Meet the Farmers: Meadowhawk Farm
Cary, NC — A new addition to the vendors of the Cary Downtown Farmers Market is the family-owned and operated Meadowhawk Farm.
Burlington-Based, Family-Run
Owner of the farm, Chad Unger, started up operations with his wife Kathryn in Fall 2019 after a move from St. Paul, MN to Burlington, NC.
The two received help getting things started up from their daughter Carlee, who continues to lend a hand when she’s on breaks from her studies at Elon University. Also on the Meadowhawk team is farm manager, Hannah Patrick.
“Hannah joined us in 2020 to help manage and work the farm and she’s now part of our extended family,” said Unger.
Offering a Variety of Produce, Eggs and Meat
Two of the ways of telling which is the Meadowhawk Farm stand at the market is you’ll see their dragonfly logo and you’ll see (if you’re there early enough) a beautiful display of colors.
Their tables are lined with bagged and washed greens including arugula, spinach, lettuce mix, baby chard, mustard greens and bunches of kale and chard, all grown at organic standards. Their recent offerings have also included an assortment of healthy microgreens and root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, beets and radishes.
“Our goal is to be a high variety market farm, offering a wide assortment of produce, eggs, and meat,” said Unger.
Looking to summer 2021, Unger says they will continue to offer a smaller assortment of bagged greens and will shift their focus to selling a high variety of summer vegetables with tomatoes, squash and peppers being the centerpieces.
Pasture-Raised, Organic-Fed Livestock
The farm also recently began selling pork and chicken. These animals are only fed organic feed from Reedy Fork Farm and greens grown in the fields of Meadowhawk Farm.
“We have received numerous compliments on the taste of our eggs, which we attribute to how they are raised and fed,” said Unger.
Joining the Market in Cary
Meadowhawk Farm joined the Cary Downtown Farmers Market in November 2020 at the start of the winter market season. In speaking with Chad, he says the family’s impression of Cary has been wonderful in these first few months.
“The folks in Cary are extremely informed and engaged. We get many questions about how our products are raised along with some good advice and we really appreciate this, ” said Unger.
“Not only does it make us better, but we feel welcome in the community which was one of the big reasons we moved to NC and started farming.”
As a new farm, Unger says feedback and suggestions on their products is always appreciated and helps to achieve the farm’s main goal of creating great tasting food.
“Also, if you would like to see other products at the stand, we would like to know about it so we can potentially work it into our rotations,” said Unger.
The Downtown Cary Farmer’s Market will be open from 9 AM-noon this Saturday at 135 W Chatham St, Cary, NC 27511. According to Meadowhawk Farm’s Facebook page, this Saturday will be their last week at the market for a few weeks as they work to build a new greenhouse and prepare for spring in Burlington.
Story and market photos by Ashley Kairis. Farm image courtesy of the Meadowhawk Farm Facebook page.
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