(Posted March 6, 2019)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
Spring hasn’t sprung, but organizers of area farmers markets are already thinking about the growing and selling season.
Downtown London Farm Fresh Market
After a trial run last year, the Downtown London Association (DLA) is going full bore this year with its new Downtown London Farm Fresh Market. The season runs May 1-Oct. 30. Hours are 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays. Vendors will set up at the Madison County Courthouse.
Danielle Vogel of the Procter Camp and Conference Center, a DLA member organization, is serving as the market manager. The Procter Center, located south of London, maintains livestock for meat consumption and a six-acre vegetable farm. The center is one of several vendors already signed up to take part in the Downtown London Farm Fresh Market.
Growers participating in the market must sell only products they grow themselves on land they own or land they lease in Ohio. Those items can include: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, plants, cut or dried flowers, herbs, seeds, honey and bee products, eggs, meat, cheese and dairy products, and clothing, household items, baked goods and processed foods made from plants or animals grown or raised on land owned or leased by the seller.
Vendor spaces are $10 per week or $90 for the season. Anyone interested in a space can contact Vogel at (740) 490-6025. Applications are available at dlaohio.org or proctercenter.org.
West Jefferson Farmers Market
Established in 2007, the West Jefferson Farmers Market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays from mid-June to mid-October. Vendors set up in the parking lot of Pat’s Pizza & Pub, 55 E. Main St.
The goods for sale range from vegetables and fruits to cookies, pies, sausage, baked goods, jewelry and handcrafts.
Organizers Terry and Nola Lambert and Sherry Hook will be holding a meeting in April to iron out details for the upcoming season. Last year, the cost for a vendor space was $5 per week or $50 for the season. Spaces measure roughly 10×10 feet.
Anyone interested in setting up as a vendor can contact Marci Darlington, parks and recreation director for the village of West Jefferson, at 740-490-8317.
Madison County Farmers Market
Coordinated by the Madison County Producers Association, the Madison County Farmers Market runs from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays from late-June through October. Vendors set up in front of Tractor Supply Center at 300 Lafayette St., London.
All of the vendors are Madison County residents who grow their produce and make their goods in the county. Customers can find all sorts of vegetables, baked goods, and crafts for sale. The market has been in operation for approximately 20 years.
The cost for a vendor space is $10 per week or $30 for the season. Applications are available at the Madison County Ohio State University Extension Office, at the market, at Producers Association meetings, or by calling Ron Shoaf at (740) 837-1850.
The Producers Association meets at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Extension Office, 217 Elm St., London. The next meeting is March 12.
Plain City Farmers Market
The Plain City Farmers Market will kick off their 2019 season following the village’s Independence Day parade on July 4. The market will continue on Thursdays from 4:30 to 7 p.m. through Oct. 3. Vendors set up in the heart of uptown Plain City at the corner of Route 161 (Main Street) and North Chillicothe Street.
A wide variety of vendors set up at the Plain City market, selling everything from produce and baked goods to honey and fresh-cut flowers. The market also holds special events throughout the season, such as Touch a Truck Night and Jonathan Alder Spirit Night.
The market is sponsored by the Uptown Plain City Organization. For details or to reserve a vendor space, contact chairperson Kathy Saxour at dksaxour@yahoo.com or visit “Plain City Farmers Market” on Facebook. Vendor spaces are $5 per week or $30 for the season.
