Page 11 - Robeson Living Summer 2021

Customers at Geraldine’s seem to be those who do care about
the better quality and about supporting local business. There
are a lot of happy repeat customers at the roadside stand that’s
just a mile east of Littlefield Middle School. It’s a frequent stop
for discerning cooks in the area who are looking for the latest
fresh ingredients for their meals.

“It’s the quality of it that makes a difference,” Geraldine said.
“We put in extra effort, and we’re always looking for improved
varieties. We’re very selective about choosing our seeds and
varieties because we want to offer the very best quality. We
want to be sure we know exactly what we’re offering and how
it’s grown. We can take any customer right to the field where
we grew what we sell.”

One relatively new thing that’s growing right now at Geral-
dine’s Peaches and Produce is sunflowers - one of the few of-
ferings that’s not directly edible. The sunflower field is a place
for people to take photos or just enjoy the atmosphere. It’s a
relatively new thing that’s been attracting a little additional at-
tention lately.

“The response has been pretty good,” Brooke said. “We re-
alized people were traveling to find sunflower fields in other
places, but since we have the space for it here on the farm, we
thought it was another thing we could offer people in the area.
We have some even taller sunflower varieties growing now,
and I can’t wait to see how they look soon!”

produce farm with daughter Brooke and just a few employees The best place to find details about the sunflower field or any-
to help plant and harvest. The main farmer behind it all is her thing that’s currently in season at Geraldine’s is on the busi-
husband Roy. About 20 years ago he decided to plant the peach ness’s Facebook page. Just search for “Geraldine’s peaches”
orchard off N.C. Highway 41 east of Lumberton, partly as a and look for the page. The produce stand is open six days a
transition from tobacco but mostly because he knew Geraldine week through summer and three days a week in the fall and
was retiring and would have “free time” to run the market. winter through December 31. The address is 10728 NC Hwy
41 North, Lumberton, NC 28358. You can call the market at
There hasn’t been any free time. Tending to the peach orchard, (910) 739-8686 with any questions.
the grape vines and the business-sized garden is a year-round
job. Even when the market isn’t open from January into April, Just don’t wait too long to stop by if you’re looking for those
there’s pruning, cleaning, planning and ordering seeds to do. hot commodities of summer. There will still be plenty of pro-
duce in the fall, but only what grows as the days get cooler. You
“I’m not sure many people appreciate all the hard work that probably won’t find a watermelon in September, but you will
goes into providing really high-quality fresh food,” Brooke find some delicious muscadine grapes. So maybe that wouldn’t
said. “I think people have gotten used to getting anything they be so bad either!
want almost any time of year from the grocery store, and they
forget about the better quality they can get from a farm-fresh
market like ours. Whether it’s the grocery store, other produce
markets or even a pick-up truck set up on a street corner, a lot
of people don’t seem to care if those fruits and vegetables have
the quality of locally grown stuff. We care though, and we
keep working hard because we want to give people in the area a
source of produce that’s even better than what they could grow
on their own. That matters to us.”

Robeson Living ~ Summer 2021 Page 11