From Farmers Markets to Table

COURT HOUSE – If you were to call Mike Mattera on his mobile phone, as you waited for the call to be connected, you would be treated to the Green Acres theme. That is because Mattera, owner of Nummy Town Farms, loves his work and takes pride in what he does. One of a handful of farmers in Cape May County, Mattera runs a one-man operation… more or less.
“I have a couple kids that help me out, but no full-time staff.” Mattera said.
The limited help seems to be the inclination on small farms in the county, which makes sense. Judy Cowan, part owner of Conover Farms, has a few family members and migrant workers that help but, for the most part, the work of both producing and selling is done by her, her brother Robert Conover and her sister, Nancy Shivers.
The two, family-owned Conover Markets open seasonally from April to mid-November on Route 9 in Swainton and Stone Harbor Boulevard, in Court House. They get the majority of their product from their 100-acre farm in Green Creek.
“We grow and sell pretty much everything,” Cowan said. “My nephew works for us, and my grandchildren. We have corn, cantaloupe, tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, string beans, peas and lima beans. We don’t raise potatoes, and no other fruit beside strawberries. Whatever we don’t raise, we try to get from local farmers in the Vineland area.”
The Conovers also raise plants and flowers in a greenhouse. “We have tomato plants, basil, squash and watermelon plants. In the fall we raise pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn and all the fall vegetables.”
While the Conovers sell mostly out of their roadside markets, they also have a corner at the Stone Harbor farmers market every Sunday; so does Nummy Town, which sells exclusively at farmers markets. “This year, I’m selling produce at the Sea Isle City market, Ocean City, Stone Harbor and Wildwood,” Mattera said.
Nummy Town started out as a wheat, barley and oats farm in the 1930s and ’40s. In fact, it’s so rich with history, that there are Lenape Indians’ artifacts in the Cape May County Museum (located in Court House) that were unearthed at the original farm.
Mattera purchased Nummy Town in the early 1990s, after he’d been working the land for eight years. “The previous owner was going to give the land to farm preservation but I bought the rights to the land outright,” Mattera said. “In the early days, I farmed everything: corn, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, string beans. I’ve cut down production a bit now. I’m 62.”
What Mattera doesn’t farm locally, he buys from a Philadelphia market that purchases their produce from other Jersey farmers. Most of what he sells is, in one way or another, “Jersey Fresh.” What is not Jersey Fresh, such as bananas, oranges, etc., is labeled to that effect.
“We do that, too,” Cowan said. “Our tomatoes aren’t ripe yet, so we purchase Jersey Fresh tomatoes from a market in Swedesboro. We try to have everything for our customers that’s fresh and locally grown when in season. We also sell our own stuff to Duckies Farm Market in Cape May and Meyers in Goshen. If they need something, they buy from us. Tony’s Produce also buys from us and vice versa. We do have a good relationship with other farms. We all work together.”
“It’s almost virtually impossible to keep up with the demand right now,” Mattera said. “Some Jersey farmers sell to Philadelphia markets and we buy from those, because we can’t supply enough. The way the tomatoes are ripening and coming in, there’s a very small window to sell. A lot of residents in Cape May County have their own tomato plants. Once everyone’s home gardens start coming in, we see a huge downturn in sales for Jersey tomatoes. I do also grow zucchini, yellow squash, and cucumbers.”
At the Stone Harbor Farmers Market, Cowan said they sell a lot more in a short time than they do in their roadside markets. “It’s more of a convenience for the people,” she said, praising the traditional farmers market concept.
Mattera, who serves as the marketing manager for the Stone Harbor Farmers Market, also loves selling his produce at such a communal venue. “You get more interaction at a farmers market than in a supermarket,” he said. “We can help the customer out better and have real conversations about food with them. Take Portobello mushrooms for example. I’ve explained to people that when a Jersey tomato is really ripe, you can put a Portobello mushroom (which we also sell) with some oil on it; grill that up for a few minutes and then put a chopped up Jersey tomato on there, right on top, with the mushroom cup up. Then you can put some smoked provolone or smoked mozzarella on there and you’ve got yourself a real nice meal there. It’s delicious.”
Mattera continued, saying a lot of people he speaks to at farmers markets don’t know-how to prepare and cook what he sells. “It’s nice for them to have an actual conversation with a farmer,” he said.
Another secret Mattera gave concerns Jersey corn. “If you get a really fresh, Jersey corn, you can eat it raw,” he said. He also mentioned that when boiling an ear of Jersey corn, it only needs a couple of minutes in the hot water. “It’s not like Georgia or Florida corn, it doesn’t need much time.”
“It’s nice doing the farmers markets,” said Mattera who started out selling produce in front of Historic Cold Spring Village before farmers markets became popular. “You often meet the same people every week. It’s a unique situation.”
To contact Bryon Cahill, email bcahill@cmcherald.com.
List of Area Farmers Markets:
Downtown Wildwood Farmers Market
3501 Pacific Ave.
June 28–Aug. 30
Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Ocean City Farmers Market
6th Streets & Asbury Ave., Tabernacle Church
June 25 – Sept. 10
Wednesdays, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sea Isle City Farmers Market
Excursion Park
JFK Blvd. and Pleasure Ave.
June 17 – August 26
Tuesdays, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Stone Harbor Farmers Market
Water Tower Parking Lot
95th and 2nd Ave.
June 15 – Sept. 7
Sundays, 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
West Cape May Farmers Market
Borough Hall
732 Broadway, Backyard Park
June 24 – Aug. 26
Tuesdays, 3 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
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