Written By Lisa Breslin
The baked goods, truffles and treats that come from Rare Opportunity Farm take you back to your grandmother’s kitchen and through a kaleidoscope of unexpected flavors.
Creativity meets flavor in everything that the farm’s owners, Ruth Thompson and Larry Terroy, create: Lemon blueberry pound cake, lemon lime tarts, chocolate almond biscotti, triple citrus truffles, and, for weekend guests, honeysuckle martinis.
What started out just over a year ago as quiet, word-of-mouth sales of heirloom vegetables that the friends grow on their one-acre farm has now burst into a booming business that features not only vegetables but baked goods, jams and jellies.
Ruth and Larry harvest their little-acre-that-could on Old Bachman Valley Road near Westminster, give unique twists to recipes that they learned from their parents and grandparents and then take their creations to the Carroll County Farmer’s Market at the Ag Center each weekend.
“The first day we were biting our nails about sales,” said Ruth. “I think we made $200. Then we made $500, once we tipped $1,000. Sales have been steady since.”
Ruth and Larry know their patrons well.
“Our customers come in late to the farmers market and they are often transplants to Carroll County,” said Ruth.
“Our customers also have adventurous pallets and they love to savor something new,” added Larry.
Kathy Sheridan – a friend and self-proclaimed “minion who helps at the farmers market wherever and whenever needed” describes patrons’ “classic response” each time they savor something new: “They stop chewing, their eyes widen, their mouths drop and they often say, ÔOh my god.’
“Customers often say that the tastes remind them of days gone by,” said Sheridan. “They tell stories about their grandparents, Ruth and Larry listen and the stories often yield new ingredients. It’s amazing to watch the evolution.”
“Larry’s gift,” said Ruth, “is that he “packs flavors into foods that many people don’t expect.”
Ruth is the business’ organizer. If Larry comes up with crazy ideas at 3 a.m., she keeps him grounded. Although Larry is the primary baker, Ruth’s talent lies in the creation of jams, jellies and conserves. Peach salsa, mango raspberry jam, blueberry lime jam and three curds – lemon, lime and blood orange – often sell within the first few hours at the farmer’s market.
Ruth and Larry met while working in the china department at a local department store. They shared a “need-to-survive” mentality and they had plenty of time to talk and dream about better days. They quickly discovered a shared affinity for gardening and baking.
Larry’s passion for baking came from his grandmother, a “strong woman,” and his mother, who managed several resorts. “Both were great chefs and we use a lot of their recipes,” he said.
Ruth always loved to bake and came from what she described as “a food family.”
“My sister is a chef,” she said, “and my brother is in the restaurant business. Ours was the family that always made Christmas cookies. Then I dabbled with canning and honed my jam and jelly-making skills. I discovered that I loved it.”
The friends’ business is named after a prize ram, Rare Opportunity, once owned by their neighbor, the late Jack Price.
