Farmers market in fresh spot

By KELLY RICHARDSON

Jill Pickett

Cabbage sits ready to be purchased Saturday at the Hardin County Farmers Market in Elizabethtown.

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Jill Pickett

Jackie Hall takes a whiff of a homemade soap bar Saturday at the Double R Stables booth at the Hardin County Farmers Market in Elizabethtown. Baked goods, jams and cheeses are available in addition to produce at the market.

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Jill Pickett

Amanda Dunnagan looks over the produce as Benny Mast holds a bag of zucchini for her at his Rocky Top Farm booth Saturday at the Hardin County Farmers Market in Elizabethtown.

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Jill Pickett

Carly Reed and her daughter Bryanna Keith, 8, pick out a bunch of onions Saturday morning as Jesse Geiser, left, works in the Caneyville Gardens booth at the Hardin County Farmers Market in Elizabethtown.

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krichardson@thenewsenterprise.com

HARDIN COUNTY — After moving from one place to another, the Hardin County Farmers Market has a place to call its own.

The farmers market has settled at the corner of Peterson Drive and Leitchfield Road, the first spot the organization has owned, President Brenda Thomas said.

“This is our spot,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the market will have a building as well, which she hopes will be finished by the end of the year.

This year, 31 vendors have signed up to sell homegrown goods at the market, she said. The market is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings from 7 a.m. to noon.

The number of vendors will be in full swing by July, when more produce is ready to sell. The market will be open until the end of October.

The farmers market is a good place to find fresh corn and tomatoes, but there’s more to be had than vegetables.

Jennifer and Richard Rowland of Double R Stables in Elizabethtown will have plenty of tomatoes and more later in the summer, but Saturday, they were offering homemade dried herbs, soap and bread, all organic.

“That’s our niche,” Richard Rowland said.

The Rowlands began selling at the farmers market last year and enjoyed coming out on Saturdays for their “social time,” Jennifer Rowland said.

“We met a lot of nice people in town, and a lot of them are coming back as repeat customers, so that’s nice,” she said.

Norah and Isaac Rodriguez were selling homemade bread next to the Rowlands’ table. The Rodriguezes operated Milo Farm in Vine Grove and don’t just bake it themselves; they grind the grain as well. The whole process can take about three hours if they’re making a large batch, Norah Rodriguez said.

The Rodriguezes also joined the Farmers Market last year, which was a good start, Norah Rodriguez said.

“We learned a lot,” she said.

Deirdre Lowder of Elizabethtown was making rounds at the market, picking up food to take home. Lowder comes to the market every two weeks to buy fresh produce, which she was raised on, she said.

“There’s nothing like having a vine-ripened tomato to eat,” she said. It doesn’t compare to a grocery-store produce.

Thomas said she enjoys working at the market because the farmers aren’t just there for a profit.

“They have a passion for growing,” she said.

Kelly Richardson can be reached at (270) 505-1747.