Diamond's Moon Farm expanding to include roadside stand

Derek Kreider, Record-Courier
·2 min read
Alex Ross, owner of Moon Farm, stands in front of his greenhouse on the property in Diamond.
Alex Ross, owner of Moon Farm, stands in front of his greenhouse on the property in Diamond.

Moon Farm, a community-supported farm in Portage County, is opening a roadside stand.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, the 5-acre farm at 3981 Jones Road in Diamond will begin selling their wares to passersby.

People can RSVP to the grand opening on Moon Farm's Facebook page. Attendees can count on free homemade kettle corn.

Moon Farm is a Community-Supported Agriculture farm. According to the USDA, CSA farms are direct-marketing operations supported by the community, which shares in their successes and failures.

The farm uses aquaponics and other techniques to grow leafy greens and herbs year-round. Aquaponics uses fish to help deliver nutrients to plants grown in water. The plants, in turn, help filter the water to keep the fish healthy and their tanks clean.

More:Moon Farm bouncing back after February flood

Owner Alex Ross said he'll be offering salad mix, spinach, micro greens, and kale — crops that do well in the winter— as well as storage crops like onions, potatoes and carrots.

If his chickens lay enough, he said, there will be eggs for sale as well.

More:Dozens of animals rescued from flooded farm in Palmyra in Portage County

After the grand opening weekend, the stand will be self-service, open each day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and accepting cash in exact change, Venmo, Cash App and PayPal.

Since opening the farm, Ross said, one of his aspirations has been to serve the community. Diamond is in a food desert, he said, with the closest grocery store anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes away. It's important to him that residents be able to access good quality food.

Ross even said he's even considering putting a coin-operated coffee machine in the stand so that people have a place to grab a cup of joe.

"This has been a long time coming," Ross said.

Moon Farm also offers a delivery program that people can sign up for online. Once a week, Ross makes produce deliveries to Ravenna and the surrounding areas, including Stow, Kent and Cuyahoga Falls.

In the event listing on Facebook, Ross invites local makers of maple syrup, honey, or other products Moon Farm doesn't produce to contact him at alex@akronmicrogreens.com.

"We are looking for partners to stock our shelves," Ross wrote.

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Moon Farm offers local produce at self-serve roadside stand