Local Love!

Happy Sunday, little local market of love customers!!

Today, in our continued series of Local Love via our vendors, I am excited to bring you, Joe and Charlene of Swisher Hill Herbs!! You know Charlene as one of your assistant managers of this market, she has been a driving force in this local movement when it was really, simple…just local. Before we had to make it an actual movement, just to get it all back on track.

Here you go…Local Love…

The Question put forth to all vendors of the Champaign Virtual Market is
Why are you part of this Local food movement? Speaking for one half of this Swisher Hill Herbs
partnership it is easy to answer, but hard to write about. Perhaps you have heard the term “You
can take the girl off of the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the girl.” I truly believe that
being raised on a farm and the life skills and work ethic instilled in me by my parents and family
have grounded me throughout my entire life. When you live with fresh from the garden to the
table, gathering the eggs, helping your father in the milking parlor and having to help scrub
down the milk house, help with planting the garden. Dad assigned you a row in the unplanted
prepared garden, hand you a cupful of bean seeds, gave you planting instruction and informed
your butt was a lot closer to the ground for perfect placement of the seeds.( message received”
Don’t mess this up !”) Life wasn’t always easy and at times there would be grumbling in the
ranks about chores. My father and mother’s simple statement is always with me. “Grow where
you are planted.” It seemed everything was a community effort. Neighbors helping neighbors,
word of mouth through the church, and other community leaders we were informed of families in
need. We learned to share with others what we had in excess.
My husband Joe and I during our first 20 years of marriage moved from one side of the United
State to the other and back. We spent 4 years in Germany and traveled throughout Europe with
our little family of 5. We lived in the small village of Igstadt for 2 years. We were the only
American family in that village. The local residents embraced us. The village had a flower shop,
bakery, grocery, meat market, and a drug store. I shopped 3 times a week in the little village and
enjoyed the benefits of supporting the local economy, learning a new language and meeting my
neighbors. Every move we made, everywhere we lived we planted a small garden, whether it
was on the second floor balcony of an apartment or a small section of yard by our house and we
would seek out Farm market stands and other sources of fresh local baked goods, fruits,
vegetables, eggs, and meat products.
Supporting your local Farmers Market’s help…
Enhance local economy: By purchasing produce and other items from local growers you are
providing stability to your local economy through the support of local businesses.
Save natural resources: Buying locally makes you an invaluable link in the process of saving
resources such as fossil fuels and packaging materials. We are right here in your community so
the expense of transportation and delivery is kept to a minimum.
Provide learning opportunities: Locally Grown supporters provide member growers the
means to help educate our community about the importance of sustainable agriculture.
Supporting a way of life: When you their food come from as well as helping to preserve the
Family Farm an honest and worthy means of making a living.
Take Thyme,
Joe and Charlene Stapleton