First farmers' market of the season held, growth foreseen

By James R. Campbell

Nevada Daily Mail

The Vernon County Farmers' Market of 2012 got off to a fair start last Saturday, but manager T.J. James hopes for increasing numbers of vendors and customers for markets held around Bushwhacker Days and the bi-weekly exposition's festive inaugural with clowns and facepainting on Saturday, June 16.

"We had four vendors and a steady amount of folks from 8 a.m. to noon," James said Thursday. "I'm trying to get everybody to expand it with me; and we may take it into October so we can get the first frost on the broccoli and asparagus and bring up the sugars in them.

"We had nine vendors from all over our area, coming in from Fort Scott and everywhere else, at a meeting April 26. Once we show we can pull a crowd here, we'll end up with more and more vendors."

James said last weekend's offerings included jams, jellies, freshly baked bread, cut flowers and crafts. "We'll be open again from 4:45 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 6, and again on the 13th, but our kickoff will be from 8 a.m. to noon on the 16th," he said.

"We're waiting a month because the vegetables are not ready yet."

Vendors may contact James at (417 667-4455 to sign up for $5 a day or $50 for the season.

Missouri Extension Agronomy Specialist Pat Miller was a Saturday vendor, selling cut coneflowers for Mother's Day. "We had one new one, Leroy Yoder from near Harwood, with Ruth Gerster, Orpha Simrell and me," said Miller.

"I grow vegetables just for myself and grow native flowers because they're more tolerant to drought. I'd like to see more vendors and buyers because we have a good location on the Square."

Miller said Simrell and her husband Merle use a hoop greenhouse east of Walker to grow plants in soil, not pots, simulating warm weather to get earlier growth. "It was a pretty slow day at the market, but things are just getting started," she said.

Miller said area growers are somewhat hindered by annual problems with insects and plant diseases. "People want to buy things that look pretty," she said.

"They don't want things with damage."

Growing 24 varieties of vegetables on an acre of land, James had previously reported expecting an array of products when the season begins in earnest, including pies, breads, butternut and acorn squash, eggplants, raspberries, peaches, mulberries, blueberries, sweet corn, okra, pickling cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers and numerous strains of tomatoes.

He said visitors also should look for honey, meats, eggs, fruits, baked goods, cut and dried flowers and hand-crafted items from a 100-mile radius of Vernon, Bates, Barton and Cedar counties in Missouri and Bourbon County, Kan.