HELENA — What started as a small family garden in the Helena Valley has grown into a thriving local farm operation — and now, the owners of Mid Valley Farm hope a new farmstand will help connect even more people with fresh, local food.
(WATCH: Montana couple grows farm into a community-driven farmstand business)
Jorae and John Miedtke say they never planned for farming to become a business. What began as growing food for their own family quickly turned into a passion for sharing fresh produce with others in the Helena area.
“Once we had a lot of food we had to do something with it,” said co-owner Jorae Miedtke.
Today, the couple grows a wide variety of produce during the summer months, including tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, onions, beets, peppers, jalapeños, eggplant, winter squash and green chile.
The produce is sold at the Helena Farmers Market, but the Miedtkes say they wanted another way for people to access local food throughout the week.
“During the middle of the week we wanted a way to have people get the produce, so the farmstand idea was born,” Jorae Miedtke said.
The new Mid Valley Farm stand is expected to open in early August in the Helena Valley. The couple says people have already started stopping by to ask about it.
“We've had quite a few folks stopping in asking us what's going on, asking us ‘what’s this stand gonna be?’ and they're all pretty surprised and excited about it I think,” said co-owner John Miedtke.
For the Miedtkes, the goal goes beyond simply selling produce. They say they want people to know what fresh, locally grown food tastes like and better understand where their food comes from.
“People should know what fresh food tastes like,” Jorae Miedtke said.
The couple says the work is demanding, but seeing families excited to pick up local produce makes it worthwhile.
“Just sharing with other families is really rewarding,” John Miedtke said. “You work so hard to get it to that point and then when people are excited about picking it up, it really makes it worthwhile.”
The Miedtkes hope the farmstand becomes a community space where people can support local agriculture and build a stronger connection to local food.
More information and updates can be found on Mid Valley Farm’s website.
