Fresh produce makes return as Farmer's Market opens

Around 300 people turned out for the opening day of the Conway Farmer's Market, according to Phyllis Strackboard, board member and treasurer for the Farmer's Market.

Early birds bought bundles of lettuce, new potatoes, cabbage, squash, peaches and even herbs like cilantro, basil and sage from local farmers.

"We've been busy since 6 o'clock out here," Phyllis Strack, said. "It was one of our largest crowds starting up."

Strack said the market will get much larger as the season progresses.

"It's the beginning of the season, so most people's gardens aren't quite in yet," she said. "Next week, you're going to see quite big difference.

Strack said nine booths were set up on the first day.

"Next week, there's going to be 12 at least," she said. "All the rain that we had in April delayed the gardens one week to 10 days."

Lisa Gardner of Mount Vernon added, "We didn't get ours planted until like April 20. We're planned on planting it (around) the end of March."

Despite late plating there was plenty of fresh produce and neighborliness.

Sonny and Macell Davis of Faulkner County said it took them about 30 minutes to sell all of the lettuce they brought for the market.

"No one else had lettuce," Macell said as she and her husband sold the last bit of garlic bulbs they brought.

For the first day, the couple sold radishes, daffodil bulbs and bird house goods as well.

The retired couple who moved back to the country to be farmers.

"I was raised in the country right across Toad Suck Lock and Dam. I went to Little Rock and married this city boy," she laughed. "I ended up back where I started from. He loved the country."

"That's where she used to have to go milk cows every morning," Sonny interjected.

"We love the country," Macell said. "It's too early in the year to have much of anything. We had probably 20 peppers. We sold out in about an hour anyhow."

Macell said they will soon have squash and tomatoes.

Fresh herbs grown in Conway were also for sell at the market, and like everything else, they went pretty fast.

"I've mostly sold everything, the basil, the cilantro, rosemary." Letitia McMasters of Conway said.

She said she will have sage next week. In addition to herbs, McMasters had honey and farm eggs.

Also the Ozark Foothills Beekeepers Association had a booth selling honey and special blends of honey such as blueberry honey made in the Satillo area of Faulkner County. They also had information for anyone wanting information about getting started raising bees.

Farmers from Horshoe Mountain were selling peaches, which were early to the market for the first time, according to Strack.

"Tomatoes usually come after Father's Day, but this year it will be a little later than that," Strack said. "But in four weeks we'll have tomatoes, blackberries green beans in a couple of weeks." She said that a vendor should have cheese next week.

Gardner had a booth sat up with her daughter, Rachel, who was selling eggs from chickens raised as part of a 4-H project.

"My daughter did the poultry training, the brown hens (bovine brown egg layers), and so that's where we're getting the eggs from this year," Gardener said.

She said they bought chicks from the Faulkner County Extension Office and raised them. The chickens are shown and judged at the county fair on well they are raised and the amount of eggs they lay.

"She bought 15 chickens and 14 of them lived, so she did really well with that part. And they are laying," Gardner said, adding they now have 17 chickens and get more than a dozen eggs a day.

The Farmer's Market will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 6 a.m. until produce is sold out through October and will be closed the week of the fair.

For information on the market or for information about setting up a booth at the Farmer's Market, call Strack at 450-9308.

(Staff writer Monica Hooper can be reached by e-mail at monica.hooper@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1266. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)