It sure is cold for the first day of May. While I was in Saint Joe today it was 42 degrees and winds were whipping out of the north. I did not dress appropriately!

Over the past few weeks I have been staying south and east of Kansas City, this week I decided to head north to Wathena, Kansas which is located just west of Saint Joe, Missouri. John Goode, Goode Acres, has been a vendor at the City Market since 2003. He raises a variety of produce, sells fire wood and once peppers come on he will roast them in his vendor stalls. You will know when he is doing this; you can smell them all over the Market. For now John is selling an assortment of vegetable plants and herbs, eggs, firewood, and lettuce. Goode Acres is in the Farmer with Local Supplement category so is allowed to supplement up to 50% of what he brings to the Market each Saturday as long as it comes from within 500 miles of Kansas City. The items John is supplementing at this time are hanging baskets, bedding plants and tomatoes. The weather has played havoc on one of John’s high tunnels; the wind took the plastic off about five weeks ago. You will find Goode Acres in stalls 5-8 located in the first farmers shed (south side of the market). www.goodeacres.com

My next stop is only about 10 minutes from Wathena in Saint Joe. Natures Choice is located on 169 highway so is a cinch to find. I found Helen Messner busy in one of their greenhouse. This particular house if where they have all their vegetable and herb plants which they are currently bringing to the Market. They also have a section planted with beets. For anyone who has not tried eating beet tops you don’t know what you are missing. Helen drove me out to one of the fields where they have planted their tomatoes, I hope the temperature doesn’t drop too much tonight I don’t know how much the plants could handle before being damaged. There is always that risk. In addition to field tomatoes they also have a greenhouse full of tomatoes, these plants were looking really good .Fred put in a large field of black berries a few years ago, these won’t be ready to bring to Market until sometime in June depending on what the weather does. Fred and Helen are at the Market every Saturday and Sunday. On Saturdays you will find them in the first shed in stalls 12-14. Their Sunday location is in the second shed in stalls 60-62.

I have two vendors to visit in Plattsburg, Mo. The first is George Slusher. In addition to fishing everyday George grows a great selection of succulents and cactus. He builds really cute planters out of pallets and fills them with a variety of these plants; they would make a great mother’s day gift. He also grows onions in small raised beds next to his house and tomatoes. You will find George at the Market every Saturday and Sunday. His Saturday location is the third shed stall 122 and Sunday shed one stall 38.

  

 

Last stop for the day is located off highway C south of Plattsburg at Windy Ridge Greenhouse. Boy have the hanks been busy this winter, they have added a new tomato house and one other greenhouse. Clara and Bill were busy with customers so I roamed through the greenhouses enjoying all the beautiful flowers and even buying a couple. The Hanks do a very busy plant business at their farm in addition to selling at the City Market and Liberty Market on Saturdays. Their greenhouses were bursting with a huge selection of annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetable plants. Even a few I had never seen before. The new tomato house they put in this year is filled with 500 tomato plants and a row each of squash and cucumbers. The house is powered by a battery, since they don’t have electricity in this part of their farm. The battery operates the two vent doors on the end to control the heat and can also drop the sides of the house. It is very cool! If all goes as planned the Hanks will have tomatoes for most of the year. Between all the rain storms they were able to get their cabbage in, I am sure not everyone was able to do that. 

In addition to William and Clara their son Bill and wife Jennifer are also part of Windy Ridge. I drove down the road to Bills house which once belonged to his Grandfather; this is truly a family farm and has been for many years. Bill took me in their chicken coops; they have added a second one since I was there last summer. Most of the chickens are golden comets which also lay the most eggs. Bill told me they usually eat 400 pounds of food a week, plus grass and vegetables in the summer. These are some well fed happy chickens. This year Jennifer got a new rooster named Willy, he is much better behaved than the last rooster who ended up in the freezer. Willy better behave! The photo of the bucket is actually something Bill found on line to wash the eggs before they come to the Market. It is like a whirlpool so the eggs don’t break or crack. The Hanks are at the market every Saturday in the first shed, south side of the Market in stalls 32-35. www.windyridgegreenhouse.com

I’m not sure where I will be next week; I need to get to some of the Missouri actions. There are three in Missouri and always fun to visit.