Category Farmer’s Market

Going to the Farmer’s Market is a great experience. It has provided so many rewards, most being nonmonetary. We talk to different people each week and some of the same. It’s fun to talk gardening and produce and I find that I really learn a lot. And sometimes, it’s nice to hear that people are experiencing the same garden woes and understand what you are going through. The market is worth the time and prep work it takes to get there. So this week, I thought I would share what steps are involved in getting ready for Market Saturday.

Early in the Week

Early in the week, I am already trying to plan what to take to the market on Saturday. The garden has to be picked every day and in this process, I am already looking to see what vegetables will be ready to pick on Friday. It’s easy to be wrong during this step because rain, drought, and heat can all impact the vegetable growth significantly. For example, during very dry times, it may appear as though not much will be ready for the weekend. Then on Wednesday or Thursday, a rain shower will come, and the plants will react almost immediately, it seems, and produce. What I may have thought wouldn’t be available, now fills a basket. It’s always a good time to be wrong.

Friday Evening-Picking and Deciding

Friday is the day Mattie, my niece, comes with her flowers and vegetables, grown at Cardinal Lane Farm in Kentucky. It’s also picking and decision day. I may pick some on Thursday evenings, if time is limited, but try to pick only vegetables that can tolerate being picked longer, such as root vegetables. This is the time when I comb both gardens to see what is actually available and in what quantity. At about 7 pm, when the heat starts to cool down, I start picking. I pick everything that is ready. After the baskets are filled, then it’s time to decide what will be for sale and what will be for kept for us.

For example, this week, I picked a “mess” of Rattlesnake beans and two “messes” of Case Knife beans. Yes, a “mess” is a measurement or it always has been in my life. It’s the amount that a person can cook for one night for his/her family. I decided to keep the Rattlesnake beans to cook for Brent and myself and sell the Case Knife beans. The Case Knife beans were not enough to make a full seven quart canning, so not an efficient amount to preserve. This worked out well as it helped to provide variety to my produce selection but still allowed us to enjoy what we had grown. After those decisions are made, the keep pile is taken into the house and the rest is cleaned and prepared for Saturday.

Friday Night-Loading the Truck

After the vegetables are prepared, it’s dark. This is the time we spend loading the truck and getting our supplies ready. We have to pack tables, tablecloths, tent, coolers, chalkboard and supplies, crates, baskets of multiple sizes, grocery bags, and many other items that are required on market days. By loading as much as we can on Friday night, it lightens the load for an early Saturday morning that is spent loading the produce.

Saturday

Our Saturday usually starts before 5 am. We get up and start loading the truck and coolers with produce and supplies for the day. Mattie and I try to leave the house no later than 5:30 am to ensure our same selling spot at the market. We arrive around 6 am. The next thirty minutes are spent setting up tables and organizing our produce. We try and make our tables eye pleasing and organized. We also like to set out our chalk sign with a list of available produce and price the vegetables to make the shopping experience easier for our customers. By 7 am the foot traffic starts to pick up and it stays pretty steady until 10:30-11:00 am. We usually decide to leave based on how much inventory we have left. Yesterday, we left at 10:45 am. We pack up the remaining produce and supplies and head home.

It’s Not Over

Once we leave the market, the day is not over. When we get home, supplies are unloaded. I either take Mattie back to Kentucky or her parents pick her up. Then the rest of the day, after a rest, is spent preserving what didn’t sell or doing garden chores that didn’t get done on Friday. It’s a lot of work and a time commitment but I do really enjoy it. It’s a good way to spend the weekends of summer. We hope to see you there.

And just remember, when you see us on Saturday, we have been preparing to see you all week!

The Beginning

Brent and I bought our farm in Rickman four years ago. The first summer, 2016, we were still living in Algood and so we didn’t have a garden that year as the summer was packed with construction, packing, selling, relocating and all the processes of moving. The second year, I put out a pretty good sized garden just for our consumption. We paid a friend to plow and till it for us and I’ll never forget seeing and smelling that freshly broken ground for the first time. There is something about the smell of dirt at planting time. It’s the smell of opportunity and hope. It will always be one of my favorite scents. That year, I enjoyed planting the usual things tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers. It was a success with plenty of produce for ourselves and extra for gifts to friends.

Our first Market Sales

It wasn’t until our third year that I expanded the original garden in size and decided to start selling at the local Farmer’s Market. I love being able to share our abundance of produce with customers. It’s so nice to talk to folks each week, some new, some regulars. It’s like having a front porch visit with friends. We talk about the farm, the weather, their gardens and even share recipes. It’s an enjoyable time and a great way to provide people with alternatives to commercial produce. That year, 2018, I only sold butternut squash and spaghetti squash. I didn’t even set up a table. I just sold out of the back of the pickup truck. It was a good way to introduce myself to the market and get familiar with the process. After all, you can’t just set up your wares one day, on a whim.

Market Requirements

The Farmer’s Market requires each vendor obtain a permit. I contacted City Hall of Cookeville and was advised that because I am a non resident of Putnam County, I had to get a letter from my local Overton County extension agent verifying he/she  had observed my grow space, in order to apply for a permit. This is to ensure vendors are truly growing their food locally. I was able to contact my local agent, he came out, observed my garden and I secured my permit. A permit is required for each selling year. A list of regulations are also provided that include items such as a list of items that can and cannot be sold.

Last year, 2019, I made plans to return to the Farmer’s Market and with more than just squash. We added an additional garden to our farm to increase both variety and yield. We planted several first time items and also new varieties of beans, cantaloupe, tomatoes, peas, peppers, squash and more. I obtained my  permit again and in addition, our niece, Mattie, also obtained her permit and decided to set up as well. Mattie is 15 and enjoys gardening produce, but more so growing flowers.  Her and I had a great year of selling most weekends throughout July and August. We had help from Brent and Mattie’s Mom, Lisa.  We sold a variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers. It was fun to try the new varieties ourselves and to introduce them to our customers. Our customers were happy with our products and that made us happy!

We look forward to trying our hands at new vegetables and varieties again this year. And we are counting down the weekends until we can get back to the Market for the 2020 season.