I have always enjoyed going to a Farmer's Market. Unfortunetly, there are not many in our area. We do have one in our hometown that is open from the first Wednesday after Memorial Day through Saturday of Labor Day weekend. It's open on Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 to Noon.
I decided to participate this year and not be just a lookey loo. I don't have fresh produce because our little garden didn't do too well this year, but I made some cinnamon pickles, bread and butter pickles, pepper jelly, and fig preserves. I decided to make some buttermilk pound cake and banana nut bread, too. I did pretty good in June and July but things tapered off in August as the fresh produce was not as abundant.
There were others with canned goods, homemade bread, honey, fresh eggs and even woven baskets made with pine straw. Of course, the fresh produce was the highlight. People like to get corn, peas, okra, butter beans, peaches. peppers, watermelons, cantalopes, etc. We have many local people who grow these things, even if on a small scale in their own back yard.
I was going to add some pictures but for some reason I am unable to upload them here. I wanted you to see how pretty everything looked. If you want to see them, I have a couple posted on facebook. They are in my wall photos section. Just look up Renee Moore Henderson on facebook, if you want.
Not only was I able to sell some of my products, but I met some wonderful people. The same customers and vendors came every week and we got to know each other better. We had a lot of fun.
One of the issues I noticed with the farmer's market is that it was usually the older generation coming to buy the goods. Very few young people came. By young I mean younger than 40 years old. I don't know if they don't enjoy these things or if they don't know about it or just don't care. I heard one guy tell me that he didn't have a garden. I asked him why (he is a country boy) and he told me "Why have a garden when there is Wal-Mart". So sad. I surely hope that the younger generation will learn to appreciate the effort that our local growers put forth to bring this yummy food to our table. I also think canning and freezing food is becoming a lost art. Either they don't want to put forth the effort or are too busy. Some may have never been taught how to do these things that our grandparents and great grandparents had to do.
With that said, I look forward to next summer when the Farmer's Market will be open again. I will participate every summer as long as I am able to do the canning and baking. It is something I enjoy and hope to bring some joy to others with what I make. Happy Canning!
