Two Peas in a Pod… and the little bean

Callie, 11, and Emma, 9, operate a fruit and vegetable on their family’s Waterford area farm. 

Brenda Moser

Advocate Correspondent

Norfolk County has long been known for its ideal growing conditions and the variety and diversity of the crops we produce.

Local farmers have put us on the map and continue to make Norfolk the go-to place for some of the tastiest crops around. Longtime family-run farms are a huge part of that success and I recently met two of the next generation farming successes.

Callie Lucas, 11, and her sister Emma, 9, are in their third year of operation at their own fruit and vegetable stand. Being raised on their family farm and loving every minute of it served to encourage them to make the decision to start their own business and so, in 2023, Two Peas in a Pod was ‘born’.  With some help from dad Jamie and mom Dana their plan came together. They plant between three-and-a-half to four acres of crops offering up a great variety of ‘fresh from the field to table’ produce.

The first year featured flowers and some produce and it has ‘grown’ since then. When VanGo Farms, Waterford, closed down their fall stand, the girls were able to acquire the stand, and in their second year, they added to their products. They also acquired an older, used fridge/cooler… out of their own hard-earned money.

This year they were able to purchase a brand new cooler fridge in London, through Marketplace, with profits from all of their hard work.

“The old one was leaking and that also caused water damage to the floor so they replaced the floor too… with money from their own profits,” said Dana. “They’ve also used some of their money to sponsor their soccer team with new team shirts and they have donated canned food to the Waterford Food Cupboard as well.”

The girls are very proud of the fact that they are involved with everything to do with their ‘business’, from start to finish, field to table, and have learned so much from their venture. It’s obvious that they are very knowledgeable in business and have the foresight to plan ahead and recognize what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, then ensuring that it gets done! 

There is a wide variety of fresh produce available right now with even more to come in. You really need to stop by and check things out! Corn, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, raspberries, peppers, watermelon… the assortment is amazing. They also bring in fresh-cut flowers, peaches and plums from Paul Laevens, Waterford, to add to their selection.

It’s easy to see how proud Mom and Dad are of them.

“They’re smart business girls and they have learned patience and realize that if you work smarter you get done sooner,” Jamie said, who has a big part in the stand with organizing and ordering.

“They’ve had some ‘oopsies’ along the way but they have learned from them. I can see them running the farm some day.”

Dana is also very proud of Callie and Emma and is one of their biggest cheerleaders – in spite of fighting terminal cancer and caring for the newest addition to their family, 11-month-old L.J.

“I’m making the most of life and creating memories.”

The stand is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day and is self-serve, relying on the honesty of their customers.

“When people are honest, we are able to keep prices lower.”

So far, there have been no issues and they have faith in their customers and visitors. They will remain open until Halloween and will be offering pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, straw bales, fall mums and porch packages.

They are located at 1438 Windham Rd. 10 so watch for their signs!