A Bounty of Beauties! These lovely locals are bringing quality produce and handcrafted goods to you via their individual farmstands, all part of the first Farm Stand Tour this weekend! Pictured from left are Ashley Siller – Sheldon Self-Serve Farm Stand, Nicole Allard – The Cackleberry, Ashley Garske -Aldrich Family Cart and Justine Dutra – Reis Ranch Farm Stand. Not pictured are Paula Carli – Windmill Farms and Ethel Byers – Hastings Avenue Farm Stand. Photo by Seti Long

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - If you keep your eyes open on the next country drive, you might see one sitting unassumingly beside the road as you pass by – a fruit stand.

There is something about homegrown produce that sets it apart from others – the rich taste, perfect texture and usually great prices. Thankfully, we live in an area with easy and direct access to it, whether via farmers markets or roadside stands that are beginning to trend in rural communities.

An enterprising group of locals has fallen in love with the fruit stand concept and is harnessing its power, networking with like-minded fellow growers to bring more than just fresh produce to the public.

Each farmstand brings its own unique charm and twist to the farm-stand culture. The Crackleberry Hut illustrates how a small collection of goods can make a big impact displayed in a stand. Photo provided by Nicole Allard

Nicole Allard just started her stand “The Cackleberry Hut” and has been met with outstanding support from the community in the short weeks it has been open.

She had the idea to reach out to some of the other farm stands in the community that she has frequented, and together, they are bringing the first Farm Stand Tour to the area.

Spread between Biggs, Gridley and the Manzanita area, six farm stands have joined the tour that kicks off this weekend. Locations are Bigg’s Hasting Avenue Veggie Stand, Gridley’s Cackleberry Hut, Aldrich Farm Cart, Windmill Flower Farm, Sheldon Self-Serve and Reis Ranch Produce.

The women and families behind the stands agree that the beautiful thing about the farm stand is that it meets you where you are in life, whether you a have a large farm like Paul Carli or Ethel Byers and have excess goods to offer, are creating your own candles and jewelry to sell like Ashley Garske or have a small family-style garden where your children help pull the extra zucchinis and tomatoes. The farm stand is an easy and direct way to get your products to the community.

Looking for a quick gift? Jewelry, candles and goodies can be found at the Aldrich Family Cart open 24/7 on Little Avenue. Photo provided by Ashley Garske

Some of the stands have recently been established, only months old, such as Reis Ranch and Cackleberry, while other stands such as Windmill Flower Farm stand have run their locations for more than a decade.

Run by women for the most part, the fruit stands featured in this upcoming tour have had different reasons for starting their stand. Carli of Windmill Farms shares that her 24/7 stand allows busy professionals that carry odd hours, such as nurses, the ability to grab freshly picked fruit or flowers on their way home.

Others, such as the Siller family, started their stand on Sheldon to share some of their homesteading practices with the community. They preserve their excess goods for food storage and want to share the natural sweetness of the earth with others through offerings of freeze-dried fruits and treats.

Others wanted a creative way to make a few dollars through a low-key side-hustle, selling candles, jewelry and custom gifts.

And what happens when one stand runs out? They send the shopper down the road to the next one that is stocked.

In this way, the farm stand community lifts each other up and fosters the spirit of inclusion with the hopes to inspire more folks to follow suit.

It could be considered natural evolution of this farm-stand-community-support system that they take it to the next level with the Farm Stand Tour this weekend.

Each of the six stands featured on the tour will be packed with offerings and goodies, from infused oils, sourdough products, organic honey, gifts and more.

On Sheldon Avenue, homegrown fresh produce and eggs can be purchased. Courtesy photo

The women hope to establish a regular occurring tour, following the pop-up model that some shops have found so successful. The frequency of the tours has yet to be established, but with the community’s support, they hope for more in the near future.

The Gridley Biggs Farm Stand Tour will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7.

You can find maps at some of the farm stands such as the Sheldon Avenue stand and information circulating on Facebook by searching for Gridley Farm Stand Tour or following the link https://www.facebook.com/events/498365459589592.