Family Farm

For Ploua (first image, third to the right), her sons Fue (first image, center) and Kou (first image, left), and her husband Wang (second image, center left), farming is a family business rooted in their Hmong heritage. The Central Falls Farmers Market is in the parking lot of Children’s Friend, an organization that provides services for children and their families. Many of their customers pay with WIC. The family also has a stand at the Broad Street Farmers Market and the West Warwick Farmers Market. 

Kou: This is my parents’ business; I'm just helping out.

Ploua: I think this is the third year coming to Farm Fresh. My experience has been very good, because they have the WIC. We don’t get much EBT or cash. We got most of [our earnings] with WIC. And also the senior program. I can say this is the best year. The very first year I only come here once a month. Last year I came two times a month. This year they want us to come every week, every Tuesday. We get very good sales because of the WIC people. Also, [Children’s Friend] makes the appointment for them to come. They come in, they get the WIC, they come here, and they buy stuff.

Our farm has a little bit of each [crop]—it’s Urban Edge Farm. My son rented it to raise the chickens but he gave me a piece of land.

Fue: All throughout in Providence, there's small community gardens like that. She has a few, at least the land. Pretty much a little bit of everything just so that we have varieties. It’s a family business.

Wednesday, we're in West Warwick as well and Saturday, we're in Providence, right on Broad Street. Whichever market has spots available, that's where we go. 

Ploua: I used to have my grandchildren come to us all the time, but because they are in school today, they can't come. They are 18, 16, and 12. They were helping a lot. But they are in school right now. 

We speak Hmong, from Laos. No other people speak my language. 

Fue: There are farmers, other farmers. Most of the Hmong people, they live on farms. 

Ploua: The customers are all other nationalities. [In Laotian cuisine, we grow] cilantro, scallion, pumpkin leaves. The bitter ball, the beans. 

Kou: Nobody knows when I say bitter ball. I'm like, ‘you know what bitter [ball] is?’ They’re like ‘no,’and I’m like, ‘I can't explain it to you.’ It’s mainly for soup. As far as we know. I eat it with soup, too. I like bitter. It's in an acquired taste.