Sentinel photo by SIERRA BOLGER
Eric and Jackie Deiter (left), owners of EJ Market Gardens and Wilding Hope, begin a new venture in their freshly opened market Juniata River Commons.
MIFFLINTOWN — Juniata River Commons had its grand opening Saturday, Sept. 16.
Owners of EJ Market Gardens and Wilding Hope saw the potential for a full-time, year round community market as participants in the monthly Mifflintown Farmers Market for the past several years. Both farms made a partnership this past winter to create Juniata River Commons, a local market and gathering space for the community.
Owners of EJ Market Gardens, Eric and Jackie Deiter raise pasture-raised chickens for meat and eggs, ducks and turkeys and produce on their small farmette in Mifflin.
Sisters Phoebe and Angie Brubaker cultivate gorgeous flowers on their family farm in Mifflintown and provide floral design services for weddings and events.
“We are farmers first, and want to really highlight all of the great products that local farms have to offer,” said Jackie Deiter, owner of EJ Market Gardens.
Juniata River Commons strives to provide fresh produce and build relationships with other local farms to procure a diverse selection of fruit and vegetables.
The store is still adding vendors, artisans, and is looking for more local produce growers to enhance their market. Its owners plan to add other local artisan products such as pottery, soaps, body products and candles to the store front.
Juniata River Commons also has a flower garden open during regular business hours and has a space for workshops in addition to small party/meeting rental.
The store will open year round, because they have many local farms with high tunnels for growing cool season crops in winter. Its owners work with producers to reserve storage crops for the winter.
The owners work toward certifying their kitchen where they can make added value products like grab-and-go soups, salads and chopped, frozen and dehydrated produce to streamline home meal preparation.
In the future, they plan to offer specialty items like summer griller boxes with homemade sauces and prepared produce, Phoebe’s perfected New York style bagels, charcuterie boards, and other homemade goods. In the long term, they hope to install a kitchen in the market for a farm-to-table cafe.
Juniata River Commons hours are Thursday and Friday from 4 p.m. to
7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to
2 p.m. at 2218 William Penn Hwy., Mifflintown. Follow Juniata River Commons on Facebook and Instagram for more information.
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