I started today off in Kansas City Missouri at the home of Laura Wymer. Laura is a new artist crafter vendor who will be selling at the Sunday Market. I love it when vendors make something new and unique. She also makes a variety of different items so her booth should be pretty interesting. Laura makes really cute pup tents just the right size for children, which are also collapsible and can be made to order with an original painting on the side. The tent I saw today had her son’s favorite character on it. Laura also makes yoga mates which are also perfect for children to sit on. They are made out of large handmade pom-poms and then sewn together. They are really cushiony and washable. Laura is not the only artist in the family, her daughter Zibah will also have original paintings to sell. The one I saw was very nice and would brighten up any room. I think this is one of those booths that will evolve as time goes on and could include hand painted note cards, handmade laundry soap, herbs grown in their back yard and possibly duck eggs. They currently have fifteen ducks, which is the limit their neighborhood allows. Laura is working on getting enough products made and should be at the Sunday Market in the coming weeks.

My main destination today is Hale, Missouri so I stopped in Higginsville on the way there at Peacock Farm. I have been visiting Betty Mendenhall’s farm since I started at the Market in 2003. Peacock Farm has been in Betty’s family since her great grandfather moved here from Virginia. Betty was not home when I arrived but her husband gave me the go ahead to show myself around. Betty has two small hoop houses where she starts the plants until they are ready to be put in the fields. The houses also contain some succulents, lettuce and herb which she has been bringing to the Market. They have already planted cabbage, peas, lettuce and tomatoes which will be ready later next month. Betty also has a larger area along the pasture which has been plowed and ready to go. A few years ago Betty put in a licensed kitchen on her farm so she also makes jams and jellies to sell at the Market. You will find Betty in the first shed stalls 15 and 16 now through October. www.peacockfarms.mo.com

The drive to Hale was really nice, I drove through towns I did not know even existed and saw a lot of corn fields on the way. Joe met me when I pulled in but his son Pee Wee showed me around, Joe has been under the weather lately. I was told the ticks were bad so I immediately pulled on my big yellow boots, tall grass, snakes, ticks those boots come out. The Bryson’s have six tunnels in various sizes,the smaller tunnels contained lettuce, beets, tomatoes, carrots and the plants waiting to be put in the fields. They already have put in potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots and the list goes on and on. This year they have added an additional 20 acres which they have already started to plant. Since they don’t have big enough equipment to take on the additional acreage, Pee Wee bartered with a neighbor to let them use their farm equipment in return for Pee Wee working for them, whatever it takes to make it all work. I will probably head out to Hale again in a month or so once everything starts coming up. The Bryson’s are at the Market every Saturday in stalls 36-38, 81 and Sunday’s stalls 90 and 91. www.brysonsfarm.com

Next week I will probably head south to check a few produce farms. Last night many of the farms had a terrible frost which could really delay everything coming to the Market this summer. I spoke with one farmer this morning who was up all night spraying all the plants to keep the frost from killing them. Strawberries are just coming on, let's hope they also survived last night.