At the Seymour Area Farmers Market with her baked goods is Mary Otte of Otte’s Farm near Brownstown. Her business is called Baked by Mary, which features a large variety of baked goods, jams, jellies, rubs and seasonings.
Lori McDonald | The Tribune
The Seymour Area Farmers Market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday in the Walnut Street Parking Lot located south of the railroad tracks near the Jackson County Public Library in Seymour.
The market also is open from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesdays.
Here’s a look at one of the vendors and their products.
Name of business: Baked by Mary/Otte’s Farm
Owners and names of the people who sell at the market: Roger and Mary Otte work their farm/business with their son, David
Residence: Brownstown
Where is your farm or business located?
We have a small farm outside of Brownstown.
What items do you sell at the farmers market?
We sell a large variety of baked goods, jams, jellies, rubs and seasonings.
What made you want to start your business of baking?
We came home for a visit in 2014, and we realized that our parents were beginning to need more help. We missed our family and the place we grew up. We started looking for a small farm. We wanted to be able to provide for ourselves. We bought our farm in May of 2015 sight unseen from the recommendations from our family. We came to visit in July to see what we bought and fell in love with it. We finally moved in May of 2016. Mary decided to start baking for the farmers market in the spring of 2017 after her company went out of business. She has always loved to bake and finally decided to try selling her products.
Where did you learn to produce your product?
Our parents kept gardens and would can or freeze for later. We grew up helping in the family gardens and canning. Mary is a self-taught baker. She baked her first pie at 8 years old with cherries from her grandmother’s trees. The love of baking grew from there and continued on through the years. We’ve been making jams, jellies and baked goods for years for family and friends. We were always told we should start a business and sell them.
How long have you been producing the items you sell at the market?
Our first farmers market was in 2017. We started selling just baked goods and then added some jams and jellies. Every year, we just added a few more items, changing items that didn’t sell to others. Today, we have a large variety of items that we sell.
Do you do this full time or is this a side business/hobby?
Roger and David work full-time jobs in addition to farming and making their jams/jellies. Mary works full time with baking in the summer.
What about the farmers market makes it beneficial to you as a business?
The farmers market gave us a venue to sell our products.
What do you enjoy about selling your goods locally?
We love the social aspect of the market, visiting with people, and it feels good to hear how much people enjoy our goods.
Favorite items that you sell?
People enjoy the sourdough breads, babka, focaccia and cinnamon rolls. I don’t usually take much home.
What products from other vendors do you enjoy?
Our favorite vendors are Grove Farms, Nightfall Farm and Plumer and Bowers Farmstead.
Why do you think folks should shop at the farmers market?
We hope that people will come out to the market and support local businesses. This is our dream to be able to do this full time, but we need their help to make this come true.
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