Despite the chilly weather, a crowd of people gathered at this spring’s opening of the farmers’ market. Customers bought fresh greens, ate pastries and clutched bouquets of flowers in their arms as they walked through Showers Common.
The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market opened Saturday. The market is open each Saturday from April to November. The hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There are several new vendors this year, including Wild Alaska Salmon & Seafood, Greenskeeper Foods and Kind Kombucha.
Since it is still early in the year, many people are growing their produce in greenhouses or hoophouses, market assistant Crystal Ritter said. Common products for this time of year include vegetables like chard, arugula, beets, radishes and green onions.
The market always includes items like cheese, meat, eggs and baked goods, Ritter said.
Saturday’s market included a demonstration by Bloomington Hop Jockeys, which is a club for home brewing beer.
As club members brewed multiple beers at the market, Hop Jockey member John Riddle showed customers the various grains used in home brewing and explained the process of making beer. The ingredients that can be used in home-brewed beer include chocolate malt, rye and hops, he said.
“It’s a very dynamic range of flavors,” he said. “It’s almost infinite, the spectrum of flavors you can get.”
Kind Kombucha, a local business that specializes in a fermented tea called kombucha, appeared at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market for the first time Saturday.
They offered free samples of flavors like orange, vanilla, ginger and lemon-lime.
Co-owner Donte Walker said he wants to reach out to people who have never tried the drink before or have disliked kombucha they have tried in the past.
The market provides a form of communication they do not always receive when they sell their drinks in stores, he said.
The farmers’ market is an important part of Bloomington, Ritter said.
“I feel like it is a real asset to the city of Bloomington that we have the farmers’ market here and that we have a market that has such value to our community and really brings us together,” she said.
Emily Siler, 25, said she often comes to the farmers’ market.
Her favorite products to buy include coffee and cheese. At Saturday’s market, she bought a mocha from Brown County Coffee.
She said she likes the variety of products at the farmers’ market and seeing all the fresh produce.
“I just really enjoy coming here because it is different every time,” Siler said.
Kristin Ousley, 25, said she likes attending the farmers’ market to support local farmers and businesses.
She said she also likes the spontaneity of purchasing items from the farmers’ market.
“I like coming here with no idea of what I’m getting and looking at what looks good and deciding based on that what I’m making this week,” Ousley said.
