Vendor profile: Megen Hall Riverside Farm

For Megen Hall of Riverside Farm in Hardwick, the farmers market is a family affair. This photo was taken in 2018 when her daughter, Mavis, was just a baby. Photo by Bethany M. Dunbar

For Megen Hall of Riverside Farm in Hardwick, the Hardwick Farmers Market is a family affair. Her daughters Piper and Mavis have been coming with her to sell vegetables since they were babies. Piper took her first steps at the market, and these days she is one of the entertainers, singing songs she has written herself.

Megen first started growing vegetables by working for a handful of area farms in 2001 or so, including Bruce Kaufman at Riverside. The first year she farmed for herself was in 2010 as she transitioned from being an employee to being a partner at Riverside. She also took on the responsibility of managing the farmers market for three years starting at that time, and has served on the market’s board ever since.

“I love the community event aspect of it and getting to meet the customers,” she said. “It’s awesome. I just love providing food for my community.” 

She does sell to some local retail outlets, but being able to sell direct is her favorite part. When she is packing up the vegetables to bring to the farmers market, she always enjoys seeing the produce she grew herself and gets a kick out of showing it all off.

“I love seeing the delight when people see all the color,” she said.

Over the years her daughters have grown up playing with friends they know through the market, and they consider it their own place in all ways. “My kids crave the connection with people,” she said. “It’s festive and joyful.”

“They’ve always had that sense of belonging,” she said. She mentioned that her daughters feel the same way about Buffalo Mountain Market, which is cooperatively owned, and they often ask to go in a few times a day. Her daughters sometimes say, “This is my store, I own this place.”

Asked what is her favorite thing to grow, Ms. Hall said cherry tomatoes because they are so colorful and easy to pick. 

Recipe: Black bean, sweet potato and red pepper salad

3 cups cooked, cooled black beans

1 large sweet potato, cubed into ½ inch pieces, cooked, cooled

1 large red pepper, chopped finely, raw

½ cup minced red onion, raw

½ cup minced cilantro, or more if you love cilantro like we do!

Dressing: ½ cup olive oil

¼ cup lime juice

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp cumin

1 pinch cinnamon

⅛ tsp salt

cracked pepper to taste

Combine all the chopped veggies and herbs. Mix in the dressing. Sometimes I add in cubed avocado and/or fresh sweet corn. Makes about 8 cups, depending on the size of the pepper and sweet potato.