Farm Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Jane Creighton’s great grandmother came to Kansas in 1868 in two wagons pulled by oxen with 12 children by her side and one on the way. Over 100 years later, her great granddaughter returned to the farm with her husband, Horace, a retired engineer, to start River Bluff Gardens. Even though Jane divides her time between her business and farming, she vowed to grow the best possible tomatoes. Horace’s family was known throughout the South for their tomatoes, and the Creightons applied that knowledge and experience to raising tomatoes in the rich, river bottom soil of Kansas. With the efforts of their son and daughter-in-law, Jane and Horace have succeeded in producing tomatoes with that special, home-grown flavor.

Andy and Tannie Daniels are committed to growing the sweetest local corn you will ever taste. In fact it is so sweet, they named it Andy’s Candy Corn. They Daniels also grow eggplants, peppers and pumpkins.

Thirty years ago, David and Laura Moyer started a family business raising vegetables. Along with their 3 children, Kyle, Nathan and Cheslea and both of their parents, they developed a quality produce enterprise in Richmond, Missouri. In the ‘70s, they sold melons from a hay wagon in their front yard. In the ‘80s, they sold in an open air fruit market and then as a regular vendor at the Kansas City Farmers’ Market. Today they raise squash, sweet corn, pumpkins, melons and pepper for Hen House Markets.

The Mazlin Family in Rich Hill, Missouri, operates the Bates County Farms. As Old World Mennonites, the Mazlins farm using horse power and irrigate their fields by pumping water from wells using wind power. They raise sweet onions, cucumbers and melons.