The Watauga County Farmers Market is kicking off its 35th anniversary season on Saturday, with local greens, handmade crafts and starter plants for those who are bringing the local-foods movement into their kitchens and gardens.

“We are right at 120 members,” said new farmer’s market president Joe Martin.

“We have folks from seven different counties.”

Nearly half of the members are from Watauga County, though more than 20 are from Ashe County and several come from Tennessee and Virginia. The regional reach of the market will help consumers as different crops come in across the seasonal calendar.

“We have four growers now from Wilkes County and they have a significantly longer (growing) season than we do,” Martin said.

“All the growers up here will have some early greens like arugala and rhubarb, and some asparagus, so there’s a pretty good selection.

“The plant folks are up to full speed, with seedlings, tomatoes, peppers. One of our growers will have some real pretty heirloom bell peppers. We’re going to have incredible varieties of garlic this year.”

The hours of the Wednesday market will change this year, starting on June 17.

“It’s to capitalize on people who commute into Boone and then leave. They can come by and get something for dinner on the way home,” Martin said. “We’re adding bands on Wednesdays to make a real family event that folks will want to come out.”

The market is also planning an expansion, taking advantage of more parking spaces and the potential addition of more vendor booths.

“There are 73 permanent booth spots, and we’re talking with the Horn in the West to acquire space for another 10 or 15,” Martin said.

Those selling arts and crafts were juried in January, with 39 crafters eventually chosen to ensure the products are handmade or use local products.

“We encourage them all to show up so we’ll have a good many vendors there,” Martin said.

Martin said interest in local foods is growing not only because of safety scares and chemical concerns, but because of a desire for people to connect with their region’s heritage.

“There’s more interest in organic production and heirlooms,” Martin said. “We can afford to put in the additional input to get these plants going. We’re already labor-intensive anyway. I’d stack our production on heirlooms up against any of the hybrids.

“There’s very much a cultural aspect to it, paying attention to the roots of the people that lived here and came from here, but also in agricultural aspects. There’s a reason our Cherokee purples (tomatoes) do so well. They started up here 150 or 200 years ago.”

In addition to the consumer interest, more people are seeking to start gardens to help trim their food bills and get fresh produce throughout the week, which is where those selling plants will come in handy.

“A lot more people are growing,” Martin said. “We think it’s an excellent time for local growers to expand and develop more local food. No matter who does the study (on food safety), you come to four areas where problems occur: centralized production, centralized processing, centralized storage, and long-distance transport. You don’t get people poisoned from food coming off small, local farms.”

The market is located on Horn in the West Drive in Boone. Hours are from “morning until noon, rain or shine.”
Shoppers are encouraged to bring small bills, bring their own bags and cartons to use or give to vendors, and to be prepared for changes in weather. Snacks are available.

For more information on market events, music, and special celebration days, visit www.wataugacountyfarmersmarket.org.