Wednesday, May 1st is the Season Opener and we will once again be in Downtown Grand Rapids, along Hwy. 2, Across from the Mall and the Old Central School. Between 1st Ave. NW and 2nd Ave. NW on Wednesday and Saturday, 8 am – 1 pm, May – October.
We’ll have leafy greens and radishes already, even though there’s still snow on the ground in spots! Isn’t that great? Our vendors work miracles, but there are limits — don’t expect watermelons and sweet corn until later in the season. What you are likely to find in May are leafy greens, honey, eggs, meats, jams & jellies, canned goods, baked goods, maple syrup, and plants.
2013 Days and Hours
Wednesday and Saturday, 8 am – 1 pm, May – October.
We will Not be having Monday afternoon markets this year as there just wasn’t enough support for them, and have discontinued them.
Vendor Spotlight
We thought you might like to learn a bit about some of the Market vendors. Hopefully you will enjoy it and we can keep highlighting several in each newsletter.
To start with here are some new to the Market this year…
Gary D. Chernugal – Ornamental Lawn Art
Heather Hayes – Judy L. Aho – Jams and Jellies. Plants and Vegetables.
Why Not Farm – We are a small farm that adheres to organic practices and permaculture principles to provide high quality food you can feel good eating. We grow a wide variety of vegetables (many heirloom varieties) as well as fruit, cage free eggs, cut flowers, and mushrooms. We plan to make CSA shares available in 2014.
Moving on to some folks that have been with the Market for a while…
Hanson’s Honey Farm – Honey, Creamed Honey, Honeycomb – Phil has honey bees in the Aitkin area where he collects and processes the honey. Phil and Martha sell their honey at a number of farmers markets in addition to Grand Rapids.
Kristi Neary / Luann Grover – Rock Meadow Farm and Gardens – Kristi and her mother Luann live in the Swatara area. They garden, do canned goods (any kind of pickles you can think of), and bake just to name a few of their endeavors. They were recently the subject of a nice article in the Grand Rapid Herald Review.
Tikes Fresh Meats – Locally owned. We make all of our own lean sausage and cut our own meat.
Friends of the Market
Do you believe the Grand Rapids Farmers’ Market is one of our area’s most valuable assets? If so, you’ll be excited to learn about the Friends of the Grand Rapids Farmers’ Market group that is forming this spring. The group will serve multiple functions. Volunteer opportunities such as assisting with food sampling, taking food to Second Harvest Food Bank, and helping with publicity and and outreach are just a few of many possibilities. We envision the group as a way to strengthen the relationship between vendors and their customers and community. Importantly, we also want to let our hardworking growers and producers know we appreciate them, and the high-quality local products they bring to us each week of the season!
The group is still in its formative stages and very open to input and ideas. Anyone who wants to be involved can contact Courtney Kerns at courtkerns@gmail.com, or sign up at the community involvement fair at the Grand Rapids Public Library on April 30th from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Gift Certificates:
Farmers Market gift certificates were also a nice addition to the Market last year. They make a great gift for friends and family, so keep them in mind when you are shopping for a perfect, healthy gift.
How to become a Vendor
May 31st is the deadline for getting an application in.
The basic requirements for membership are:
Mainly… Product must be grown, gathered, raised, produced or created within 50 miles of Grand Rapids, MN. Art & Crafts must be created by the member. You can check a map if you are not sure about being within 50 miles.
No buying and reselling is allowed.
The membership dues for 2013 are $100 and the daily space fee is $7 per space per day of attendance. Dues and paperwork (fill out and sign a, Membership form, MN form ST19, and a Code of Conduct) are due the first day you attend Market or May 31st, whichever comes first.
For more information on how to become a Vendor at the Market, check out our webpage.
If you haven’t visited the Market’s Facebook page you might want to check it out. It gets quite a few folks stopping by.
