GREENSBURG, Ind. – With Halloween only a couple weeks away this year’s Summer Farmers’ Market has reached its inevitable conclusion, though the upcoming Winter Farmers’ Market leaves plenty of opportunities for local and area growers and artisans to showcase their wares.

Friday marked the final Summer Farmers’ Market for the 2015 season, bringing with it a temporary end for fresh-from-the-field or garden produce being made available weekly for the Decatur County community. The locally grown goods became available in May via a plethora of booths set up around the Courthouse Square, each offering items such as eggs, corn, tomatoes, baked goods and more.

Summer success

Wendy Blake, executive director of Main Street Greensburg, the event’s sponsor, said this year’s market differed in some aspects from last year’s, but that there was still much to enjoy.

Chief among the changes were new educational efforts made possible via a grant from the Decatur County Community Foundation’s Agriculture Field of Interest program, which garnered a little less than $400 used for programs designed to offer children – and their parents –some fun ag-related activities.

Blake said children grew seeds in latex gloves which germinated within and were later planted in their families’ own gardens by taking in the “Garden in a Glove” learning experience. Another project showed parents and kids how to can and store their produce, keeping it fresh long after its proverbial “sell by” date had passed. Other demonstrations made possible by the grant taught homemade soap-making or how to make a pumpkin pie in a bag.

“It was a great opportunity to talk to kids and their parents about food and gardening and agriculture,” Blake said.

The initiative was called “Field to Plate” and was realized through a collaborative effort with Decatur County Purdue Extension Educator Terri Hornberger.

The executive director noted the funds were also used to purchase informational displays that show shoppers the types of produce they should select when making a purchase.

Blake said the produce purchased at Greensburg’s Summer Farmers’ Market is all locally grown, a fact that sets the Tree City’s weekly shopping experience apart from similar set-ups in other communities.

“I think it’s important to point out that our market is a ‘true farmers’ market,’” Blake noted. “It’s a market where the people who are there [offering goods] have grown those items themselves.”

Blake said the fruits, vegetables and baked goods offered for sale during the market are all locally-grown or produced, a necessity in maintaining the event’s status as a “true farmers’ market” and separating it from other events that allow goods bought at auction or handmade arts and crafts.

Another inviting aspect of Greensburg’s farmers’ market, Blake mentioned, is the variety of items. The smorgasbord of goods on display continued throughout Friday afternoon and featured produce that wasn’t available at this time in 2014.

“This time last year we pretty much just had pumpkins and gourds,” Blake said. “But this year, they still have produce such as corn, tomatoes, green peppers and things of that nature.”

The executive director said she believes late planting – or early planting due to spring rains in some cases – may have helped the market maintain its variety after the leaves had already begun to fall.

Blake also said some popular vendors had to make a choice between exhibiting at the Greensburg market or elsewhere, and some elected to choose the latter due to not having enough products to display at multiple events.

“People definitely missed those vendors this year,” Blake commented.

Some of the stalwart exhibitors, however, reinforced their commitment to Tree City shoppers and asked for designated spots around the downtown square.

Blake said Main Street Greensburg complied with those wishes and purchased reusable traffic cones and signage to denote the reserved spots. A small fee was paid by those vendors, proceeds from which will be put back into the market next year, Blake said.

Those funds will be used to further advertise and promote the popular weekly event and the “Double Up Food Bucks” program that comes in conjunction with the market’s acceptance of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) cards and tokens.

Familiar Faces

Brian and Melissa Wright make the short trip from Commiskey in Jennings County most weeks throughout the summer to sell fruits and vegetables fresh from their farm around the Decatur County Courthouse square.

Baskets full of green beans, squash, potatoes and more lined the expanse of their table Friday afternoon as they set up shop locally for the last time until next spring. Aside from the commercial possibilities brought about by the market, the Wrights said interacting with customers and passersby is one of the reasons the trip is continually worthwhile.

The Wrights have been visiting the market for about as long there has been one – at least a decade by their estimate – but the many seasons haven’t dulled the shine of the market in the couples’ eyes.

“We like the people,” Brian Wright commented. “Everybody here is just really friendly and appreciative of what we do. We’d rather come here than anywhere else.”

The Wrights said this year’s summer rains led to a washout of their watermelons, but beans planted later in the year flourished. They sell their goods outside their farm and have spent Saturday’s throughout the summer working a stand at a North Vernon market.

Rushville resident Joyce Miller also enjoys her time on the square and she’s earned a moniker from customers that she’s happily accepted: “the Herb Lady.”

Herbal items and homemade jams and jellies canned in Mason jars make up the bulk of Miller’s wares, which she brings to Greensburg most every Friday throughout the summer. The vendor said she has been visiting the Tree City’s market for the last five to six years and considers it a positive experience.

Miller said she plans to bring her items to the winter market as well. “It’s a great place to stock up on Christmas gifts,” she said.

Winter Market slate set

As autumn comes into full swing, more opportunities to purchase local goods, like Joyce Miller’s, will be made available through the upcoming Winter Farmers’ Market.

Blake said the winter market differs from its summer counterpart in a few ways, not the least of which is the acceptance of arts and crafts which are prohibited from being sold during the May thru October event.

The winter market will be held from 9 a.m. to noon the second Saturday of each month beginning Nov. 14. The Greensburg City Hall gymnasium will again play host to that group of vendors. Blake said the crafts and baked goods will be complemented by a small amount of locally grown produce. With fewer fruits and vegetables for sale though, the focus will be on unique items created by talented local and area craftspeople.

Citing an example, Blake said one exhibitor last year created holiday wreaths using remnants of tree limbs and leaves near her property.

“They were made from fresh greens,” Blake said of the wreaths. “They were very beautiful.”