It’s that time of year. Gardens are being planted, fruit trees are blooming, and people are getting excited for farm-fresh produce. Where better to get your hands on some fresh produce in Crookston than the Crookston Farmers Market? The market will be opening its doors on Thursday, May 29, and will run through Saturday, October 4. The market will open Thursday nights from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Crookston Farmers Market is located at the end of Ash Street and 3rd Street, in the Town Square, in Crookston.
Crookston Farmers Market Organizers Patricia Grothe and Chris Klawitter recently stopped by to remind everyone of the wonderful programs available while shopping at the Farmers Market. “We have the Power of Produce, or POP Program, which is for youth, 18 and under,” says Grothe. “And for seniors, we have a POP Plus, for those 65 or older.” What are the benefits to those who sign up for the POP Program? “You get two vouchers, the equivalent of $1.00 each, and you can save them up or spend them. You have to spend them during the current year; you can’t hold them over,” says Grothe. “Early in the season, we don’t have as much produce, so some people kind of wait until the tomatoes and the cucumbers, or the corn, are ready.”
Another great incentive offered at the Crookston Farmers Market is the acceptance of SNAP/EBT cards. “The ways it work is, if you have $10 in EBT and you go to the EBT booth and swipe your card, you will get (10) $1 tokens,” says Grothe. “In addition, we have a Market Bucks Program which adds another (10) $1 tokens, they look a little different but can be used for any kind of food item.”
As if that wasn’t incentive enough to visit the Crookston Farmers Market, there is still one more program. “We have a third incentive program and that is Produce Bucks,” says Grothe. “They come on a little green card and can only be used on produce. But, you turn in your $10 of EBT into $30 of spending power and that can only be done at the Farmers Market.”
If you haven’t been to the Crookston Farmers Market before, be ready for a wide range of products to choose from. “We have a very diversified list of products. We do have a lot of baked goods vendors, who do cookies and breads and caramel rolls and all of that type of stuff. We do have different kinds of preserved goods, like jams, jellies, and pickled asparagus, pickles, and relish,” says Klawitter. “We do have a couple of people who do have some goat products. One gal has soaps and skin care and all kinds of different stuff that she makes off her farm, using some essential oils and that type of thing.”
Klawitter says that there are a few vendors that have eggs, one vendor that has both produce and fresh frozen meat like chicken, pork, and beef. Just when you are thinking that is a lot of stuff, wait, there’s more. “Flowers, we do fresh cut flowers, and for the first couple weeks, we will probably have some plant starts, some vegetable starts also,” says Klawitter. “Also, we have handmade goods, different crafts, paper crafts, crocheted items, origami art, photography, and note cards. There is a gentleman who makes hand-made fishing lures, dog leashes, and jewelry, some neat stuff.”
Different vendors do join at different times of the year as well, bringing new and unique products to the Crookston Farmers Market. How do you get a vendor spot at the Market? There are a few things you need to know. “If you are going to sell any kind of edible item that is baked or canned, you would need a Minnesota Cottage Food License,” says Grothe. “You have to take a little course because they want to make sure you are using all the food safety rules. You have to have that license; we don’t let anybody set up at the market without being able to display those licenses.”
If you are selling vegetables or crafts, art, photography and items like that no license is needed. “The membership fee is $45 and then each time you come to the market its $10 to set up,” says Grothe. “That’s a relatively reasonable fee; I think we are kind of on the cheap side when it comes to Farmers Markets.”
The Crookston Farmers Market organizers want people to know that there is an opportunity during their open months for non-profit organizations to visit the market and spread the word about their organizations. “We do allow non-profit organizations to come to the Farmers Market and use our venue as a place to get the word out about their specific cause,” says Grothe. “For example, we have a pet rescue organization that’s going to come to the Farmers Market. We’re having the Master Gardeners; they are coming to the markets. We don’t charge those non-profits as long as they are not selling anything.”
Grothe and Klawitter want to make sure that everyone recognizes that the POP Program would not be possible without help from donors in the community. “The POP Program, the Power of Produce, would not happen without the monetary support of local businesses that donate throughout the year and give us the money to fund that.”
The Crookston Farmers Market will be hedl every Thursday with the exception of Ox Cart week, when they have a Saturday market from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The last market of the season will also take place on a Saturday. Saturday, October 4, the market will have its fall festival from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The Crookston Farmers Market opens this Thursday, May 29, at 4:00 p.m. at the Town Square Red Barn. .
