give him a call or send him a text. We also still have tomatoes and onions, we have some carrots, bell peppers (red and green ones), and potatoes. There are lots of acorn squash, so let us know if you'd like quantity. What else? Oh, did I mention we have a few kittens who could really use a good home??

Hope y'all are having a great Autumn season. Just so you know, there are less than three months till Christmas, so better start tidying up that list and start checking things off. Ha. I bought two things so far, so I should talk. Hope you all enjoyed the season's produce and the facelift this year. And if you're digging around in your garden this Fall or next Spring and would like to make a donation to our gardens, let us know! We love getting shares! Happy Fall to ya!

08/15/2015

Hey! I really am happy to announce that we have beautiful TOMATOES!! I don't know whether to cheer or frown - what does this say about how fast summer has flown by? Man! Well, there is plenty of time for those BLTs and tons of chips and SALSA. We finally got to make some salsa the other night and it was so good we built our supper around it, with tacos and refried beans. I found myself adding taco supplies to my salsa instead of the other way around. LOVE! We have some cherry tomatoes coming along beautifully, but they're still green yet. I guess I haven't asked, but I'd say they must be going into the veggie stand when they're ready.

We also have eggplant about ready for those of you who look forward to the eggplant parmesan season. I grew up eating this and I think those of you who can pull off this meal successfully should receive awards for your service!

Don't know how many of you like black eyed peas (not the music group :) ), but they're one of my favorite meals - I make up a big pot and a big batch of rice and just mix them and spoon em up. Sometimes I add ketchup and a ton of pepper, or sometimes I stir in barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's all the way!) - then I eat them for days. This is one of my favorite comfort foods. Well, I guess I have to admit, all of my comfort foods are my favorites. So, I talked Mat into growing some black eyed peas last year and they did really well so this year we planted some more. We basically wait until the plant dies and dries up, then harvest them. Takes a bit of work, pulling the beans from the pods, but the result is so worth it. Don't think they'll be in the veggie stand, so let us know if you're interested. It will be a while yet, but pods are forming! We also are trying kidney beans this year - just one row. I've never done anything with fresh kidneys before, so it's an experiment. Any good suggestions are totally welcome!

Hey, thanks to the bees and butterflies for all your hard work this summer - it will never go unnoticed and will always be appreciated at our little farm! Also, we have heard some stories about scary geese situations (never at Matt's Country Market!) from people's pasts, but I would like to assure you that our little herd of two-legged critters only care about trying to sabotage our tomatoes, bathing in the swimming hole (see picture of either Thelma or Louise) and pulling out all their unwanted feathers while hanging out in the shade. They are more afraid of strangers than strangers are of them. African geese are not known for their aggression and ours don't even like when we come close - usually they head for the trees. Please don't laugh, though - they have sensitive natures.

Let us know if we can gather some bulk "supplies" for you for canning or pickling. Still have cucumbers and sweet corn, along with bell peppers, green beans, yellow wax beans, jalapeños, onions, yellow squash and zucchini, kohlrabi and potatoes. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

08/01/2015

Well...happy August! It has been such a beautiful summer so far, hasn't it? We have had some folks waiting for those yellow wax beans, so I thought I'd let everyone know they're in the fridge waiting on you, now. So pretty! And like Matt said before, tomatoes are just starting, and soon we will be loading up on the BLTs and the salsa! Can't wait!

Anyone have spare plants? We would love some divisions for Fall transplants. I have no idea what is good to divide for Fall, but we will have fun learning. It's great to get something planted and wait to see what it brings to us in God's time. This Spring we planted some bright and beautiful Philodendrons (I think that's what they're called) in the shade next to the veggie stand and they all died (almost immediately). So sad. Well, busy with the rest of the garden, we were totally and happily surprised when they started poking up out of the earth, unwatered and beautiful, a couple months later. God is amazing! So we keep learning. And we will plant lots of whatever it takes to bring more pollinators to us! They help our garden look inviting, produce more happily, and taste better. We have enjoyed bringing in transplants of coneflowers and hollyhocks, jack-in-the-pulpits, balloon flowers, coreopsis, phlox and more. We have had lots of positive feedback about our flower sections, so thanks for your comments! And if ya happen to think of us in the Springtime, we'd be happy to find a home for some new plantings then, as well.

Come out and pick up some corn and potatoes - nothing quite like a great ribeye with a big ear of corn and some fried potatoes! Hope everyone has a relaxing and wonderful weekend!

07/29/2015

Hi all, and happy summer. It's been cool today, a wonderful day to go outside after work and ride your bike or just throw a frisbee with the kids! And the flowers and vegies are loving this weather!!

We have SWEET CORN!! We also have loads of awesome potatoes and crisp green beans. Give us a call with any quantity orders. We'd love to help ya out! And bring the kids - they need some fresh air (and an freezer thingee)!

07/23/2015

Okay, there are those of you who know Matt really well, and those that don't. He is at the races tonight in Jackson (be careful and stay hydrated, Rescue Man!), so I'm sneaking on to post something a bit sinster. Please humor me. Yesterday we noticed that there are a ton of beautiful white butterflies flittering. Especially over our cabbage. And the kohlrabi. And the kale (which can account for all the holes in the kale's beautiful leaves!!!). Sigh. So, he told me that when he was little, his mom paid the kids a nickel for every one they caught and killed, because times were tough and that cabbage moth was destroying their food. I totally got it. So, in my moment of weakness and with an insurmountable (and irretrievable) glob of love, I told him I would pay him a quarter for each, what with inflation and all (sorry, Marilyn!). Dang! We ended up at the hardware store to pick up a butterfly net. Anyone else seeing what I am in my head?? I don't have a picture to share (yet, heh heh). Today we were working separately, so I guess I missed the YouTube moment. He came up the stairs to the barn loft where I was painting a file cabinet. He said to me, all sweaty-like, "If you want a good workout, you would not believe how much of a workout you get trying to catch those white butterflies." And with many hand motions to help me get the full picture, he proceeded to describe how they must "instinctively know" that they need to get away rapidly, and how he is not as fast as he was back then. Why do I miss out on all the great stuff?? Please, I beg of you, MCM friends...without causing an accident...if you see him tiptoeing through the meadow with his little white net, get that on video! Love you, Honey! (And then we can talk!) Thanks! Jessi

07/21/2015

Just around the corner from the Jackson County Fairgrounds, we are conveniently located for a visit! So come on out and pick up some farm fresh summer vegies. We have cucumbers (YES!!) and zucchini, red, white and gold potatoes that are wonderful, and we have gorgeous green beans in the fridge, bagged and ready to take home. There are also some kohlrabi and some very nice (I think they're beautiful!!) yellow onions.

We also have some Swiss chard and some kale, if anyone is interested. If you'll call us ahead, we will pick some and have them in the fridge in the stand with your name on them, nice and fresh. We eat ours in a big salad with a dressing we make with Dijon mustard and some apple cider vinegar. YUM! And I haven't tried it yet, but my mom makes kale chips and thinks they are to die for. Jalapeno peppers will be making their way to the stand in the next few days, also.

And since we have decorated the place a little differently this summer and had so much fun being creative, we invite you to come out for a walk in the gardens and see what's new.

So come check us out. If you have any questions about availability or requests for special quantities, give us a call at 507-841-0029. Your enjoyment of God's bounty here is what makes us happy!

07/11/2015

Oh, times have changed! I remember growing up and walking beans, pulling all the milkweed plants as we went down the rows. But now? We miss them. Sadly, the monarchs are disappearing and we want them back! They are beautiful and they're pretty important to our gardens. So, we are saving seeds and planting them in patches of their own, and if we see one popping up among the sunflowers or green beans, we leave it be. This is food for the caterpillars that are "born" on our little farm. This is a picture of our first monarch this year, taking advantage of the offerings! Our efforts have paid off for this fellow.

07/10/2015

Jessi and I were married this past October, and we've been working together out in the garden since the first showing of the sun early this spring. We started planning this winter, and are so happy to see some of the results of that already. We have incorporated more flowers and some walking paths, and we've moved some stuff around outside the little red shed. We'd love to know what you think. Feel free to stop in and look around!

07/10/2015

Our inspectors have concluded that the tomatoes are not quite ready, but we will be opening Saturday, July 11 with snap peas, onions, kohlrabi, kale and Swiss chard. We also should be ready with baby potatoes, red and white. Call us at 507-841-0029 if you would like some pre-picked for your weekend needs.

10/08/2014

All pumpkins $1 to $3. Wide selection of shapes and colors. Lots of baby pumpkins and decorative gourds all for $.50 each. Assorted colors of broom corn for an extra fall decorating touch. And acorn and butternut squash for those of you who just want to eat :)