Felton farmers saddle up in Milton
The friendly farm animals have been packed up and moved away, but the farmers market at the corner of Cave Neck Road and Route 1 will soon have a new selection of locally sourced produce and fresh eggs.
Felton-based Indian Point Farm, run by Dave and Sharon Melvin, is stepping in to fill a gap left by Wally and Dawn Goff, who closed Dawn's Country Market at the end of 2016.
The market, known for its friendly goats, kittens and cow, opened in May 2009, and after many years of tending to livestock and crops, the Goffs decided it was time for a change.
“It was a blast. We just decided it was time to go a slower pace due to health issues,” Wally Goff said. “We want to thank the community and the Hudsons, and I hope everybody supports the new people like they did us.”
For all of the animals' loyal fans, Goff said, the goats and others are safe and sound on a farm in Smyrna.
While the Melvins have no immediate plans to bring back the variety of farm animals that once called the nearly 15-acre farm home, they will be reopening the ice cream store and farmers market, featuring a slew of produce and eggs from their Felton farm.
“Pretty much if you can grow it in a garden or put it in a salad, we grow it,” Dave Melvin said. But, he said, their sweet corn outshines it all.
“We sell about 500 to 1,000 ears of sweet corn a day,” he said of their small, backroad market in Felton. He also boasted about the fresh tomatoes and cantaloupes he'll offer once they settle in to their new Milton spot.
Most of the produce will be grown on their roughly 10-acre Felton farm, Melvin said, but the Milton location will be used to grow heirloom tomatoes and fresh-cut flowers.
The store will also feature primitive antiques, one of Sharon's hobbies, he said.
While it is too early for local produce, Melvin said, “If everything comes together right, we hope to possibly open the doors by the middle of April.”
In addition to the farmers market and ice cream store, the Cave Neck Road farm also features Clean Cut Grooming, weekend feasts courtesy of Smokin D'z BBQ, and a shop featuring lighthouses and lawn furniture.
Kim Pezely of Clean Cut Grooming, who lives in the farmhouse on the property, said she and the other business owners are toying with the idea of bringing back a couple goats. But there's still plenty to see at the farm, including a pot-bellied pig, baby bunnies, a few chickens and ducks. Future plans may include bands and bouncy houses for additional entertainment, Pezely said.
“There's not much around for the locals to do. We don't have time to fight the traffic to go down to the beach,” she said. “So if we can bring a little bit of something, they don't have to drive far or spend a lot of money, they can have a good time and everybody makes out.”
For more, search for the local businesses on social media or stop by the farm at 30511 Cave Neck Road in Milton.
