The Downtown Greenwood Farmers Market is gearing up for a new season at a shiny new location -— the stainless steel pavilion at the corner of Main and Johnson streets that marks the heart of Rail Spike Park.
On Thursday, market director Beth Stevens will host a meeting for everyone interested in being a vendor, volunteering or otherwise participating in this year’s farmers market, which will begin on May 27.
The market will run every Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon through the end of September, Stevens said.
“We wanted to go ahead and give our vendors a feel for the logistics of the area,” Stevens said. “We didn’t want to wait until the opening of the market for people to see how it’s going to work.”
Chairs will be provided for the meeting.
Stevens said several vendors are returning from last year’s market which was held on Front Street while Rail Spike Park was under construction.
“There are some new vendors as well,” she said. “We have vendors contacting us every week.”
Stevens emphasized that the market is a farmers market, not a flea market, meaning that people wanting to sell arts and crafts items need to be sure that they are directly related to gardening or making food.
“It needs to be something of a yard, garden or kitchen nature,” she said. “We have a couple doing handmade cutting boards, for example.”
On Thursday, interested participants can learn about the various permits and licenses required to sell at the market, depending on the type of product. Fresh produce is the market’s central emphasis, and area food gardeners are invited to sell their goods.
Stevens said it’s relatively simple to get the required permits to sell baked or canned goods, thanks to a cottage food bill passed a few years back. People selling meat, dairy or seafood have to meet more stringent requirements.
A representative of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture, Purvie Green, will be at the meeting to answer all questions about permitting and explain the Farmers Market Nutrition Program available to area senior citizens.
“It’s a program to sell only fresh produce, and seniors can apply for vouchers at the Council on Aging in Winona,” Stevens said. “Vendors who want to accept those vouchers will need to apply to participate in the program.”
Stevens said the market is continuing efforts to make it possible for customers to use food stamps or a SNAP card to buy farmers market products, but there is still a way to go.
“Some individual vendors will take the card, but we have a few more details to iron out before we can sell tokens using the card for the whole market that can then be spent at any vendor’s booth,” she said. “We’re working on it.”
Plans for this year’s market include container gardening demonstrations, ArtPlace activities for children each Saturday to keep them busy while their parents are shopping, and Friends of the Market memberships.
“For a one-time $20 contribution, you’ll get a tote bag and, once a month, a Friends happy hour at the market where you can get a mimosa, a lemonade or a cup of coffee,” Stevens said.
“We want to do things like that and want to get more people involved in the market.”
Interested participants who can provide a demonstration of a garden-related topic, such as composting or anything related to growing food, are invited to call Stevens with their ideas. They’re also invited to Thursday’s planning meeting.
• Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
