Passion for produce fuels Tuesday Market

On Tuesday afternoon, the skies were still dark from the thunderstorms that had torn through Bloomington earlier in the day, but a breeze settled in to cool off the season’s first Tuesday Market in the Bloomingfoods Near West parking lot. Passionate local agriculturists set up tables of their favorite produce under tents and umbrellas while shoppers took the opportunity to stop by after work and get fresher herbs, vegetables and other locally harvested items than they could grab at the supermarket. The acoustic guitar set of Bloomington musician Curtis Cantwell Jackson also drifted through the air, encouraging a relaxed atmosphere. The Tuesday Market takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. June through September in the Bloomingfoods Near West parking lot, 316 W. Sixth St., with live music from 5 to 6:30 p.m. It’s a smaller weekday counterpart to the much larger Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market that happens Saturday mornings from April to November at Showers Common, 401 N. Morton St., “It’s a lot more mellow,” Market Master Bradley Drake said. But the vendors who came out Tuesday didn’t let the smaller atmosphere detract from their passion about what they were selling. Bloomington resident Paty Skinner was selling “16th to 19th Century Heirlooms,” as the whiteboard in front of her table read, which included plants such as sorrel, purselane (a type of herb) and Swiss chard, all of which had not been genetically modified or cross-pollenated for the last 200 years, Skinner said. She let customers sample her produce and talked about how glad she was the rain had held off so she could come out, describing herself as “a happy camper.” John Bavender, a Bloomington resident since 1964 and regular vendor at the Saturday market, said because of the weather he only had time to pack the Styrofoam cooler of fresh eggs at his feet and the lawn-set umbrella over his head. Bavender has about 40 chickens – plus 13 recently hatched chicks – and breeds “showbird” chickens. He said he was instrumental in getting an ordinance passed in Bloomington that allows residents to keep up to five hens on their property with the permission of their neighbors. “I just like chickens, period,” he said. “You can’t be prejudiced against chickens in Bloomington – you can’t be prejudiced against anything in Bloomington.” Customers enjoyed the Tuesday Market’s convenience as well as its atmosphere. Gloria Bruner, also a Bloomington resident, said she dropped by to get some vegetables for dinner to feed her family of six. She was glad the weekday option for the market was available, as she usually is giving violin lessons during the Saturday market, and she enjoys the atmosphere. “It’s sort of like the difference between going to the mall and a little corner store,” she said. Drake said City of Bloomington Parks & Recreation, which is in charge of the event, is trying to make the Tuesday Market more of a “block party” type event. Although this is the 10th year for the event, it is the first it has been held in the Bloomingfoods Near West parking lot, instead of the plaza by City Hall. “We’re really trying to create this festival atmosphere,” he said.
 VIDEO:  Highlights from Tuesday Market and Bloomington Community Farmers'' Market