Love for others sparks selling homemade goodies, produce on the honor system
Farmstands are popping up around Oglethorpe County, offering residents a place to buy homemade baked goods, fresh produce and other treats while supporting local families.
For some farmstand owners, the businesses are about more than making money. They are about spending time with their families, giving back to the community and sharing family recipes.
For Lindsie Moore, owner of K&L Farm Stand at 832 Arnoldsville Road in Winterville, the idea began last year.
Moore operates the self-serve farmstand out of a storage shed that has a refrigerator and lighting. Customers can stop and buy a variety of baked goods like sourdough loaves, cookies, bagels, cinnamon rolls and dirty sodas, which are soft drinks with added flavoring from syrups or juices, and often cream.
Her kids inspired her to add dirty sodas to the menu as well once she decided she could make them from scratch.
“I’ve taken a lot of recipes from my grandma’s cookbook, but also from experiences with my family,” Moore said. “I am still, I think, in shock from the support the community has given us.”
K&L Farmstand also offers families the opportunity to feed farm animals on the property, and the business has even appeared at community events, such as the Fourth of July celebration at Bryan Park and Community Day.
“I was born here, raised in the OC, so I just want to keep giving back to our community, the place my kids grow up,” Moore said.
Moore said the difference between the sourdough she makes and the products found at the store is the care that goes into baking them.
“I would say time and love,” she said. “Sourdough is a process.”
She said she wants to ensure that the food she sells has good ingredients that she would feed to her own family.
“I don’t want to put something in the stand for someone else’s table that I wouldn’t want to feed to my own family,” Moore said.
Celia Snay, owner and operator of My Crazy Farmstand at 95 Watson Mill Road, focuses on simple ingredients and no artificial dyes in her products. She said the health of her customers is why she opened the farmstand.
“We have some friends of the family here, their children are allergic to the artificial dyes, so that was kind of my inspiration, like we’re keeping everything clean,” she said. “You’re walking into something that’s love, essentially. You can feel the love in everything that I make because I put so much heart and soul into everything.”
Snay offers sourdough loaves, cookies, muffins, fresh vegetables and dirty sodas. She said her goal is to offer customers access to healthier food.
“Of course, this is about making money for me; who’s not trying to make money?” Snay said. “But it is about the community out here and trying to get healthier, better, cleaner food out here.”
Both Snay and Moore use the honor system at their farmstands. Snay has experienced one instance of theft, but she chose to not let it change her view of the community.
“I really think whoever took it, if it wasn’t an honest mistake, then I hope that the food nourishes them and blesses them,” Snay said.
Moore also shares similar views on theft at her farmstand, but isn’t surprised with the amount of respect from her customers with the honor system.
“Our community, Oglethorpe County, I feel is special with sweet people and hard workers,” Moore said. “We’re all proud to be Patriots, so I’m really not surprised at all.”
Both women said they believe local farmstands can support one another rather than compete.
“I truly believe that each of us has our own corner here and none of us are competition,” Snay said. “We’re all working towards a common goal.”
For Moore, the farmstand has also been a way to find her purpose as her children grow older.
“I believe we’re inspiring each other,” Moore said. “For me, I started it when my kids were going into middle and high school so I felt my purpose with them kind of shifted. They didn't need me as much as in elementary school.”
Snay said her son helps create videos for Facebook while her mother helps with fresh produce.
Moore credits her family for helping the stand run. Her husband, Kirk Moore, tends to the animals while her children help with graphics and baking.
“I think that they see their mom as more than a mom, like she’s making a difference in the community, and so that makes me proud because I want to model that for them,” she said. “I want them to grow up to be well-rounded adults who give back to the community, too.”
Moore said she hopes the farmstand provides something homemade while strengthening the community she calls home.
“I just want someone to feel joy and just feel like they have a place that’s convenient,” she said. “They can come get something fresh and homemade.”