Eat Local in Northeastern North Carolina: Review of Soggy Bottom Roadside

Fresh, local produce arrives at my door every week. Yesterday I received cabbage, red potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. Jealous? If you live in North Carolina near Roper, Plymouth, Jamesville, Williamston, or Greenville, then don't be. I'll share my secret.

Every Monday Doug Granger sends me an email with a list of all the available produce from local farmers, I hit "reply" and fill in the quantities I desire, and every Friday Melissa Meurs brings my fresh veggies to me.

Doug and Melissa own Soggy Bottom Roadside, which started primarily as a roadside produce stand but now focuses on the delivery business. Doug was forced to retire from his graphic arts business when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. He and Melissa were frustrated with grocery store prices and quality, and they perceived a need for access to better local produce.

It turns out the stand did not do as well as they had hoped. Melissa thinks this is in part due to location (the stand is off the beaten path on Mackeys Road in Roper). And she notes a lot of people here grow their own vegetables, so the need wasn't as great as they thought.

But when Doug mentioned his new business to some of the employees at the cancer center in Greenville where he was being treated, they asked if he would deliver.

I noticed the produce stand when we first moved to town, but it never seemed to be open when I drove by. I was a happy camper when I stumbled upon the Soggy Bottom Roadside website and realize why they were never open - they were out gathering veggies and delivering them to customers!

The produce is super fresh - much better quality than anything I can find at the grocery store. And the prices are great - especially when you consider the longer shelf life of in-season vegetables fresh from the dirt versus the life wasted on trucks and in warehouses for grocery store food.

"People love the paper bags," Melissa also noted. The produce is delivered in sturdy paper bags, and 90% of Soggy Bottom customer's return the bags for re-use.

The weather last year was hard on local farmers, so Doug surveyed customers to see if they were interested in non-local selections. As a result, a few have been added to the offerings, but North Carolina selections are plentiful, and they are specifically identified in the weekly email.

In addition to produce, Soggy Bottom has started to secure eggs from local free-range chicken farmers, and for those ready to raise their own, Soggy Bottom Roadside sells portable chicken coops.

I am supporting local business and agriculture...eating in a more sustainable manner...having high quality produce delivered to my door. Consider me a loyal Soggy Bottom Roadside customer!

Find local produce in your area by visiting Local Harvest.