Ron and Vicki King of King Family Farms haven’t missed an Athens Saturday Market in the six years they’ve been selling their fare.

The pair, who have a farm in Taft, Tennessee, sell sausage certified by the United States Department of Agriculture and eggs. They also sell eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, green and purple romaine lettuce, zucchini, collard greens, peas, green beans, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, potatoes, okra, squash and more.

Ron is a retired school teacher. He retired after 40 years of teaching and coaching basketball at Hazel Green High School. He still coaches seventh- and eighth-grade girls’ basketball at East Limestone High School.

Vicki has yet to retire and works at BBVA Compass in Huntsville.

When Ron retired seven years ago, the pair decided to start growing and now, sell at three markets every week, including Athens.

Background

In 1962 at the age of 12, Ron started raising feeder pigs with his dad in the Marshall County city of Arab.

In 1985, he started raising pigs on his own farm in Taft, about 20 miles north of Huntsville.

He started making whole hog sausage from a recipe that he and his wife created, working hard to produce quality meat.

Both Ron and Vicki grew up with parents and grandparents who had gardens and canned their harvests. They wanted the same fresh and healthy foods for their children and grandchildren.

In 1999, they started growing a small garden. In 2012, they brought what they were growing to market with their sausage. It wasn’t long before they were planting a whole lot more.

Now, the Kings grow and sell until the ground starts to frost.

“There’s always something going out and something else going in,” Ron said.

“It worked out pretty good,” he said.

He even has enough to share with older church members and friends who might have a hard time growing a garden as they age but used to have gardens of their own.

Ron said farming takes dedication.

“It’s hard work,” he said, adding he enjoys it.

The Kings also enjoy being a part of Athens Saturday Market. Ron said he attended Athens College (now Athens State University) and played basketball at the school. Since becoming a vendor, he’s ran into old friends and made some new ones.

He believes Saturday Market organizers do a good job and create a great atmosphere for producers and buyers. His favorite part is the people.

“I love coming to Athens,” he said.

— Athens Main Street intern Anna Marbut contributed to this article.