By Liz Gordon-Hancock
Bluffton Farmers Market is the place to be on Saturday mornings in town. According to the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce, our town "boasts the best farmers market in northwest Ohio."

In celebration of our small but mighty farmers market, the Icon will be featuring a market vendor each week over the course of the summer.

This week's feature vendor is Muddy River Homestead.

After getting a degree in International Business, Cory Ziebold (pictured below) decided he wanted to be a farmer. Muddy River Homestead was born out of that desire, with a lot of determination and help from his family.

Starting with seventeen pigs, Ziebold set out to raise pigs from farrow-to-finish, but without any hormones, antibiotics, and any other unnecessary medications or chemicals. The pigs forage freely over 55 acres of woodland, with rotating acreage.  According to the homestead's website, "When pigs are raised on pasture, with access to natural forage and plenty of sunshine, their meat and fat is also richer in micronutrients, particularly fat-soluble vitamins E and D, as well as minerals like selenium."

Muddy River Homestead offers pasture-raised pork and free range eggs. They offer pork any way you can think of: bacon, bratwurst, roasts, ham steak, pork chops, sausages, spare ribs, boneless rib patties, shoulder steaks and snacking sticks. Plus, they also offer whole and half hogs.  Their most popular item is their bratwurst, which comes in orignal, cheddar and cajun flavors, and sells out quickly.

The pigs are a cross between Large Black and Berkshire breed, which combines the best of both breeds in producing good back bacon and good ham joints.

The homestead uses organic practices, but has not been operating long enough to become certified as an organic farm.

Muddy River Homestead have been operating for five years now, and this is their second year selling at Bluffton's farmers market.

"Bluffton's been fabulous to us," says Denice Ziebold, mother of Cory. The farm business involves the whole family. Alongside his mother, Ziebold's sisters are at the market on Saturdays, selling the pork out of their revamped ice cream truck.

The name comes from the often-muddy Blanchard River, which the farm lies near.

You can catch them on Saturdays, or Thursdays up at Findlay's farmers market, or order from their website, or email muddyriverhomestead.com for more info. They are also on Facebook and Instagram.

About the Bluffton Farmer’s Market
This story is part of a summer series on Bluffton Farmers Market vendors. The market is open each Saturday through the end of October from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Citizens National Bank parking lot, 102 S. Main St. For vendor information, contact Greg Probst, market director, at [email protected].

Next week's vendor featured will be Seasonal Sun Farm.