I can’t believe what a difference a week makes. Last week it was 42 degrees when I was on the road, today it hit 80.Today I did a little off-roading. There is a large area along I- 70 by 78^th street which has been leased out to various families to farm. The City Market has seven of these families who sell at the Market on Sundays.

 I had originally planned to check the plot farmed by Vang Thao, who will be a new vendor this year. When I arrived I saw Chava Xiong who is a contracted Sunday vendors and has been for a few years. At this location it’s very helpful to have the vendor on the property when I arrive so they can show me exactly what section they are farming. Chava has been very busy over the past few weeks getting everything in the ground. He said his favorite time to start working is early in the morning as the sun is coming up, it is peaceful and relaxing. He has planted 4 acres consisting of flowers, three kinds of spinach, radishes, squash, 1000 tomato plants, bitter melons, sugar snap pea, long beans and the list goes on and on. Chava will probably have produce to bring to the Market by the end of May if all goes well. You will find Chava’s Farm at the Market on Sundays in stalls 54 and 55.

The vendor’s plot I had originally planned to inspect was still a ways off from having anything to harvest so I will probably come back in a few week. I also want to make sure I am checking the correct plot.

I have another new Sunday vendor to visit, Pang and Chao Her. They are farming the acreage beside and behind their home in Kansas City, Kansas. I was amazed when I saw this area, it is very hilly but they are utilizing every inch of it. The center of their lot is full of bamboo, which they are using as stakes for all their peas or anything else which requires support. When they turned in their application in March they thought they would have a little more produce ready to harvest by now, but as always it depends on the weather. They do however have onions and peas that will be ready to bring to the market this week. This is another farm I will have to revisit in a few weeks. As I walked through the fields I could not believe the number of deer tracks, keeping the deer out of their field will be a definite challenge.

I try to visit the Artist/Crafter vendors every couple years but lately I seem to be so busy with the farms I have gotten behind. Clyde Puckett has been a vendor at the Market since 1991. He started out selling Chickens but has found that selling concrete yard art is a little easier with fewer costs. Clyde and his wife Stella have been pouring concrete statues for the last 18 years, they were busy doing just that when I arrived. They have spent the morning pouring concrete into the molds, they have lost count of the number of molds they have. Once they are poured they tap on them with a rubber mallet to get all the air bubbles out. With the weather being warm and dry the molds usually dry in one day. They are then placed on pallets in the sun to cure. The Puckett’s concrete statues range from $5.00 to $25.00 and go very fast. You will find Clyde most Saturdays in the north east side of the Market by the concession area.

Produce is really starting to come on now so I will start focusing my attention on the vendors who raise vegetables and try to also get to some of the Artist/ Crafter vendors as well.