With the cooler weather on the way, local farmers markets are ushering in a new season full of various produce and meats.
Brad Gray is the market director for the Greater Springfield Farmers Market. He says that considering the cold start to the spring and summer, which didn’t bode well for warm weather crops, it turned out to be a successful year.
“As it warmed up watermelons came on real well all types of cantaloupes, peaches of course and apples,” Gray said.
Gray added that the market also saw an abundance of berries, peppers, and tomatoes throughout the warmer months.
Now that the market has begun to prepare for the cooler season a great deal of meats including grass fed beef and natural raised chicken will be available. New vendors include one selling bison and another serving lamb.
Lane Mcconnell, executive director for Farmer’s Market of the Ozarks, also touted a successful year at its location in south Springfield. Also this year, the publication Food52 named the market the sixth best in the country.
“The market continues to grow as does our vendors. We had 114 vendors this year which is the most that we’ve ever had,” Mcconnell said.
According to Brad Gray, its market is always looking for new venders.
“We try to give everybody a chance to be a vendor at our market who, want to grow something from someone who’s never done it before to some who’s been doing it for 25 years,” Gray said.
Both Farmers Market of the Ozarks and the Greater Springfield Farmers Market operate year round, but this is the final week they’ll be holding extended summer hours.