Farmers' Market opens for season

Along with warm weather, thunderstorms and budding trees, spring means the return of the Bloomington Community Farmers' Market, scheduled to open for the season at 7 a.m. until noon, Saturday. \nRain or shine, the Showers Common area at Eighth and Morton streets will offer fresh, locally-grown produce for shoppers, as well as music, entertainment and the chance to be part of a diverse gathering of people. \nEntertainment scheduled for opening day includes the Quarry Morris Dancers from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. and The Bloomington Brass Band from 10 to 11:30 a.m.\n"It adds so much ambiance to the market," Farmers' Market Coordinator Marcia Veldman said. \nThe Farmers' Market has become a "regional tourist destination," she said. \n"The market is the crossroads of Bloomington," Veldman said. "I believe it is the one place in town where you can see the most diversity of people." \nAmong the diverse crowd are the vendors, some of whom travel up to two and-a-half hours to sell at Farmers' Market. Some are full-time farmers, while others travel to sell as a special interest. Both IU students and professors sell at Farmers' Market. The only requirement is vendors must grow what they sell.\nAmy Countryman, a junior at IU, has sold a variety of organic fruits and vegetables at Farmers' Market for the past five years. In recent years, she said she has seen a big increase in the demand for asparagus. \nCountryman has just less than two acres of farmland and regards farming as her passion. The Bloomington Farmers' Market is her most frequent selling place.\n"I think it's probably the best farmer's market I've ever been to," she said. "It seems like everyone from town comes out. I think it's awesome for community building."\nVeldman said Farmers' Market has grown a lot over the past 30 years it has been in existence. \nWhen Farmers' Market started in 1975 as an initiative of citizens who wanted more access to locally grown food and to ensure stability for local farmers there were only 23 vendors. Last year, Veldman said it averaged 85 vendors each week and nearly 80,000 customers during the market season, which lasts from May through October. \nVeldman said Farmers' Market has grown in other areas as well.\n"We've also diversified quite a bit in products carried," Veldman said.\nAlong with produce, items such as meat, cheese, yogurt, honey and maple syrup are sold straight from farms.\nLinda Chapman, a full-time market farmer, has been selling varieties of plants and cut flowers at Farmers' Market for 16 years. In May and June, she sells mainly herb, vegetable, perennial and annual plants. Later in the season, she sells mainly cut flowers arranged in bouquets. \nAlthough Chapman also arranges and sells flowers and herbs for weddings and restaurants, along with selling her goods at a market in Indianapolis Wednesdays, she rarely misses a Saturday at the Bloomington Farmers' Market.\n"I like the atmosphere and the community spirit," she said. "It's a place to network and meet a lot of friends."\nVeldman said Farmers' Market is also a great place to find specialty items and produce not available in local grocery stores.\nTeresa Birtles of Heartland Family Farm said she has found her niche selling organic Italian vegetables. Birtles plants seeds from Italy for peppers, potatoes, green beans, onions, spinach and other vegetables. She specializes in salad mixes -- different varieties of lettuce grown closely together and cut at the same time in small pieces. The "Spicy Mix" is popular in Bloomington, she said. \nBirtles said she likes the international appeal of the market and how it is supported by the city of Bloomington.\n"The city has a lot of appreciation for farmers," said Birtles, a lifelong farmer.\nIn addition to the Saturday market, Bloomington also offers a Tuesday Market from 3 to 6 p.m., beginning June 1 and running through the end of September. \nA Fair of the Arts, an arts and crafts fair featuring 32 craft vendors selling handmade items, is held the second Saturday of each month, beginning May 8, in conjunction with the Farmers' Market. \nVeldman said the Parks and Recreation Web site, www.bloomington.in.gov/parks is updated weekly with the produce and entertainment schedules, as well as lists of arts and crafts fair vendors.\n"We're just trying to keep things exciting around these places," she said.\n--Contact staff writer Hannah Schroder at hschrode@indiana.edu.