Voices of Rural Wisconsin Part Three: From Farm to Plate
Ross Turner - Waupaca County
Turner's Fresh Market is a landmark at the Waupaca-Portage County line. Some people in these parts say summer doesn't start until Turner's sweet corn is ready for picking. The corn is helped along by early-season planting beneath plastic strips that reach across whole fields. We visit in spring, when Turner is in the midst of planting the sweet corn. Lean and soft-spoken, Turner describes how the Turner family has been selling produce around Waupaca and its Chain O' Lakes region for almost a half-century. The old dairy barn where he milked cows as a kid is now the retail center. A new greenhouse complex adjoins it, and fields on all sides grow Turner produce. In addition to plants, fruits and vegetables grown on site, Turner's buys regionally from farmers in places like Indiana, who provide early melons that customers swoop up. According to Turner, the best way to keep local fruits and vegetables on the plate is to find ways to lengthen the growing season
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