Deans Farm Market Offers Agritourism, Fresh Produce and Meals

James Sharp of Deans Farm Market knows produce. Although he grew up on a row crop farm in Wilson County, James took over management of his family’s garden at age 12, planting extra cantaloupes, watermelons and tomatoes. He sold the surplus to local grocery stores.

“It was rewarding for me to grow something I could sell that was my own,” Sharp says.

Advertisement

After graduating from North Carolina State University, he continued to grow produce and his business, which he runs as Fresh-Pik Produce. He raises lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, sweet corn, strawberries, watermelon and collards on about 500 acres. Sharp sells to wholesalers and grocery stores, but some of his produce goes directly to the shelves of Deans Farm Market.

See more: The Randleigh Dairy Heritage Museum Teaches How Milk Goes From Farm to Table

Sharp and his wife, Courtney, took over Deans in 2001. An institution in the Wilson community since 1965, Deans had always carried fresh produce. Over the years, canned and frozen foods, home decor and gift items from local vendors were added. The canned goods are like what your grandma kept in the basement – jellies and jams, relishes, sauces and pickled vegetables preserved from the bounty of the growing season.

Convenient and Delicious

In 2016, the Sharps added a commercial kitchen to Deans, where a chef now prepares single items or complete meals utilizing produce grown just steps away from the market.

“Having the commercial kitchen lets us produce items from what we grow on the farm and allows our customers to have a good meal that doesn’t take long to heat up,” says Sharp, noting trends show people were cooking less at home and going out to eat more before the pandemic. “In general, folks have busier schedules and don’t have time to prepare a meal.”

At Deans, customers can choose prepared foods like broccoli salad or strawberry Key lime pie, as well as heat-and-eat items such as chicken pot pie, soups and lasagna. Local fan favorites include collard dip, cheesy squash casserole and cooked cabbage collards. This is North Carolina, after all, where collards are a culinary staple. Sharp says Deans’ chef created the collard dip recipe for them. The cooked cabbage collards – one of the bestsellers – utilize an heirloom cabbage collard unique to the farm.

“The cabbage collards are cooked and then frozen,” he says. “We don’t highlight it much because it just sells itself. It’s a big item for us.”

Educating Through Agritourism

Learning about heirloom collards – and the origins of all of our food – is critically important for James and Courtney to share with the young and not-so-young. Several years ago, they added special events and educational activities to their offerings. Courtney has degrees in elementary education and special education and runs the educational components, leading field trips and hands-on activities in their indoor Agricultural Classroom. For example, during fall field trips, kids enjoy a hayride around the farm; learn about the barnyard animals; play in the corn pit, jolly jump and rockin’ rollers; navigate the soybean maze; and pick their own pumpkin. Spring and summer field trips offer similar seasonal activities. In the summer, Courtney also oversees summer day camps, where kids help care for the farm animals; make crafts; and learn how to harvest, wash and taste what is grown on the farm.

See more: How NC State Advances Food Manufacturing

“We think these agritourism activities are very important for kids and youth to see an active and working farm with crops growing, where they actually see where their food is coming from,” Sharp says. “It’s very important for our future that kids have a good foundation of what goes into growing and making food.”

Folks don’t need to be part of a field trip, however, to enjoy a fall weekend at the pumpkin patch. Hayrides, farm animals and navigating the soybean maze are all part of the fun, along with, of course, pumpkins.

Investing in the Community

On fall Saturdays, the Sharps invite local vendors to showcase their offerings, helping support other businesses in their community.

“Our customers and our staff make the business successful,” he says. “We try to do everything we can to support the community, other growers and local vendors because we are a local food source.”

As just one example, the Sharps offer local civic groups the opportunity to buy fresh strawberries wholesale so they can resell the berries at retail prices as fundraisers.

“When consumers come here and get fresh, local produce in season, they are investing in their community when they shop with us,” Sharp says.

–Kim Hill