Mt. Olympus Berry Farm Offers Produce with Pride

Mt. Olympus Berry Farm, a vendor at the , is a berry farm in name, but much more than a berry farm in practice.

Located in Caroline County in central Virginia, the farm grows many different varieties of fruits and vegetables on its 250 acres of land. Every week on Thursday mornings, farm mechanic and jack-of-all trades Jared Martin and his fiancée Sheri Farinholt can be found at the Mt. Olympus Berry Farm booth at . Martin has been working at Mt. Olympus Berry Farm for about 10 years.

"We grow over 20 varieties of tomatoes, over 30 varieties of peppers, about 10 different kinds of eggplant, summer squash, winter squash, cucumbers, onions, greens, lettuce, melons, cantaloupes… I could keep going but suffice it to say most everything but corn," said owner Mary West. Mt. Olympus Berry Farm also has cut sunflowers available for sale, depending on availability. Owners Ken and Mary West run the farm. Originally from the Richmond area, Ken did maintenance at Mt. Olympus Berry Farm for three years before the Wests incorporated and became active owners of the farm in 1991. Ken is now the operator of the farm, while Mary runs the retail side of their business.

Mt. Olympus Farm practices low-impact farming and rotate their land every year to produce their products while doing their best to conserve water. "We use no-till vegetables and low-impact farming. Vegetables can be hard on our land, so we don’t use the same land every year. All of the land that has crops this year was not in production last year. We take the time to make sure that our land is healthy enough to support our products," Martin said.

While they are not certified organic, Mt. Olympus Berry farm takes price in the fact that they are a sustainable farm and follow organic principles without cutting corners. They hold a high standard for their products, using green manures and low-impact pesticides, without going through the hoops that are required for a USDA "organic" certification.

Customers enjoy visiting the farm and picking their own strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and pumpkins. "Their farm is a wonderful place," said Judy Johnson. "I took my grandkids pumpkin picking, and we like going to their Farm Market store as well. I’d go into mourning if Mt. Olympus didn’t make it to the market every week."

Mt. Olympus Berry Farm participates in 10 different farmers markets, but they also have a Farm Market store where customers can stop by for eggs, dairy and produce right by the farm. The Farm Market store is open every spring, summer, and fall. In addition to the Farm Market store, Mt. Olympus Berry Farm has a garden shop where customers can purchase plants for their garden. "I buy almost all of my plants from Mt. Olympus Berry Farm," Johnson said.

To find out more about Mt. Olympus Berry Farm, you can visit their website or Facebook page.