You know what I thought was a cool thing to do on Saturdays when I was 12? Skip ballet class/soccer practice and sleep in. Then there’s the kid in Washington state who harvests his own produce and runs his own farm stand.
The pre-teen sells beets, onions, and lettuces every Saturday in the fall, reports the Seattle Times, gathering some veggies the day before and other more fragile crops in the morning before he sets up at the stand.
He even lets his Facebook followers know what’s expected beforehand, writing things like, “tomorrow is going to be a beautiful day,” with a list of the produce they’ll likely see.
“I’ve learned how to pick a lot of things and how to clean a lot of them,” he told the Times on a visit to the family’s 20-acre farm. “I thought it’d be cool to have a market — and it is.”
He started his business at age 11, following in the footsteps of his grandmother, who’s known for and pioneering items like fresh basil in her 36 years running a stall at Pike Place market. His parents head the family farm and operate a weekly CSA service with eggs and vegetables, while his older sister runs a baking CSA.
His parents let him use his earnings as pocket money: last year he made enough to make his own computer, as well as a grinder and sheet metal for his side hobby of making knives.
Even though farm work is hard, and hot, and it might keep him from other fun stuff, he says it’s worth it for now, telling the Times, “It’s fun.”
12-year-old Kent farmer runs his own stand on family’s property [Seattle Times]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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