As a professional chef in Washington, D.C., North Laurel resident Justin Bittner never imagined that the cluck of a tiny, white, silky bantam chicken three years ago would be the beginning of a family farming business.
The small but busy operation on his family's four-acre farm off Old Scaggsville Road led Bittner and his 19-year-old son, Sage, to the Laurel Farmers Market on Main Street, where they began their second year selling fresh eggs and produce on July 7.
"We actually came here before we lived in Laurel," Bittner said. "We used to come from Arbutus and get a couple of things when we could. I think people appreciate that we're located exactly one mile from the farmer's market field."
The Laurel Board of Trade sponsors the farmers market, which is held Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., June through the end of October.
On a hot Thursday morning, Bittner and his son joined seven other vendors on the market's green space at 378 Main St., next to the BB&T Bank.
A "Welcome to the Coop" sign lured in customers at the Bittner tent, with a small chalkboard sign reading, "Farm fresh eggs, $3, from less than 1 mile away! They're delicious!"
Cartons of brown, white, blue-green, blue and pink eggs sat nearby, all from a variety of 70 to 80 chickens Bittner, Sage and Bittner's fiance, Becky Robinson, raise at their farm.
The barnyard chickens are "really hard to count because they don't stop moving around," Bittner said. "From what I've researched, it's actually the earlobe of the chicken that tells you what color its egg is going to be."
Molly Thompson, a Laurel resident and mother of three, said she was happy to see Bittner's eggs back at the farmers market after first purchasing a carton last year. Not only does she enjoy the variety of eggs, Thompson said, but she also likes the idea of knowing where her food is coming from.
The way each egg cracks confirms they're fresh, Thompson said.
"I notice that the eggs are darker, which means that the chickens eat the greens; they also have firmer shells, which means they eat bugs and protein," she said. "I know they've just been laid. At the grocery store, you have no idea how long they've been in the refrigerator."
Bittner said the farm also has 9,000 square feet of fenced garden space for growing heritage and heirloom vegetables, including corn, tomatoes and zucchini, as well as a few types of beans and field peas.
Although the Bittners didn't bring vegetables to sell at the farmers market, customers had plenty to choose from as they shuffled in and out of the shade, browsing freshly grown produce and vegetables from other vendors.
"It's just a group of lovely people," Laurel Board of Trade administrative coordinator Maureen Rogers said, stopping by to greet and chat with each vendor. "I think people come to be a vendor here because they like the interaction and neighboring vendors. Friendships make for a good farmers market."
But so does the product, she said.
"You just never see vegetables like these in a supermarket. They may have been picked the night before or that morning and they're just so great to have," Rogers said. "Today, we have fresh local peaches, first of the year. That is awesome."
Other businesses also set up their goods and services, including Sunflower Wellness and Massage, Marcello's Grill, Avon beauty products and Drinkable Arts decorative glasses.
Also in her second year at the market, Lori Barrett, owner of Sunflower Wellness and Massage, said she's able to advertise her business with free chair massages for interested shoppers. The wellness center has been open for just over a year, she said, and is located in the lower-level shops behind Red, Hot and Blue restaurant.
"We do all kinds of massages and modalities to help the body feel better," Barrett said. "In my profession, for every 20 people we get in a chair, we actually get two people who come up onto the table in the office."
Barrett, a Laurel Board of Trade member, joined the farmers market after talking about the benefits with Rogers. Since then, her participation allows her to give the community a feel for the business' other services, including aromatherapy, ioncleanse and interactive reflexology.
"It's been nice because it has actually introduced me to people who have not actually had a massage," she said, describing the Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal and chair massages that are available. "It gives them security of not being undressed and someone who has a quality touch. The more I come out, introduce myself and mingle with, brings business to my business."
For Bittner, the Laurel Farmers Market shares fresh, healthy and affordable foods, goods and services with the community, keeping everything local.
"It's the starting line," Bittner said. "You go to a grocery store and everything is right there; the chicken is all in cellophane. When we use pork, we buy a whole pig; when we want fresh marinara sauce, we start with fresh tomatoes. It really speaks to me to really be able to start at the beginning."