Bleu Barn NC
Seasonally changing variety of pickles, hot sauces, jams, and spice blends.
Vendor Story
Tara, Brenton & Elena Ebersold
Somewhere in her foodie files, Tara Ebersold of Bleu Barn Pantry has an order ticket for a meal eaten by Davidson Farmers Market board members on a site-visit more than a decade ago.
“Davidson Farmers Market was our first customer ever. Now, families know families,” says Tara.
That has special meaning for the Ebersolds. Tara and Brenton are proud parents of Elena, 4, and Elijah. When Elijah, whom Tara lovingly calls a “market baby,” passed away in his infancy, the Ebersolds’ market family helped sustain them in grief and love, she said.
In its beginnings, Bleu Barn had a food truck and catering, which later evolved to include a pantry line. Today, that pantry line is Bleu Barn’s full focus.
“Working with our hands and using local fresh product comes from growing up in my Italian grandmother’s garden,” Tara says. “She taught me to love fresh seasonal produce, how to use the whole product, and how to preserve abundant product to use later in the year.”
Both Ebersolds are graduates of Johnson and Wales University and have full-time jobs in the culinary field.
The Davidson Farmers Market has been integral to the evolution of their family business.
“We started our pantry line by buying food from other farmers,” says Tara.
She remembers one 70-pound order of excess rhubarb from Barbee Farms. The resulting strawberry rhubarb jam sold well, and soon jams became a jam: French apple, peach chipotle, hot pepper, figgy bacon…. Other Bleu Barn offerings include spice blends, hot sauces and sourdough starter.
Another popular farmers market offering is dubbed simply Market Relish—“a cross between a pickle relish and a chow-chow but made with a bunch of veggies” that might still be hanging around the market at noon on a Saturday. That’s a win-win on the spot, and another win for customers the following week.
Tara sees the strong sense of community at the Davidson Farmers Market as vital to a continuing evolution and overall sustainability of farm-to-table supply and demand.
“Our community is getting better at sourcing the product that is abundant to the farmer at the time. It just tastes better and it’s better for the earth,” says Tara. “I’m going to continue the pantry because I love the farmer’s market.”
