When Loretta Baker started selling vegetables at the
Springfield Farmers Market many years ago, she and her husband, Brian, had full-time jobs.
At the time, they’d maybe bring a crate of tomatoes, which would sell out, making it a successful day.
Today,
Baker’s Vegetable Market is their full-time pursuit, and The Springfield Farmers Market – held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays from June through September downtown at 117 S. Fountain Ave. – is a key component of their business, as they have no storefront.
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Baker’s Vegetable Market's booth at the market.While Brian takes some of what they’ve grown on their property, which includes three greenhouses, to the
Yellow Springs 4 Season Farmers' Market, she goes to Springfield with all sorts of produce, as well as her various baked goods.
“I am there every Saturday, rain or shine,” she says over the phone before
the Springfield Farmers Market kicked off its 19th season on June 7.
“It’s also a meet-and-greet – you become family,” Baker says. “You get to know your customer base; if they don’t show up, you wonder what’s happened to them. It’s a gathering place, as well as a place for business.”
She should expect to see plenty of new faces among her fellow vendors, with Market Manager Kendra Burnside saying that she expects more than 30 vendors to be regulars this year.
“We just promoted it a lot more,” says Burnside, a stay-at-home mom in her second year in the part-time position. “I started getting new vendors, probably, two months earlier than I did last year, and we just had a really strong response.
“We do get applications all season, so people can still apply,” she adds. “We try to accept everybody as long as, you know, we don’t have too many people selling that product already.”
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The Springfield Farmers MarketBurnside points to the market’s diversity, with vendors – some of whom are full-time farmers and others looking to bring in some extra income, perhaps from a hobby – selling everything from meat, eggs and produce to handmade goods.
“I know that there’s one selling laundry detergent,” she says, referring to Springfield-based
June Lynn & Rose. “We have not had that before – a homemade laundry detergent.”
She also points to a handful of vendors making a range of products, including a lip balm, from beef tallow.
Festival veterans that will be back include Vince Taylor Farms,
Harmony Cattle Farms and On-the-Rise, which works to bring youth into farming.
“We have incredible folks that truly believe in the products they sell at our market,” says Debbie McCullough, program director and founder, in an email. “It’s really a social event for our community.”
When you think about a farmers market in Ohio, you think of it as one thing early on, and then, sometime midway through the summer, it becomes one of the places to go for your sweet corn needs.
“We definitely get a lot of corn, a lot of tomatoes,” Burnsdie says.
And Baker says she’ll bring as many as 30 ears of corn some weeks.
While some bring a wagon to haul away all the goodies, those not as prepared should be able to get their hands on reusable bags courtesy of presenting sponsor Mercy Health, Burnside says.
The market’s helping nature goes beyond that, with information Burnside provides pointing to participation in several food-assistance programs, including WIC, Senior Bucks and Produce Perks. Plus, the market not only accepts payment through Ohio’s Electronic Benefit Transfer program but also matches a person’s EBT expenditure up to $50 per week. If a vendor doesn’t accept EBT cards directly, a shopper can go to a tent to buy tokens that can be used at those stands.
“It’s a really good way for local families to get healthier food options,” Burnside says.
Live music is also present at the market, which regularly boasts a weekly theme, starting with Dairy Day on June 7. Upcoming days include Family Day with Clark County Public Library on June 14 – the first of a monthly occurrence – the Community Art Project by Springfield Art Museum on June 28, and cooking demos on July 19 and Aug. 2 and 16.
“We have something almost every weekend,” Burnside says.
“The people that run the farmers market are very willing to incorporate your ideas and help you out,” adds Baker. “There’s not a day that goes by that they don’t check in and, you know, make sure that you’re okay.
She says the collection of vendors feels like a family, and she’s happy to see it evolve and grow with the newcomers.
“We need to make sure they’re feeling family-like, too,” Baker says.
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Fresh produce avaliable at the Springfield Farmers MarketShe says that if she doesn’t have something a customer wants, she’ll direct them to another vendor who may, and she loves to interact with customers in general.
“There are a lot of different things you can teach your customers, (such as) a recipe or how to prepare (something),” she says.
“If someone doesn’t know what kohlrabi is,” she says, referring to a veggie colloquially known as “cole robbie,” “I’ll say, ‘Here you go – try it.’ And if they like it, they’ll be back. That’s a good way to help someone out.”
The Springfield Farmers Market runs every Saturday, June through August, from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at 117 S Fountain Ave.