Farm visits have been a hit or miss over the last couple of months. The rain in the central part of the country has just been ridicules. A few of the Markets vendor’s fields and homes are under water there are just no words to describe the hardship this causes for all farmers. How they keep going I will never know but I sure do admire them. The way the planting season is going so far I do not think we will see any field tomatoes for quite some time. We do have greenhouse tomatoes and some green tomatoes showing up but not the volume that we usually see in June.

From what I am hearing from some of the farmers, we should see an abundance of peaches and apples this year. Apparently, they do not mind having wet feet. Duane Heck had hoped to have early sweetcorn at the Market by June 22 but if the rain continues this could be a little iffy. Last weekend we saw vendors selling cauliflower, sugar snap peas, beets, radishes, lettuce, kale, greenhouse tomatoes, kohlrabi, and herbs. We will continue to have bedding plants and vegetable plants for the next few weeks so if you need to replant make sure and get to the Market before they are gone. 

Although the flooded fields have not made it possible to get out as much as we would like Gina and I have been able to do a few farm and artist/crafter visits. We have quite a few new Sunday vendors that have started vending at the market. All new vendors start out selling on Sundays as non-contracted vendors. There are weeks when we have as many vendors on Sunday as we do on Saturday.

Gina and I did a few farm visits on April 10 in the Saint Joe Area, I am sure that would not be an easy task after last week’s road closures. The vendors who do have products to bring to the Market are having to take a number of detours to make it in. We always start with the vendor that lives the farthest out and work our way back to KC. Donna and Daryl Clause live in King City, Missouri, which is southeast of Saint Joe. Lost Creek farm is located in the middle of miles of wind turbines. When they started vending at the Market, they mainly grew produce. Since then Daryl decided it would be a little easier as he got older to transition into elderberries, and they have. They also have a licensed kitchen on their farm and bake an assortment of pies, breads and cookies. The morning we visited Donna was just taking sweet potato bread out of the oven. Oh My! Daryl’s fields were already a rain soaked mess in April he got stuck showing us his fields and had to get the tractor and pull his truck out.  I am sure it has only gotten worse since then. You will find Lost Creek Farm at the market on Saturdays in Pavilion 1 stalls 9, 10 & 11

Saint Joe and Natures Choice farm took us back south where we stopped in and chatted for a few minutes with Fred Messner. Fred and Helen have been vendors at the City Market since 2002. Fred is quit the tomato expert and is more than happy to give customers a few pointers on growing the best tomatoes, pesticide free. The Messner’s have 275 tomatoes in the ground in their greenhouses, 1500 plants in gallon pots and 250 flats of tomato starts. This was in April and their stalls have been filled with plants every weekend since. A few years back Fred also planted a large plot of blackberries, if all goes well he should have a nice crop to bring to the market later this summer. Natures Choice is at the Market every Saturday in Pavilion 1 stalls 12, 13 & 14.  www.natureschoicebiodynamicfarm.com

Our last stop for the day was a little farther south on Hwy 169 to Plattsburg, Missouri. Windy Ridge Greenhouse is always one of my favorite springtime stops. Since their farm was hit twice by tornadoes since I started working at the Market, all of their greenhouses are brand new and beautiful. I found everyone busy waiting on customers when we arrived, their greenhouse is open to the public and always seems to be bustling. Gina and I strolled around just taking in the sight and wonderful smells until there was a lull in customers and we were able to visit with William, Clara and Jennifer Hanks. The Hanks have a knack for putting together a great mix of flowers in their hanging baskets, they are just stunning when you see them clustered together hanging in a greenhouse. In addition to baskets, they also bring vegetable plants and herbs to the market in the spring. Windy ridge is one of the few vendors in addition to spring bedding plants they also plant row crops and raise laying hens. Once they start back at the Market in April they are set up every week through September/ mid-October. Pavilion 1 stalls 32-35 www.windyridgegreenhouse.com