Tommy and Mike McKenzie are third-generation Baldwin County farmers working on property that’s been in the family for about 75 years. Their sister, Melanie, runs McKenzie Farm Market on U.S Highway 98, just south of Fairhope. The fourth generation is already hard at work on the farm. McKenzie Farm Market started as an open produce stand on the side of the road, where their mom worked outside in the summer heat. Later, they decided to build a bigger, enclosed structure that Melanie now oversees. If you stop by McKenzie Farm Market, chances are good you will encounter a McKenzie. 

I stopped by to ask when the corn would be ready and to find out which variety they are growing. Last year, it was a variety of yellow and white corn. This year its Silver King, my favorite. If you’ve been paying attention, a few weeks ago, you may have seen the corn stalks emerging from the ground and now it’s waist-high. It won’t be long before an abundant supply will be available in Baldwin County.   

McKenzie Farms grow most of what they sell in their market while the rest goes to local grocery stores. What they don’t grow themselves, they source locally if possible. The corn and tomatoes will be ready about the 1st of June, or around the time Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge. Their cantaloupe and watermelons should be ready by mid to late June. Some of their produce, like hydroponically grown lettuces, comes from Local Appetite Growers in Silverhill, Alabama.  

Punta Clara Kitchen in Pt. Clear buys squash, cucumbers, “anything that can be pickled,” says Tommy. McKenzie Farms also sells produce to a few local restaurants in Fairhope including Bay Breeze Café, Red or White and Saraceno’s Restaurant. They pick produce every other day and offer several specialty items for sale like Cajun Stuffed chickens, steaks and ground beef from Lillian Cattle Company and delicious cakes from a baker in Andalusia, Alabama.  

Tommy mentioned that just the night before, he was part of a dinner party that served all locally grown food by local farmers. The event was hosted by Sweet Grown Alabama, which is a non-profit organization that enhances marketing opportunities for farmers by connecting retailers and consumers to Alabama-grown foods and other agricultural products. As they say, “You can taste the difference!” 

And how many ears on a stalk of Silver King corn? Two. But only one mature ear if you don’t space the stalks far enough apart…

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