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Paradise Farm & Nursery: Fresh Produce, Plants & Local Goods

lakeoswegolifestyle.com,

Farmstand Fantasia

Farm focus: Paradise Farm & Nursery
By Angie Helvey, Active Media

 

Having an abundant farmstand just down the road is the ultimate convenience for healthy eating, and it’s to that end that Paradise Farm & Nursery dedicates itself. Starting in May, through the beginning of December, owner Terri Cummings stocks the stand with whatever’s in season, whether it’s delicious, naturally grown produce, hardy plant starts, farm-fresh chicken eggs or beautiful handmade wreaths.

With a 40-year background teaching agricultural science and a husband in the nursery business, Terri was poised to start a business that would grow nursery stock, but life had other plans. She and her husband bought their 20-acre property off Heintz Road in 2002, but with the 2008 recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a few other obstacles, it took years of pivoting to create the operation she runs today. The name, however, came easily: both the Cummings are avid Jimmy Buffet fans, so Paradise Farm & Nursery was the perfect designation.

Terri keeps the farmstand stocked during the growing season with a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruits. When she opens in May, it begins with plant starts, which are available for mostly anything she grows, and produce is added as the season progresses. “I grow much of my produce in wind tunnels, so the temperature is 10-15 degrees warmer than the outside,” she explains. “It helps so things are ready a bit sooner.” Customers can choose from a broad assortment of everyday produce and starts, including all kinds of tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, cucumber, tomatillos, pumpkins, eggplant, kale, green beans and herbs. Terri cultivates a few more exotic, less well-known varieties like ground cherries, which are tiny tomatillos that taste like a little shot of pineapple
and make the most incredible salsa. Or the giant banana squash, which Terri grew up on, that’s fabulous for pies, soups and more.

Once the fruit begins ripening, the stand has strawberries, blueberries, apples, pears, gooseberries, raspberries and boysenberries. Paradise also grows annual and perennial flowers, mainly cutting varieties, ideal for fresh arrangements. In the fall and early winter, Terri adorns the stand with beautiful wreaths, swags, and centerpieces that she makes fresh daily. Payment is cash only and should be deposited in the provided locked box.

Keeping prices affordable is a cornerstone of the business. “My goal is to keep the cost low so people will eat healthy foods,” Terri explains. “Many of my neighbors have told me they ate off my fruit stand all summer and never had to buy anything at the store.” Terri’s sustainable farming practices are part of cutting costs. “I save my seeds for future starts, and any produce that goes bad is fed to the chickens. Then, I use the composted chicken manure to fertilize the garden. Nothing goes to waste,” she says. All produce is naturally grown with no sprays or pesticides, and she keeps her own harvest for canning and freeze-drying.

Paradise Farm & Nursery’s Facebook page is updated whenever Terri restocks the stand or adds something new. It’s an easy and convenient stop about 5 miles south of town. Though they’ve only just finished their third official year in business, the response from the community has been very exciting. “I had a customer who came every week to get lemon cucumbers for her granddaughter because she loves them,” says Terri, “and if there weren’t any down there, they would call me, and I would pick some fresh for them. It makes a difference when you know your customers, and you can do that in a small town.”

Paradise Farm & Nursery is located at 8667 S Heintz Rd in Canby. Visit Paradise Farm and Nursery on Facebook for more information and updates.

Food & Dining

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