WACO, Texas — North Valley Mills Drive is a well known road in Waco. On it, you'll pass a number of well known restaurants, stores and landmarks. But a couple days out of the week, in the parking lot of Westview Village, a group of local farmers sets up shop, to sell fresh produce to anyone who's looking for it.
"We've been here for about three years. I think a lot of people don't know that we're here," Local Farmer John Austin McCarver said. "And when they see us, when they pass by and they stop in here, they're pretty excited because they say, Well, we've been looking for something but we haven't really found anything this year yet so they're pretty happy to see us."
The farmers were previously at another location, but after some construction forced them to move, they decided to post up at the parking lot in Westview Village every week.
It's a decision they don't regret at all.
"We pride ourselves in trying to have good produce fresh vegetables. Fruits, whatever the same season, we try to be honest," Local Farmer Joe Jozwiak said. "And if we have something that we've purchased from someone that we did not grow ourselves, we tell them, we don't tell them that we grow something if we don't."
They believe in honest, tried and true farming and being up front with their clientele. Each week they show up with a lot, and live with a little. A testament to their hard work.
Even as the harsh summer made growing crops difficult, they say the mark of a good farmer is to always fin a way.
"It's nice when you get rain, but you have to provide when Mother Nature does not," Jozwiak, a member of the Heart of Texas Farmer's Market for 8 years said.
Most importantly, they wouldn't do what they do and they wouldn't do it where they do it, if the people didn't keep showing up.
"I believe that most of our customers have a great appreciation for what we do, and the things that we go through to get it from the field to the table. So I believe most of them do appreciate us, and they show that appreciation by continuing to come back," Jozwiak said.