Similar to the growing season that fuels its existence, a farmer market reflects an evolutionary process each year — emerging slowly and eventually sprouting into huge bounties of fresh produce.
Only this year the fertilizer mix contains a new ingredient, related to some disease starting with a “C,” which has changed the landscape for every facet of American life including agriculture.
So under that scenario, area producers are elated that an annual farmers market is actually able to operate, which has been the case with one in Mount Airy that opened earlier this month. It sets up shop each Friday in the parking lot beside the city post office on South Main Street, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and is scheduled to run through Oct. 30.
“I’m just happy to be here,” said one participant, Franklin Johnson of FJ Family Farms on Simpson Mill Road, which launched a pork operation last September.
“This is my first market,” added Johnson, who was selling various products ranging from bacon to lard during one recent Friday, when seven different vendors in all were offering wares.
Honey, herbal and other plants, fruit pastries and craft items also were among the attractions.
Britta Ring of Ring’s Farm at Elkin was drawing consumer attention with an array of fresh eggs during the recent market day, including white and brown chicken eggs, duck eggs, goose eggs and even quail eggs.
Ring, who also was selling soap and yarn products, explained that those items and the eggs were being marketed ahead of the main focus of Ring Farm’s, a variety of fresh vegetables grown there. This includes yellow squash, green beans, onions, peppers, radishes and zucchini, which will be harvested later.
“I’ve been doing this five years,” Ring said of farmers market participation.
The annual program includes three markets in all, including others in Dobson and Elkin, which operate under a mission of providing outlets for area farmers to sell their products while also getting fresh foods into the hands of consumers.
“I’m just glad we got started,” Ring commented in reference to the way in which COVID-19 has put the clamps on all types of public gatherings in recent months and is expected to do so for some time to come.
Strict rules in place
Though it is up and running, the Mount Airy Farmers Market has a decidedly different look than ones held in years B.C. (Before Coronavirus).
This includes vendor booths being more spaced out and the wearing of face masks by those manning them.
The “healthy vendors” involved also are supposed to use hand sanitizer between each transaction and have hand sanitizer available at each booth for customer use, farmers market rules state.
Consumers further are asked to place advance orders from their favorite farmers, if possible, with advance purchases for pickups encouraged, and let the vendors touch and bag items bought.
In addition, the rules call for patrons not crowding the booths, allowing one customer at a time and respecting the 6-foot social distance from any other person at the market.
Also, no sampling is allowed.
“We want to continue to safely provide you healthy foods in a controlled environment,” says an official Surry County Farmers Market statement to consumers.
“Until further notice, we want the public to treat the market as an essential shopping trip.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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