Winter's Farmers Market offers yoga

From alpaca wool, broccoli and cabbage to a yoga class, Saturday’s winter farmers’ market had something for every attendee.

Interested shoppers crowded the gym and hallways of Harmony School, their conversations reverberating off the colorful walls.

In addition to the regular plethora of fresh produce, the market featured Community Supported Agriculture share sign-ups from 10 local farms.

“The CSAs are basically a produce subscription,” Denise Breeden-Ost, a farmer at Getty’s Creek Farm, said. “It’s a way that people can try new things while supporting local farms.”

CSAs allow participants to enjoy a percentage of the farm’s produce during the growing season, Breeden-Ost explained. Each farmer prepares a portion of produce and then customers can pick up their share, usually on a weekly basis. The subscriptions help to sustain local farms by giving them a set income, rather than relying on the weekly market where sales fluctuate, she added.

Teresa Birtles with Heartland Family Farm prepares a CSA box for people who love to cook.

“I’m combining different products so that when you get home you have ingredients and recipes,” Birtles said.

She expects to have more than 100 subscribers for her summer CSA.

Bloomington resident James Potts plans to sign up for a CSA for the first time this year. In addition to enjoying the pesticide-free food, he wants to support local gardeners, he said.

“Gardening is an especially difficult way to make a living, let alone organic gardening,” Potts said. “There’s nothing quite like fresh produce.”

Market master Leslie Burns said the CSA shares benefit both the farmer and the customer.

“Personally, the other thing I like about the CSA is it forces me to be creative,” Burns said. “You open up your box and there are foods you have never seen before, and you
figure out how to use them.”

Burns said the winter market has increased in popularity this year, which means the
market may look for a larger venue for next year.

“We’ve had a very good year so far, numbers are up from last year,” she said. “Things haven’t slowed down.”

This was the first year the market was completely booked.

“I really only see us growing,” she said.

The month of February included “Live Healthy” events, such as Saturday’s yoga lesson from Vibe Yoga instructor Emily Trinkle.

Eleven participants spread their colorful yoga mats in Harmony School’s dance studio for the free class.

“People come to yoga for the physical aspect,” Trinkle said. “But it affects your mind as well. It sets your mind in the present.”

Madeline Chera, a graduate student at IU, is a regular at Vibe Yoga.

“It was really nice that different people could come and try yoga,” she said. “And the small number let Emily come by and adjust our poses.”

Trinkle said she loved being able to interact with the Bloomington community and share her passion for yoga.

“You can just feel better, breath easier,” she said.