You’re picking up a load of fireworks to shoot off during the barbecue, but you forgot to get squash – what do you do?
If you answered, “Go to the grocery store,” you are just so out of the loop. The obvious, correct answer is, “Just grab some in the parking lot.”
We’re not talking about foraging here, we’re talking about shopping at Johnson Golden Harvest, which just opened up a pop-up farmstand right next to Champny’s Fireworks in Bow (653 Route 3A).
Johnson Golden Harvest has had a permanent store in Hooksett for seven years, but the mobile operation is brand new.
Karen Johnson and her husband, Brian, buy produce, raw milk, meat and other natural products from farmers all over New England and sell them at their two locations. Karen runs the mobile shop while Brian stays back to run the immobile store.
By now you’re probably wondering how a farmstand ended up working out of a fireworks store’s property.
It’s not as odd as you might think.
“I’ve known Deborah for years,” Karen Johnson said of Champny’s owner Deborah Colby.
In fact, Johnson said, it was Colby’s idea to have a Johnson Golden Harvest tent right by her store, so she invited Johnson to give it a try.
The next thing you know, a new place to buy local produce exists.
The stock is always changing with the seasons, but there’s a full list of what’s on hand at johnsongoldenharvest.com. You can also see all the places the produce comes from, including Concord’s own Apple Hill Farm, Carter Hill Farm and Dimond Hill Farm.
“We try to source from as close as we can,” Johnson said.
Apart from fruits and veggies, you can also get things like honey, maple products, salsa, barbecue sauce and coffee. In other words, you can get all of your cookout supplies except for the meat, but you can get that at the permanent store at 412 West River Road in Hooksett.
The pop-up stand will be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, and 11 to 5 Saturday and Sunday. Call 210-2031 for more info.
