The goal today was to visit 15 farms in Kansas City, Kansas. Even though all the farms are close together we were not able to get them all in by 4:30. Today I had help, Nathan is an intern at the City Market and has been helping me since the end of May. He graduated from Emporia State University in the spring and is completing his degree with a summer internship. Nathan has been a huge help this summer and will be missed when he leaves the end of August.

The first group of farms we checked were all located just north of I-70 on a large piece of land which is sectioned off and leased out to various families for farming. The Market currently has five vendors who farm this section of land. They grow similar items and do this without access to water, they all are hoping for rain this week. 

Pheng Her’s small section was pretty much finished except for okra and a few beans. She also farms a section of land in Pleasant Hill which I will check within the next few weeks. Pheng is a Sunday contracted vendor located in the first shed in stalls 9 and 10.

Chava Xiong works a pretty large plot of land and has been rotating his crops and is harvesting eggplant, green beans, assorted peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, assorted squash, cucumbers, okra, cilantro, watermelons and cantaloupe. He also grows an assortment of flowers. Chava arrived as we were leaving, his plan for the day was to plant leafy greens. Chava is a Sunday contracted vendor in shed 2 stalls 54 and 55.

Vang Thao is a waiting list vendor on Sunday. The plot was located on a hillside. Without water some plants were not doing as well as others. They were harvesting assorted squash, eggplant, Tai peppers, mixed beans, cucumbers, long beans, bitter melon, and melons. They also were growing zinnias.

Youa Vang had a plot of land located on the east side of the property. Youa was harvesting assorted squash and melons, okra, Swiss chard, green beans, Asian cucumbers and bitter melon. Youa also was growing zinnias and black eyed Susan’s. Youa is a Sunday waiting list vendor, which means she has been approved to sell at the Sunday farmers market but does not have a contract.

Amy Lo has a fairly large plot and is growing a lot of flowers to sell as cut flowers at the Market. Amy was growing zinnias, marigolds, sunflowers, bachelor buttons, cockscomb and cosmos. Cut flower arrangements are a big part of Amy’s stall. She was harvesting cabbage, tomatoes, snap peas, green beans, bitter melon, cucumbers, eggplant, assorted peppers, squash, Swiss chard and assorted herbs. Amy is a Sunday contracted vendor located in shed two stall 56 and sells at the Saturday market as a waiting list vendor. 

Our next location was at the home of Vanna Her. Vanna farms with her sister in law Yia who was busy working in the fields when we arrived. As it warms up the weeds want to take over if you don’t keep on top of it. Yia showed Nathan and I around the farm, she had just finish cutting flowers before we arrived. Her car was filled with sunflowers, coxcomb, and zinnias. They were harvesting lemon grass, beans, okra, tomatoes, bitter melon, lufa (which can be eaten when it is small) cucumbers, okra, pak choi cilantro, mustard greens and peppers. Vanna is a Saturday waiting list vendor so her location changes weekly.

Our next stop is one of my favorite farms to check since it contains acres of beautiful flowers. See Vang grows more flowers to sell as bouquets on the weekend than any of our vendors. Nathan and I walked by row after row of sunflowers, dahlias, cosmos, iris, celosia, eucalyptus, cockscomb and a few varieties I am not familiar with. I have never seen such a large field of zinnias, I am sure the pictures will not do it justice. In addition to flowers See and her family also grow a few vegetables such as bitter melon, Asian squash, tomatoes and assorted peppers. See is at the City Market on Saturdays and most Sundays May through the first frost. You will find her in stalls 88, 135 & 136 on Saturdays and stall 82 on Sundays.

Just down the road is Yee Vang’s farm. Yee was home when we arrived so walked us through their fields. They don’t usually water but due to the lack of rain over the last month they have had to start. Their farm is a patchwork of various kinds of produce and flowers and a joy to walk through. Yee grows 5 varieties of basil and an impressive list of other herbs such as lemon grass, cilantro, rosemary, sage and dill. A few of the vegetables we saw were an assortment of peppers, a variety of eggplant, long beans, cucumbers, green onions and zucchini, just to name a few. Yee Vang and his family are at the Market every Saturday and Sunday through the spring and summer. They are located in stalls 66 & 67 on Saturday and stalls 76, 77 & 83 on Sundays.

After we drive a few minutes we arrived at the home/farm of Cha Vang. This is a new location for Cha and his family since they were forced to relocate due to a fire. Fortunately no one was hurt. Mee Lee was setting under a shade tree when we arrived, cutting and bundling lemon grass. She told us to feel free to show ourselves around. Like many of the farms we visited today they do not water any of their fields. We saw various varieties of eggplant, bitter melon, lettuce, green beans, long beans, assorted peppers, assorted herbs, squash and okra. At the rear of their field they had an assortment of zinnias, cockscomb and sun flowers. Cha and his family are at the Market every Saturday in shed three stalls 123 & 124 and Sundays in shed two stalls 75 & 81.

Next stop is at the home/farm of Pang and Chao Her. Their entire farm is on a hill with a large growth of bamboo right in the middle. They were currently harvesting an assortment of peppers, cilantro, okra, cucumbers, squash and eggplant. Their farm is a work in progress and they have plans for clearing off more land at the back of their property. Chao Her is a new Sunday contracted vendor.

Last stop for the day is on the south side of I-70. Chiong Vang and his family have been farming this section of land for a few years. They also have two other plots in the area for a total of 10 acres. Chiong was home when I arrived and showed us around. They have an abundance of produce and a wonderful variety. I did not realize how many different varieties of eggplant there are and Chiong grows a few of them. A few of the unusual items they grow are hicama, water spinach, jit leaves, sweet potato leaves and bitter balls. In addition to produce they also grow flowers such as sunflowers, zinnias, and cockscomb. Hmong Vaj Farm is at the Market every Saturday and Sunday late spring till the first frost. On Saturdays they are located in the second and third farmer sheds in stalls 90, 91, 108 & 109. Sundays you will find them in sheds one and two stalls 20, 86, 85 & 123.

Next week I have a new craft vendor to visit and will probably head towards Pleasant Hill, MO. Hopefully the rain in the forecast materializes this week, the farmers are in dire need of it.