It had to happen.   You know how I love to photograph vegetables.  I found a farmers market. 

Interestingly enough, in this predominately rural area, the farmers market concept is just getting started.  Apparently, many people garden rather than farm.   They are used to selling from roadside stands next to their driveways, but an organized, weekly venue is still in the testing stage here.  Go figure
 

The one I’ve latched onto for the past two Saturdays is in my parents’ hometown of Bellaire.  The vendors may or may not sell their wares to local stores, as my grandfather did.  Today, by the way, would have been his birthday. Yesterday was the market's  “Green Event,” and it looked like attendance was better than last week.  

Many of the vendors have gone organic;  some are retirees who love to grow.   Others do this as a side business.  There may be one, a rancher, who raises natural beef, pork, lamb and chickens as a livelihood. 

There are several who are bakers with natural breads (from organic wheat,) cupcakes and treats like brownies and sweet loaves of banana/strawberry bread and zucchini bread.  There are a couple vendors who make all natural soaps and lotions.   Yesterday there was a butterfly tent with lots of information on keeping that population strong in the wake of overdevelopment and pesticides.

This market, because it’s in its beginning stages, is very fluid.  Vendors may come one week and not the next.  Or take a couple of weeks off.  Or try one week and not return.  This is very strange to me, especially coming from Rochester, where the Public Market, in existence for at least 60 years, does business three days a week, and Cannon Beach’s Tuesday market has been a huge success from day one.

I had a long conversation with one gentleman, a retired engineer, who brings his produce here to encourage people to eat healthier, fresh food.  He recently visited Germany, and the culture impressed him—all fresh foods, people out and about looking fit and healthy.  He’s right.  As rural and sprawling as this area can be, it is the land of Bob Evans Restaurants and Ponderosa Steak House.  There are, I’m sorry to say, two Walmarts within 20 miles.  Much of the population is getting older (i.e. my parents.)  The majority of the rest has become lazy. 

Yesterday I met Chef Gene Evans, now a culinary instructor at West Virginia Northern.  He brought three students with him, picked out a few things from the market vendors and cooked up samples right there for people to try---for free.  He and I talked about the area being so far behind in the local/green food movement, and he is trying to get his students to think local and is interested in working with community gardens.  I'm sure he would like to hear about the North Coast's Slow Food group.

Some of the vendors at the Bellaire market dedicated to providing local, natural goods include:  Sparta Farm, Green Ridge Farm, Fine as Frog’s Hair, Butterflies from Heather, Intentions Jewelry, CrossRoads  Farm, Mr. Greenjeans, The Cookie Jar and Sue’s Sweet Treats.