Congolina Farm owners Ray Huger and Beth Huger-Mcgee sell home-grown vegetables at the Market. Before they became farmers, Ray worked as a computer programmer, while Beth was a nonprofit executive. When a neighbor offered to sell them some land about ten years ago, they decided to try growing, and eventually selling, their own food. Ray and Beth share some of their farmland with three women who primarily use it to grow food native to the Congo. Ray and Beth bring some of the women’s products to the Market on their behalf, and this experience gave them the idea for the farm’s unique name: Congolina.
Ray and Beth grow their products year-round and almost entirely by hand. Because it’s just the two of them on the farm, they specialize in produce that can be harvested without large-scale machinery. Ray and Beth typically grow vegetables with a quick turnaround period so they can use all four seasons to their advantage. They find that these vegetables are not only manageable for a two-person team but also optimal for generating the largest amount of food to sell. When Ray and Beth first started attending the Market as customers, they aspired to vend here due to its overwhelmingly positive social experience. Now skilled farmers and vendors, they continually enjoy talking to patrons who care about not only the products they buy but also the people selling them.
