By Cathy Miller

The Garden State comes alive each spring in the small community of Delaware, home to Marshall’s Farm Market (though there’s fun and produce there all year-round, too!)

As Spring coyly makes it 2019 debut, culinary palates yearn for Jersey tomatoes and sweet corn. A wonderful destination for fresh produce and other tantalizing gifts is Marshall’s Farm Market on Route 46 in Warren County’s Delaware, part of Knowlton Township. A third generation, family-run farm, they’ve sold quality vegetables, fruits, and specialty foods for ten decades. The farm is open year-round, every single day except Christmas Day. Farmer Nick Saporano cautioned they “also close for real bad snowstorms.”

George Amer Marshall founded Marshall’s Farm Market in 1920 when he took ownership of the property, which had been a gladiola farm, and built the original stand, selling only apples and corn, which were grown onsite. 

His son, George W. Marshall (1914-2010) was born in Belvidere, where years later he owned a mercantile store. He eventually moved to Delaware and worked the family’s farm for many years. G.W. Marshall constructed the new market, starting with the main stand, and then expanded both ends in the 1950s and 60s. He purchased a brand new Farmall-H tractor in March 1947 for $2,000, which included a corn planter, disc, and harrow. It was orange, not the standard red, and is still in use today! 

Now, the third generation of Marshalls carries on the tradition. Nick Saporano married “the farmer’s daughter,” Marianne Marshall, in 1975, and began working part-time on the farm. Before becoming a full-time farmer, Nick also worked in construction, carpentry, and brick laying. He “took the reins, so to speak” when his father-in-law “grew too old to do other things,” then officially took over the farm in June 2012.

Marshall’s owns a total of 19 acres of farmland, but they also farm rental acres along Route 46. Nick heads out into the fields when the ground is dry enough to work, saying, “it all depends on the weather.” He plowed the ground for sweet corn two days before this late March interview. The first harvest of the season will be watercress, which grows in shallow water. It’s a hearty plant, has a slight peppery bite, and should be ready in a week or two. After that comes the strawberry harvest. The growing season ends with sweet corn or pumpkins, again depending on the weather.

Marshall’s is well known for their sweet corn. As it turns out, every year new varieties are introduced. Nick enjoys experimenting with the new corn and discovered a really tasty one a few years back. It’s super tender and sweet; Marianne named it “Afternoon Delight.” Available every year at Marshall’s, it can’t be purchased anywhere else, only because they gave it their own name! They also have several other hard-to-come-by produce products, offered after some unique customer requests. When someone stopped in looking for scapes, Nick had never heard of such a thing, and so he did some research, learned they were the slim flower stalks growing from the top of garlic, and began growing garlic (and their scapes) on the farm. Somebody else was looking for pitless peaches. He discovered first that “pitless” is not entirely accurate, but that they look like donuts and taste fantastic. He now stocks them during peach season.

In addition to corn, Marshall’s Farm Market is known for their annual Halloween Hollow display, unveiled each October. For the entire month, visitors can stroll among the expansive scenery, take photos, and enjoy the old-fashioned decorations free of charge. It’s just scary enough for little ones to enjoy without being traumatized. For a small fee, there’s a leisurely hayride down to the river and back, too, followed by cider donuts and hot apple cider. 

Everyone knows the life of a produce farmer is not an easy one. Nick likened it much to having cattle—both need tending to every single day, hot or cold, wet or dry, holiday or anyway! He said there’s not much time to relax and concedes, “I guess we should take a vacation.” 

Interestingly, Nick’s hobby is honey. He’s quite knowledgeable about the stuff and carries an impressive array of local honey in the Market. Local honey is deemed anything from within the tri-state area. 

The Saporanos have two children. Their older son graduated from Rutgers and is an attorney in Mt. Holly. Their younger son is an illustrative artist in Philadelphia, having graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. They have three grandchildren. 

Another important member of the family is the Marshall’s beagle. Their current canine, beagle #5, is lovely seven-year-old Lucy. They also have a cat, two cockatiels, and “a handful of chickens in the coop.” 

Nick and Marianne are on-site daily to ensure their shoppers have the best possible experience at Marshall’s Farm Market. Nick said, “the customers always make me smile – sometimes when coming in, once in a while when they’re leaving!” He relishes the good friends made at the farm and finds great satisfaction in his work. “I live my life the way I want to, not the way they said I should,” and without a second thought said he’d “do it all over again.”

When it comes to the people and happenings of Warren County, you can count on award-winning photographer Cathy Miller to be there to record the moment.