Lil' Shed Produce

If you have driven down West Meyer road anytime over the last few months, you have probably been wondering what is going on in the field on the left hand side of the road across from the Creekside offices.  

Jim and Mary Cummings have been busy working on what I consider a great idea — locally grown produce. They call it Lil’ Shed Produce.

Jim retired from pouring concrete recently. Since he had some free time on his hands, he decided to do something productive. He and his family have been working hard over the last few months; building, digging, and planting.

It is time to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

While they still do not have anything grown from their own fields yet, the do offer local produce they brought in from the Soulard Farmers' market until their crops are ready to harvest. So there’s a really good chance the fruits and vegetables you can currently obtain at the Lil’ Shed Produce stand are fresher than you will find elsewhere locally. You can bet they travelled less than the 1,500 miles the average product does at the grocery store.

Jim and Mary have planted quite a bit of fruits and vegetables in the field they have owned for several years. They used to lease the land to a local farmer. Last year, the field was full of soybeans. (I wonder if the genetic makeup of the beans that used to grow there was owned by Monsanto? But I digress...)

They are currently growing tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, peas, beans, cucumbers, cantaloupe and strawberries. During my visit, Jim was busy watering a couple of plots where carrots and radishes will be sprouting soon. He told me that if it doesn’t rain, he will be busy watering the rest of the fields. He waters each plant by hand. Not with a hose, but with a watering can like you and I would use to water our houseplants. That’s the type of love and care for home-grown food that I’m looking for.

For purchase, they have potatoes, tomatoes, corn on the cob, red and green peppers, zuchinni, asparagus and much more.  

I urge everyone to stop by and check out the Lil’ Shed Produce. The address is 1800 West Meyer Road. They are open Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tell them Jared sent you. 

They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Oh, and if you are wondering if the stuff they are growing is organic, well...not at this time. A field has to have been free from non-organic pesticides and herbicides for at least three years. The ground was farmed for several years using non-organic methods of raising crops. So, it will be a few years until they will have official organic products.

But at least it is local! That’s a good start.