В Монт-Плезанте семья Браунов продолжает семейную традицию, ведя фермерский рынок «Рукс»

MOUNT PLEASANT — Velvet Brown’s family has dedicated their lives to the produce stand perched near the corner of Mathis Ferry Road and Sixth Avenue. Her uncle, Willie “Ruke” Brown, opened Ruke’s Fruits & Vegetables more than 35 years ago. Eventually, Mount Pleasant residents began to rely on the farm stand for tomatoes, watermelon, cucumbers and more, all sourced from local growers. Before he died in 2011, Ruke made his brother, Arthur Brown, promise to carry on the family tradition. For a decade, he maintained and expanded operations before passing it on to Velvet, his daughter, in 2021. She hopes to make her father, who passed away in July, proud by forging ahead and keeping the business running.  “It means everything to me,” Brown said of Ruke's. “It feels like an honor that I’ve been entrusted to keep the legacy going.” Ruke’s parks its produce beside Holy Trinity AME Church at 378 Mathis Ferry Road. The tarped structure with an American flag hanging from its wood frame comes to life in the morning, when a handful of employees arrive to set up.  Under the cover, produce is placed inside plastic baskets and wooden crates resting on watermelon-print tablecloths. Coolers and a refrigerator hold more farm-fresh goodies. Come with $30, and you’ll leave with a large brown paper bag or two full of fruits and vegetables. Customers can also snag classic and Cajun boiled peanuts, made by longtime employee Kevin Alston. Sisters Maria Kennedy and Rosanne Brown, along with Stacy Dawson, help Velvet run Ruke’s. They hope to expand its offerings, leading Velvet to visit farms across the state in search of fruits and vegetables. As it stands, Ruke’s is an unexpected treasure in a rapidly developing part of the Charleston area. Those who go this fall can expect sweet potatoes, collard greens and rutabaga, as well as those signature boiled peanuts. Ruke’s is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday through the end of the year. The stand closes from January until Memorial Day, when spring produce season is back in full swing. From Memorial Day until Labor Day 2027, it will open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Reach  Parker Milner  at 843-830-3911. Follow him on Twitter @parkermilner_.  Subscribe to CHS Menu newsletter