Market Spotlight: Relinda Walker

Relinda Walker
By Loretta Brandon

Looking for organic produce? Try Walker Organic Farms, where Relinda Walker oversees 50 acres that have been certified organic by the USDA since 2005 and another 17 that are in transition and moving toward certification. You’ll find her at the Mainstreet Farmers Market in Statesboro nearly every Saturday.

“Organic farming is good agricultural practice,” says Walker. “We’re growing food in a healthy way.” Organic farming uses no manufactured chemicals, just natural materials for pest management. The USDA inspects the farm annually to ensure its certification.

“Walker Organic Farms has the best spinach anywhere, and we have a wide variety of carrots, several varieties of beets, six varieties of snap beans, Vidalia onions, potatoes, and more, depending on the season,” says Walker. She also reports that her favorite recipe doesn’t really require a recipe – it’s roasted root vegetables.

“Roasting vegetables brings out the natural taste and accentuates the flavor,” she says.

Walker is a Screven County native. After several decades in New York and New Jersey working in education and technology, she moved back in 2002 and assumed responsibility for the land her father, Frank, farmed for more than 60 years. She finds organic farming a great way to combine her interests in food and business.

The Mainstreet Statesboro Farmers Market takes place in the Sea Island parking area at 2 East Main St. in Downtown Statesboro. The market is open every Saturday through November 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.