MALG Members: Lori & Paul Bender
Farm Name: Fruitful Farms
Farm Location: Cochranton, PA
Farm Products
A Note from the Benders
Photo Album

Lori and Paul have two daughters, three-year-old Judy and 15-month-old Jessie. Judy helps Lori with chores like feeding and watering animals while Paul is at work, and Lori's father watches Jessie. However, Judy's self-designated job is tour guide to any visitor to the homestead. She is delighted to show the baby animals, and bounces her way to the barn. "C'mon, I'll show you the ducks!" she says with a big smile.

Including the ducks, the other animals raised at Fruitful Farms include cows, chickens, rabbits, and horses. The produce grown includes apples, pears, blueberries, elderberries, rhubarb, squash, green beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, lettuce, spinach, peas, and asparagus.

When not working on the farm, Lori takes time to teach Judy her alphabet and has decided to home-school her. "Some people ask me if I'm worried that she'll have poor social skills," she said. "But look at her! She loves people!" Lori said with a laugh as Judy begged us to push her on the swing-set.

As we left Fruitful Farms, Judy shut our car doors for us, and as we pulled out of the driveway, she asked us if we would come back and play with her again sometime.

by Mandy Kralj
Local Food Networks Intern

Farm Products

1. Eggs (year round)
2. Rhubarb (late spring-early summer)
3. Greens
4. Beans (mid-summer)
5. Blueberries (mid-late summer)
6. Blackberries (mid-summer)
7. Raspberries (mid-late summer)
8. Elderberries (mid-late summer)
9. Sweet Corn (mid-late summer)
10. Cucumbers
11. Melons
12. Squash (Butternut, Acorn, Carnival, Sweet Dumpling...)
13. Tomatoes (Roma, Early Girl...)
14. Apples (late summer to fall) (Golden & Red Delicious...)(Fresh hand pressed cider from farm at open house)
15. Pears
16. Onions
17. Pumpkins
18. Chicken (Pastured Poultry) Pre-order for farm pick-up
19. Rabbit (Pre-order for farm pick-up)
20. Beef (Pre-order whole, halves, and half of halves)
21. Lamb (Pre-order whole and halves)

A Note from the Benders

Welcome! Fruitful Farms is pleased to be part of the Meadville Area Local Growers. On our 112 acres, our family is in the business of farming to provide families like yours with high quality, fresh, nutritious, contamination-free and hormone-free fruits, vegetables, eggs, meats and other farm products. This is not an opportunity available to everyone. Our farm will provide for the freezer needs of only a few families. Join us in enjoying the best, farm-fresh food you ever ate.

Sincerely,

Lori & Paul Bender