They get help from family and volunteers. Sandy and John are entering their eighth year growing produce and selling at the market under the name Mighty Acorn Farm. Our national health depends on it,” John said. “Cooking, preparing, and procuring food must become a centerpiece of one’s day, much like it was several generations ago. “We are on a mission to get people to eat as healthy as possible,” John said. Sandy believes that the farmers market is a vital conduit to good health, because it provides access to fresh, healthy, local food. “We could qualify for certified organic, but we haven’t invested in the recordkeeping to do so.” While the farm is not certified organic, the couple follows “all of the principles of deep soil health with no synthetic” additives, John said. “We are always looking for volunteers to help out with planting and weeding,” Sandy said. Her appreciation does not always extend to weeding. So I grew up with people who appreciated homegrown food.” “I grew up around my mom’s and grandma’s gardens. Though she hadn’t farmed before, and her friends were puzzled by her decision to jump into farming, Sandy was a willing apprentice. His longing to return to farming was remedied in 2009, when John was driving home from a home inspection job and noticed a sign for a land auction offering 16 acres of land north of Columbia. “We went by, checked it out, and decided to go for it,” Sandy said. From 1985 until 1991, John grew produce for the Columbia Farmers Market. “We have been together for almost 21 years,” she said, recalling that whenever he talked about his “old farm,” he seemed sad. Sandy Gummersheimer will attest to that fact.

Acorn farms