I can’t believe it is August already, the summer if flying by as it always does. Over the last couple weeks I have received a few new vendor applications so will be visiting two new farms today. I always check the farms prior to a vendor selling at the Market for the first time.

I was so excited when I heard from Kathy Landers, from Olathe, Kansas. Kathy is the owner and head cheese maker of Landeria Farm along with her daughter Rachel. Currently the Market does not have a vendor who makes gourmet goat cheese. Landeria Farm has 70 goats for milking, all of which have a name. I was happy to hear once the goats can no longer produce milk they go to a friend’s farm to live out the rest of their life, a retirement home for goats, I love it. Most goats have the life expectancy of 12 to 15 years, similar to a dog.  When I arrived most of the goats were huddled in the barn escaping the sun. Landeria Farm consists of 10 acres where the goats can roam freely until milking time which happens twice per day, every day. Kathy explained to me how the goats go into the holding area before they are milked, the facility is rated grade “A” so has many restrictions and guide lines they must follow to ensure their product is safe. The goats are then moved into the milking room where they must be milked by machine, this is one of the regulations they must follow. The goats are on a raised platform so no one has to bend over to hook them up. Once they are done being milked their name is checked of the wall chart and they are moved back out into the field. It takes about 2 hours to milk the goats and another hour to clean the area, everything is very clean. The milk then gently flows into the cheese making area where it is made into cheese. In addition to the typical soft goat cheese you usually see, Kathy makes seven varieties of aged cheeses including Swiss. I can’t wait to try this since Swiss cheese is one of my favorites and Kathy is the only cheese maker in the US making Swiss goat cheese. The cheeses which need to be aged go into a cave, which is off limits to everyone. The cave is a very controlled environment and could be easily disrupted which would greatly affect the quality of the cheese. I could go on and on about my visit, it was very interesting and Kathy has a true passion for what she does. You can get more information from their web site at www.landeria.weebly.com. Kathy plans on coming to the City Market in a couple weeks, feel free to stop at the information tent and we can direct you to her stall.

All the farms I check today are pretty close together so only a few minutes later I arrive at Thane Palmberg’s farm. I found Thane sorting through onions and his employees busy in the fields. After showing off the Market’s new truck Thane walked me through one small field and then we drove through the other fields where Thane pointed out the different crops he is growing. Some things such as leeks and potatoes were surrounded by weeds but were looking very good especially since Thane received his first rain since July 4^th. Thane is a vendor in the 100% category which means his stalls will only contain produce that he grows. Thane is known for growing Italian squash which is large, green and has a big hook on the end, it resembles a gourd. The plant for this variety of squash is much bigger than that of a zucchini, so Thane has had to leave a few empty rows between this and his other crops so the vines won’t strangle out the other plants. Thane Palmberg Farm is at the market every Saturday through October in the first pavilion in stalls 18-20. 

My next stop is in Bonner Springs, Kansas at the farm of Walt and Karlon Stephens. The Stephens operate Stephens Orchard and Apiary. The definition of Apiary is a place where beehives are kept and bees are raised for the honey, which is exactly what I found. Walt has been selling at the Lawrence Farmers’ Market for years and wanted to expand his operation to Kansas City. He currently has 50 bee colonies and would like to eventually expand to 100. The Stephen’s have won blue ribbons at the Kansas State Fair for the last two years for their honey and have assorted ribbons for their apples as well. Walt walked me through their apple orchard where he has sixty, twenty year old apple trees which produce eight different varieties of apples. Last year he had a bumper apple crop so the yield is much less this year. As we were walking around the farm I guess I got a little too close to the hives and had one irritated bee get caught in my hair, I must admit I freaked out a little but luckily did not get stung. I must be using some really good smelling hair products. Walt has some very unique honey products which I had not seen before. He infuses honey with garlic to use when you BBQ and also has flavored creamed honey in a variety of flavors, honey soap and honey lip balms. Stephens Orchard and Apiary plans on selling at the Sunday farmers’ market in the very near future. For more information visit their web sire at www.stephensorchard.com

My last stop for the day is actually on the same street just 3 miles south, I didn’t realize this until I started programming the address into the GPS. Herb Lee also lives in Bonner Springs and has been selling at the City Market since 1961. He certainly has a story or two to tell about the River Quay days and how the market operated during those times. Herb pointed out what was what on the 10 acres he is currently farming. He has down sized a lot over the years, since Herb is 80, and has decided to slow down a little. With the help of his son David he is able to continue to come to the Market every Saturday. Herb pulled up two crates and we sat for a bit and visited about the Market in the 60’s and the issues he has had with coyotes and geese. The flocks of geese were lunching on his greens and the coyotes came for dinner and brought their family, dessert was melons. This has become such a big problem for Herb that his son installed a devise that makes a loud bang periodically throughout the day. Herb told me he almost jumps out of his pants every time it goes off, but it has helped. Before I left I walked around the fields of watermelons, cantaloupe, tomatoes, squash, egg plant and the start of pumpkins. They still have a little spinach but it is pretty much done as is their corn. Herb is in pavilion 2 stalls 57-59 every Saturday. 

Next week Deb Churchill, Property Manager for the City Market and I are heading to Welsh, Oklahoma and the Joplin area. What a perfect way to break in the new truck.