Christa soon realized how time consuming it was to care for her animals while taking care of the farm with planting , tending and harvesting , even with Dan ’ s help . She then decided she could help other farmers , crafters and artisans sell their products too , along with her own , which has made a big difference for these small business owners . “ It really helps the farmers . There are just not enough minutes in the day to grow produce and then take it to farmers markets to sell , especially during harvest time .”
She sells bundt cakes from LK Bundt Shop in Clinton ; Swope ’ s honey and berries from that farm in Avella , Washington County ; greens from the Lettuce Ladies located in Ambridge ; jams , pickles and apple butter from Aunt Kimmie ’ s in Avella ; pies and cookies from The Pie Place in Bethel Park ; and artisanal olive oils from The Olive Tap in Glenshaw .
One of the places where Christa sells her wares and other farmers ’ products is at The Farm Tent in Allison Park on Duncan Avenue , just a stone ’ s throw away from where she grew up . She also has a Rolling Farmers Market , which appears at various locations around Pittsburgh . Christa has lots of requests for the Rolling Market , with more requests coming in every month .
Christa also sells at The Farm Stand located on Santiago Road in Imperial near her farm . The Farm Stand is a 24 / 7 market open to the public using the honor system — yes , you read it correctly , an honor system . People can buy produce and other items and leave the payment in a cash box there . They can also pay with Venmo
and PayPal . Christa says everyone is generally very honest and pays for what they take .
“ I ’ ve received so much positive feedback as to how this is the way the community was decades ago , with local farms and honor systems ,” she says . “ Parents tell me they take their children to the stand to show them this how the community can be .”
With hard work , ingenuity and a sense of sharing with the community , Christa Meeder is helping to make local small businesses successful .
For more information , visit onfmarket . com . n
“ Parents tell me they take their children to the stand to show them this is how the community can be .”
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