BY TED SHOCKLEY, Eastern Shore Post —
Through the decades, the Eastern Shore has been home to many who have earned a living harvesting, marketing, and brokering crops.
Those merchants now include 4-year-old P.J. Cathell, the Fig King of Chincoteague Island, who has been hawking figs daily from a front-yard table at his Cleveland Street home.
It is quite a responsibility for the older child of Philip and Maria Cathell.
After dinner, the family harvests and washes the figs from two trees in their yard.
The next morning, they put the figs in cardboard pint boxes, set up a table and an umbrella, and rig up a fan to blow the bugs away.
That’s the hardest part: “Setting up the table every morning,” said the Fig King.
He has some assistance from his 2-year-old sister, Elizabeth, who likes to help putting the figs in the pint boxes.
Then comes the merchandising.
“My favorite part is putting the fig boxes on the table in the morning,” said P.J., who can usually be found stocking the stand while sporting his sunglasses.
The pints cost $3 and the stand uses the honor system.
The Fig King watches it all closely, waving and thanking customers with a hearty yell from the house.
Like a true produce broker, the Fig King is personally in charge of tallying up the revenues, dutifully counting the dollar bills at the end of the day.
“P.J. loves helping with chores and cooking in the kitchen,” his mother said. “This was a chance for him to learn how food grows and where it comes from — and to also learn a bit about money.”
The Fig King set up shop on Aug. 11 and his mother expects fig production to last for a few more days.
But while he enjoys harvesting and selling, the Fig King has no interest in eating his crop.
“I don’t like to eat figs,” he said.
