One Tree Farm

Fifteen years and two kids ago, Cortney and Dewain Riddle had a problem: their newly-purchased property was so overrun with grasshoppers that their window screens were falling apart. That's where the chickens came in.

The plan for natural pest control quickly evolved into an interest in egg production. Today, the family has rougly 50 hens in their flock. The family enjoys watching the birds graze and doing what "God designed them to do." The hens graze freely everyday, sharing the yard with the Riddles' two children and four cats.

Near the hen house, Cortney also keeps a modest garden. She grows blackberries, greens, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and more. Though most of the bounty stays on the farm in the form of canning and preserves, she brings the occasional surplus to Market to share. For Cortney, community and personal connection are a part of why she participates in the local food chain. As a fitness instructor at the YMCA, she takes pride in practicing what she preaches. But more importantly, she cares about the quality and healthfulness of the food that she feeds her children. Working for good food is what works for the family. She's been instilling these values in her ten-year-old daughter, Avery, who helps sell at Market every Saturday.

Cortney's famous eggs also share a spotlight with her fresh-squeezed lemonade. She offers good old-fashioned lemonade every weekend, but spruces up offerings with other flavors like pina colada, watermelon, and strawberry, too. She cuts and squeezes the lemons on-site to ensure quality. It's just one more way that she shares her love of real food, prepared in a real way, with her friends and customers.