Second Bite Farm is a wonderful market stand that can be found both at the Corning Farmers Market and the Painted Post Farmers Market.
Bekah, owner of Second Bite Farm, started growing food for herself and her family when she was expecting her first child. She had started to look closer at the food that was available and came to the conclusion that “it’s not safe eating [some] food from a grocery store while growing a human. When I got pregnant with my oldest, my doctor gave me of a list of foods I couldn’t eat and I wondered why our food system was so broken.
“I was still active duty military. I had 10 years left before I could retire. All we could do was backyard chickens and try to make our own food from scratch. We spent 10 years reading books and going to conferences, and reading magazines and watching YouTube and learning everything we could about farming without being able to do it. In 2021 I retired and then that was when we could start.”
I asked Bekah about the financial viability of making a living with animal husbandry and baking.
“I live off of my retirement. The farm pays its own bills but does not pay a wage. I’m hoping that adding cattle will make it easier,” she said.
This question can be asked of many of the vendors. Why do they do this work? Bekah has an answer that is common with vendors: “I do it for the food. I do it so I can feed my children chicken that I raised and pork that I raised, and bread that I bake.”
Bekah has some very fine customers. Mitch Goldwater stops by to pick up his bread share. Mitch loves this bread so much that he says, “I organize my weekly meals around making sure I have sourdough and come here to get 2nd Bite sourdough bread.” He enjoys Bekah’s kindness and attitude towards her offerings and customers. Anna Stewart from Stweart farms says of Bekah, “She has such an ability to connect with her customers and notice their needs.”
Bekah has some wonderful products. She sells pork, chicken, turkey, and eggs and soon beef, all raised on pasture and supplemented with organic feed. This year’s turkeys hatched on June 9 and will be frozen for Thanksgiving. Reserve yours at 2nd Bite’s stand. She also offers honey and beeswax products. She keeps bees that feast around her mostly pasture, 100-acre farm and harvests the honey for her use, baking purposes, and for sale at the market.
It is important for Bekah that the farm be as organic and natural as possible. She is not certified organic due to the cost. Bekah says, “Once you know your farmer and you know how they operate, the [organic] certification is not important; you have to know your farmer. Talk to your farmer and get to know them.” Bekah is part of the Farmer Veteran Coalition.
Her baking is enjoyed by many due to its diversity. Her feature products are the sourdough breads of several types, sourdough cookies, and other goodies using local Farmer Ground flour. “Selling at the farmers market allows me to sometimes run a fundraiser benefit,” she said. “Currently I am selling rhubarb scones.” These scones are made from her own rhubarb or donated rhubarb, lovely ingredients, and are named Pretti-Good Scones. Bekah donates $2 from the purchase of each scone and also collects additional cash donations for the fundraiser. Folks who have enjoyed them say they are even better than pretty good, they are fantastic.
Recipe of the Week: Smothered Pork Shoulder Steak
One thing Bekah enjoys making for her family other than her baked items is Smothered Pork Shoulder Steak. Bekah shares her recipe. Ingredients list: 3 slices of bacon cut into bits, 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, 1 ¾ cup broth, 2 pork shoulder steaks, 2 yellow onions sliced, 3 cloves garlic minced, 3 springs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley. Instructions: Cook bacon bits in a skillet until slightly crispy. Fish the bits out with a slotted spoon and reserve for serving. Leave the rendered fat in the pan. Increase heat to medium-high. Pat steaks dry, season with salt and pepper and sear on both sides.
Remove steaks to a plate, reduce heat to medium low and saute onions in the same pan, adding fat if necessary. When onions are soft, add garlic and thyme, cook until fragrant (30 seconds or so). Stir in flour and continue to cook until color resembles peanut butter and aroma becomes nutty. Gradually stir in broth, scraping up browned bits. Bring gravy up to simmer and add steaks and any accumulated juices back to the pan. Scoop onions on top of steaks, add bay leaf, and then cover and put skillet into the oven at 250 degrees for an hour or two.
Steaks are ready when they are super tender and approximately 205 degrees. Serve over mashed potatoes, or egg noodles, topped with bacon bits.
Join the Corning Farm Market in Riverfront Centennial Park every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until the last Thursday in October. The Painted Post Farm Market can be found at 277 Steuben Street next to the D, L & W Railroad Depot Museum on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. throughout the growing season.
This article originally appeared on The Leader: Second Bite Farm is a regular at Corning, Painted Post Farm Markets
Reporting by Renee Jacobson, Special to The Leader / The Leader
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Renee Jacobson, Special to The Leader | USA TODAY Network
