It's Farmers Market Time!

Stinging nettles, blooming hydrangeas, Japanese asparagus and freshly picked lettuces were some of my favorite finds at the Crocker Park Farmer’s Market this past Saturday.

It was the second weekend of the season for the popular Westlake market – the second largest among the North Union Farmers Market sites. The weather was blissful, sunny and 72 degrees at 10:30 a.m.  Everyone was short-sleeved and happy, browsing among the two dozen or so tables enjoying samples and conversation with eager merchants.

Dogs. Babies. Fresh produce. Skin exposed to air without pain. No one even seemed to mind the bottlenecked four-way stop by Trader Joe’s clogged with market shoppers heading toward parking. The windows were down in the car - what’s there to be mad about? I have a feeling this patience might wear thin by June and July when the novelty of warmth has worn off.  

Yes, it might seem unseasonably early for any market going, but the Crocker Park Farmer’s Market opened for business April 16 and will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through Nov. 19.

Tiffany Leeper, manager of the Westlake market, said the opening day weather of problematic winds and heavy rains didn’t damper the spirits of Northeast Ohio growers and market customers understandably starved for any signal of summer and for the unmatched taste of locally grown fruits, veggies and baked goods.

Crocker Park and Shaker Square are home to the two longest seasons among the North Union markets. The Shaker Square market is the largest in the area and has been running for 17 years. The Crocker Park Farmer’s Market started in 2004 with a pilot season.

“It was right when the local food movement was really blossoming and it’s really grown since then,” Leeper said. In the height of the season, the market attracts 2,000 to 2,500 people. Impressive numbers.

For the next several weeks, you can expect anywhere from 25-30 vendors selling spinach, spring greens, arugula and other lettuces, including a beautiful harvest grown at Dean’s Greenhouse, right around the corner from the market. By the middle of the summer, the market will swell to 45 to 50 vendors with larger farms bringing their rural bounty to suburbia.

For now, things are just getting ramp-ed up. “You are going to start to see some wild greens like ramps (think wild leeks that have a mild onion flavor) and stinging nettles which are actually wild with little barbs but can be eaten after they are cooked,” she said, adding that these nettles are said to help alleviate symptoms of springtime allergies.

This shocked my husband who said these stingers were the bane of his childhood in central Indiana. He was regularly sidetracked by the barbs which caused burning pains that could last for an entire day. Y’ouch.

In addition to bakers and greenhouses, Crocker Park will boast two cheese vendors and local butter from Hartzler Family Dairy in Wooster, as well as farm fresh eggs and pasture-raised meat such as beef, pork, spring chickens and lamb. Carnivores can also look forward to Bonnie Brae Elk Farm, which will visit a couple times a month, offering its elk venison which is a leaner meat choice than beef.

But remember how last year all the crops came in a couple weeks early because of the warm temps and dry weather? Well, it looks like it’ll be the opposite scenario this year. “It hasn’t been sunny and it hasn’t been warm and everything this year is going to be a couple weeks behind,” Leeper said.

In the meantime, dust off your market tote, grab some cash and head to the market! See you there!