SKy Farmers' Market Opens to an Eager Crowd

Thanks to Sam Oldenburg for accompanying me on this trip and taking these beautiful pictures!

Shoppers eagerly flocked to buy produce, herbs, cut flowers, cheeses, crafts, and even composted manure early Saturday morning as the Southern Kentucky Regional Farmers’ Market opened for the season.

The warming sun beamed through the nippy air as market manager Laura Goodwin checked up on each of the vendors.

“We’ve had a great turnout, people and vendors,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin said that there are currently 45 vendors who attend the market throughout the season. Because of a need for land replenishment and growth, the farms at the market each week are sometimes different. The multiple stands add a wide variety of local produce that can be purchased as well as products, including gourmet dog bones, candles, cheeses, pottery and paintings.

Sonja Byrd of Bowling Green attended the market with her three children, Hattie, 9, Thorin, 6, and Sophie, 3. She said the kids couldn’t wait to see their favorite vendors, whom the kids have given special names. “They’ve been excited for cheese man, dog biscuit man, and giant cookie man,” she said.

Byrd tries to ensure that her family eats local, healthy food whenever it is available. “We try to get everything locally. We order local meat, eggs, and produce,” she said as her kids picked out gourmet dog biscuits to give to their pet upon returning home.

While searching through produce, Byrd said the she prefers organic food to traditional produce and meat. “I do this for two reasons,” she said. “Number one, to have the best stuff possible going into our bodies, and number two, to support the local market farmers because of all that they do for the environment.”

Goodwin said that the SKy Market is different than other farmers’ markets.

The actual farmers themselves must sell the products, and only Kentucky produce and products can be sold. Goodwin inspects all growers’ farms and artisans’ workshops before they can come to the market.

“It’s something that we do for integrity,” Goodwin said. “Keeps everybody honest.”

This year, Goodwin had to inspect nine new locations before the market could open

Kaelin Vernon of Peacefield Farms was one of the new vendors at the 2010 market. Vernon was armed with dozens of compost bags for visitors to purchase and use on their gardens. Vernon said the compost has been in the creation cycle for nearly a year.

“It’s a very simple process,” he said, in reference to making compost, “We push the poop together and after it works itself out, we ad dirt and hay. Then we turn it by hand or a tiller and let it aerate.”

The use of the compost on gardens and plants is very effective and strongly increases the growth rate of the plants, he said.

One of the founding members of the SKy Market, Jake Schmitz, returned for the seventh year with a few new products.

After going through the process of organic certification last year, Schmitz can now proudly display the United States Department of Agriculture’s organic certification seal on his homemade pasta sauce.

“It was an extremely easy for me to do,” said Schmitz who works as an organic quality field coordinator. “We hope to have more organic products by July."

Herb plants were another one of the market’s popular products and were sold by many vendors including Alison and Paul Wiedeger of Au Naturel Farms.

Bowling Green resident Kellie Mysinger bought basil and chives to plant in her garden. She said that in addition to growing herbs, she wanted to successfully grow produce. Now that the market is open, Mysinger plans to go every weekend and continue to add more herbs to her garden.

“I tried growing tomatoes for the first time and it was fun,” Mysinger said. “It was nice to make a salad, pop tomatoes off of the plant and put them into the bowl.”

- The SKy Farmers’ Market is located at The Medical Center on 31-W Bypass. Open Saturdays from 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM and Tuesdays from 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM, rain or shine.