This is the fourth installment in a series about staycations – the places you can go and things you can do that won’t break that bank and are within two hours’ drive.
With a philosophy that gives new meaning to fast food, a full crop of farmers markets is growing in the region.
And by offering a mix of items that includes food, jewelry and handmade soap, the markets are the ultimate in one-stop shopping, where customers can talk to the producers.
They’re also a great place to browse or eat lunch or run into your neighbors.
Because the veggies are fresh from the vine and the baked goods are fresh from the oven, it’s easy to buy a salad and all the fixings or a dinner’s worth of good eats. There are plenty of choices at some markets: Pick from 12 varieties of garlic or nine kinds of squash or a dozen pots of herbs.
But if customers want the best choices, they have to be fast.
On a typical Wednesday afternoon at Salomon Farmers Market, 817 W. Dupont Road, business is brisk a mere 15 minutes after the doors opened at 4 p.m. The parking lot is nearly filled with about 40 cars, lines snake around vendor tables and two buckets of water that held wildflower bouquets are already empty.
This year, five vendors were added and the market was moved to a larger space in the Old Barn, accessible by a long gravel driveway.
“We just grew,” says Renee Baines, outdoor education coordinator at Salomon Farm.
Krista Maier, who owns Intended Naturals of Indiana Inc., is a new vendor who sells homemade skin care and cleaning products.
“It gets busier every week. Most of (my) products are natural, which works well with what people are looking for when they come to a farmers market,” she says.
Sharon Harris, who sells produce, flowers and herbs she grew at Little Bit Farm in Harlan, enjoys the social aspect of the market. Over the years, she’s earned many repeat customers to her tables at Salomon Farmers Market and Southside Farmers Market.
“You get to know people by name. That’s always fun,” she says.
While Salomon Farmers Market has been around since 2004, three new versions sprouted in Fort Wayne this season.
The largest is the Historic West Main Street Farmers Market, which opened in mid-May near Leesburg Road and has doubled in size to 50 vendors. Besides produce, flowers, candles, soap and jewelry, the market also has live music each Friday afternoon.
“It turned into a neighborhood downtown festival. I think people would be bored to tears if they came down and there was only food,” organizer Chris Shatto says.
Mat Quickery, chairman of the Roanoke Farmers Market, says that event is a good marketing tool to “promote the charming ambience of our town. … If we can reach out and share our town with one new person a week, I believe all of our efforts have been a success.”
On the north side of Fort Wayne, the Dupont Hospital Farmers Market launched in early June. It runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays in parking lot E.
This year’s sole vendor is Cedar Creek Produce of Leo-Cedarville, but the market likely will add more next year, says Dupont volunteer specialist (and market organizer) Cindy Doyal, who got the idea from a story in Parade magazine.
“I thought, ‘What a great idea for us, we’re constantly promoting wellness,’ ” she says.
After all, nothing says wellness like fresh raspberries, blueberries, asparagus, green beans and zucchini. And now that the growing season is heading into its peak, it’s producing a bigger basket of healthy choices.
“We’re getting tomatoes, early sweet corn; … melons will be here soon. Now is the time to shop at a farmers market,” Shatto says.
One of his vendors is Joseph Decuis of Roanoke, which also has a presence at other farmers markets, including the one at Jefferson Pointe. At each venue, staff members sell some of the restaurant’s food products and grill Kobe burgers for hungry visitors.
“It’s a marketing strategy that covers our expenses, makes some money and promotes the restaurant and its products,” Joseph Decuis owner Alice Eshelman says.
“Not only is the market a place to purchase great products, it is also an educational experience. You learn about growing seasons … (and) what’s involved in bringing products to market,” says Chuck Putterbaugh, the Culinarium manager at Joseph Decuis who also works at the farmers markets. The markets also give customers a place to support local farmers, he says.
“They like knowing where their food is coming from, and they like talking face-to-face with the people responsible,” Putterbaugh says.
