It’s Market Time

McCreary County Farmers’ Market Opens Saturday May 15

By Eugenia Jones
eugenia@highland.net

It’s time to enjoy locally grown produce, fresh baked goods, local meat products, beautiful flowers, farm fresh eggs, and all of the other wonderful wares offered for sale by vendors at the McCreary County Farmers’ Market. The Market will open for the 2021 season on Saturday May 15, 2021 from 9:00 until 12:00, but it’s always best to get there early before vendors sell out. Beginning on June 16 through July, some of the vendors will set on Main Street on Wednesdays from 3:00 until 5:00.
This season may well be the biggest and best year of the McCreary County Farmers’ Market since it was established in 2012.
As of now, the Market anticipates at least fourteen regular vendors. In addition to produce, ceramics, plants, embroidered towels, baked goods, and jellies, the Market plans to offer recycled reusable bags, locally made soap, and local beef, pork, and chicken. For the first time, the market will offer organically grown blackberries. The Market accepts senior vouchers, and they have received a grant for double dollars with the first seventy of those vouchers doubling their face value. The only vendor thus far accepting food stamps this season is Mine 18 Farms. Some of the vendors will accept debit/credit cards, but most are cash.
A tentative listing of vendors and products is as follows:
Laura Zaspel with locally made soap (including vegan), Tommy and Katie Ross with local beef, tomatoes, flowers, green beans, watermelons, etc., Beverly McKnight with house plants, home decor, etc., Lorilee Ross with local pork, chicken, plants, and produce, Nancy Wright with baked goods, Larry King with heirloom beans, broccoli, flowers, black berries, etc., Felicia Strunk with produce and reusable market bags made from recycled pet food bags, Vivian Gault with ceramics and produce, Marie with peppers, squash, etc., Carl and Arlene Jones with birdhouses and produce, Bob and Dora Marlow with produce, and Becky Walker with hand embroidered flour sack towels.
Local produce expected to be at the market this year includes beans, squash, peppers, broccoli, greens, black berries, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, potatoes, pumpkins, eggs, peas, eggplant, lettuce, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, and herbs. Garden plants, tomato cages, luffa sponges, yeast spreads, fresh cut flowers, and hanging baskets will also be available.
Local restaurants, non-profits, and schools are eligible for partial reimbursement for products they purchase from Kentucky Proud producers. Most, if not all, of the McCreary County Market vendors are registered with Kentucky Proud; however, customers wanting to participate in one of the programs should check with the vendor before buying.
The set up at the Market (with locally sourced products) is $40.00 for the season except for those 65 and over or students under the age of eighteen. For seniors and youth, the fee is $20.00 for the season. For those wishing to set up one day at a time, the fee is $5.00 per day which is applied toward a season set up fee.
Applications to join the market can be obtained at the Extension Agency Office or from Doris June Baird Williams or Kristina Mcfeeters.