BAKERSFIELD — It’s peak produce season inside Bakersfield’s newest farm market. 

Delicious Dirt Farm & Apothecary opened a farm store July 31, a little over one year after owners Andrew Stachiw and Ally Sterling moved the business to town. Located at 604 Main Street North, the store is bursting with late summer harvests, like heirloom tomatoes, snacking cucumbers and summer squash. 

“The community response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Stachiw said this past Wednesday. “People who live in Bakersfield have been so excited, because sometimes it’s hard to find fresh produce here.”

The couple had previously rented farmland in Fairfax for seven years. When the 11.5-acre former Bakersfield dairy farm came up for sale, it turned out to be the perfect fit for their produce operation. 

After establishing their crops last summer, Stachiw and Sterling knew a farm store would eventually be the next step. A $49,915 Working Lands Initiative grant from the State of Vermont accelerated their timeline and made renovating and opening the store possible in 2026. 

Inside, refrigerators are stocked with farm-grown produce, including Delicious Dirt’s popular salad greens. Small tables are spread with homemade sourdough and Stachiw’s famous chocolate chip cookies, as well as local maple syrup and honey. 

In addition to their own produce, the farm store stocks products from other Vermont producers, like Breezy Acres meats and Stony Pond Farm cheese. The closest grocery store is miles away, so Delicious Dirt also supplies local yogurt, milk and eggs to help make errands a little easier. 

“I love food shopping. It’s one of my favorite things, so to curate this space has been really fun,” Stachiw said. 

Photos on the wall pay tribute to the space’s former function as a milking parlor. 

Alongside the vegetables, the farm grows medicinal herbs, like chamomile, yarrow and comfrey — which is in the Delicious Dirt logo. Sterling then turns those into loose leaf teas, tinctures and essential oils for sale at the store. 

“Comfrey is the first plant that we wild harvested and then transplanted. It’s followed us for 18 years,” Sterling said. 

Stachiw and Sterling met at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, where they bonded over a love of plants and family gardening traditions. Sterling said continuing education classes have expanded her expertise in medicinal plants, and she enjoys sharing that knowledge with others. 

Key to Delicious Dirt’s success over the years has been diversifying revenue. In addition to the farm store, they supply some produce for Steeple Market in Fairfax and Cambridge Market in Cambridge. They also offer a CSA and have a weekly booth at the Jericho Farmers Market. 

The farm store will provide a source of year-round income, as come fall and winter they plan to transition to storage crops, like potatoes and garlic, and staples, like dried beans and rice, while still supplying Vermont-sourced meat, cheese and canned goods. 

Come springtime, Delicious Dirt also hopes to host plant sales and start a medicinal herb nursery. 

“We hope to keep growing,” Sterling said.

If You Go

Delicious Dirt Farm & Apothecary

Friday-Monday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

604 Main Street North, Bakersfield