You can learn a lot from a farmer’s market… and I mean a lot.
We are starting our fourth season of market this year. We still have so much to learn but have picked up a few things along the way I would like to share with you.
You can meet some pretty amazing people from the community along with some pretty exceptional vendors at these farmers markets. Going into our first season we didn’t know what to expect truly. Full transparency I wasn’t all that into it. I did it for Ryan. I will say though, after a few markets and seeing the involvement with the community and seeing the knowledge and passion the vendors had I quickly became hooked! It amazed me the passion that each vendor had in their skill. I suddenly wanted to know what that felt like. I was so engulfed in my career I didn’t realize that I never really had something of my own that I was passionate about and I needed to change that.
I also noticed that some vendors come and go at the markets we attend but what I realized pretty quickly was that the markets all have the regulars. The regulars are the vendors we refer to as the OGs (Original Gangsters) these are the folks that show up year after year rain or shine. When they talk you listen, take notes and ask questions. Trust me they are dropping gold nuggets!
These folks also are the ones who if they are veggie farmers will have crop a lot sooner than most. Trust me when I tell you this.. whatever you are thinking about trying they have already did it. They already figured it out and they are a wealth of knowledge. You can usually spot these vendors at any market because they already have a line before market starts. Get as close to these folks as you can and pick up those gold nuggets they drop. They do not mind sharing, at least all of our interactions have been very welcoming and we have built lasting friendships.
Another thing I have noticed is that you can never predict what people will be looking for.. I remember one year we had a bumper crop of Nadapenos these are the non-spicy version of. Jalapeños. We couldn’t give them away that year.. Then next season we decided not to grow them. Guess what!? We had at least one person ask for them each market. You can’t predict what people will want but we have learned to grow the staples, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers,cabbage, peppers, green beans, leafy greens, onions, potatoes, and radishes, Then you can toss in a few surprises to see how they do!
You also may have some customers that become your favorites. There are quite a few for us but I will say there is one particular couple that warms my heart when I see them. They are an elderly couple who have been together for many years and always walking around the market hand in hand. Ryan and I always smile when we see them. They are the definition of true love.
There are also some mild stressors that come along with market. For us early on in the season it’s typically what in the world are we going to put on our table!? I find this the most difficult for us, no matter how early in the season we try to start something tends to come up and working full time careers it is difficult to find enough daylight to get everything done on time. Each year we get better and find new ways to figure it out.
The other stressor is that some markets are a little more strict with the rules. Because of this we try to attend conferences in our off season to stay in the know. I do quite a bit of reading and research as well! We also have an occasional run in with the health inspector at our markets. I remember there was a rule brought up about our bagged greens and it just didn’t seem right to me because I follow other specialty crop growers in Iowa and they were selling their greens the same way we were so I called the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. I met a really great inspector there and he educated me on what we can do. Turns out it was a misunderstanding that he helped get cleared up with the health inspector for me. Have the courage to respectfully pushback.
I would like to leave you with this..Next time you hear about a farmers market taking place in your community do what you can to share it with others and show up. At the end of the day you are supporting the single mom who uses one of her days off to bake amazing creations in her kitchen while her daughter helps her sell at market. Or those newby veggie farmers trying to work two full time jobs and always fashionably late to market because they just got off work loading up what they can and got half way down the road and had to turn back because they forgot something! Show up for those folks, show up for the OGs, and the new vendors who were so unbelievably nervous the days prior to market but worked up every once of courage to come and literally lay their hearts out on their tables.
Moral of the story.. Farmers Markets are the windows into your community. It is also a place where you may get the opportunity to see people put everything they love on display. Trust me.. if you look you will see it. ✌🏼-Jamie
Moral Of The Story 