Henry Jochem arrives every Sunday morning at the Greenbelt Farmers Market to sell fresh produce from his farm, Primaterra Farm. He is originally from Columbus, Ohio. He started out with internships during his undergraduate years on several farms in Ohio. He later moved to the East Coast and gained more experience on farms in central Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland. Last spring, he began his very own farm, Primaterra Farm located in Brandywine, Md. It is a first-generation vegetable farm focused on sustainability and diversity. Crops are planted, cultivated and harvested by hand. They are grown in soil fertilized by natural compost and without any chemicals. Jochem began participating in the Greenbelt Farmers Market after a member of the market reached out to him via email. Since then, Jochem has been present every Sunday to provide the Greenbelt community with sustainable, fresh produce. Jochem also sells at markets in Alexandria, Va., and Lothian, Md., on Saturdays and Thursdays. A typical day for Jochem starts at 5:30 a.m., earlier on days he goes to market. He begins by milking the goats, which are the newest animals to join Primaterra Farm. He then feeds quails and chickens and collects their eggs. During the summer he will turn on water for irrigation if necessary. The challenging part is deciding where to get the water from – he has two wells on the farm and also collects rainwater. After watering his crops, he then picks vegetables, sows seeds and tills his land. With no other employees besides himself, he is constantly juggling the responsibilities of running this operation. Some summer seasonal crops at Primaterra Farm are tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Fall crops include radishes, carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, lettuce and baby greens like arugula. The eggs that Jochem sells are from pasture-raised hens. Studies have shown that eggs from pasture-raised hens are FARMERS continued from page 1 higher in omega-3 fatty acids, higher in vitamins A and E, higher in beta carotene and lower in cholesterol with less saturated fat. Stop by to say hello to Jochem and the other vendors providing delicious, fresh produce straight from farm to table at the Greenbelt Farmers Market this Sunday, August 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. While there, enter a free drawing to win prizes at the Greenbelt Community Foundation (GCF) booth, where information will be available about the Foundation and its tenth anniversary celebration campaign, Explore Your Greenbelt. This seven-month campaign is highlighting organizations GCF has funded and this week it is the Greenbelt Farmers Market. The campaign is sponsored by Greenbelt News Review, Paradyme Management and Beltway Plaza.
For more information, visit GCF’s website greenbeltfoundation.net. Yeri Zinn is an intern working with the Greenbelt Community Foundation.