MARKET

He has since moved from part-time gardener to fulltime farmer.

With his wife, Samantha, Kibbey grows apples, cherries, tomatoes, melons, beans, peas and anything else that strikes his fancy.

“I just like growing stuff,” he said. “I kind of get a kick out of it.”

The 2018 farmers-market season is best approached with a laid-back attitude a la Kibbey’s, considering the mercurial spring weather.

By April 2, 1.4 inches of snow had fallen; the average for the entire month is 1.1 inches. The average lows for April range from 38 to 47 degrees; for 13 days, the low temperatures fell to freezing or below, according to Accu-Weather statistics.

That created concern about late-growing crops, but farmers said their fruits and vegetables mostly caught up during May’s sunny days.

Jazmyn Benjamin, lead educator at the Highland Youth Garden in the Hilltop neighborhood, said heat, not cold, affected the garden’s output: “I think the drastic shift from the cold to the hot put the plants into shock,” she said.

Situated on a half-acre plot, the small space is run primarily by area children, who plant between 60 and 70 percent of all produce in the garden. They will participate in the Westgate Farmers Market, the only seasonal market in the Hilltop, on the first and third Saturdays of the month through October.

The children choose what varieties to plant, leading to unusual picks such as peanuts and edamame in addition to standard crops such as sweet corn, beans and peppers.

Benjamin said the broccoli and cabbage flowered too early because of warm weather — rendering the plants tough and bitter — and won’t be available until the fall.

All other vegetables are on schedule, thanks to the large hoop house protecting them from the elements.

Steve Berk, organization director of the farm bureaus in Delaware, Franklin, Madison and Union counties, said incorporating tools such as covered growing areas or laying plastic to control weed growth takes some of the risk out of modern farming.

“A lot of the ( farmers) who do it at a high level and have a consistent and abundant crop year after year, they’re just not going out and growing a garden like my mom

did when I was young,” he said.

“You’re always weatherdependent, but it’s not necessarily a disaster if the weather doesn’t swing in your favor one way or the other.”

In addition to technological advancements, farmers markets are also embracing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP (known as the Food Stamp Program until 2008). Families who meet the income requirements receive money toward fresh produce that can be used at participating markets.

In Ohio, the nonprofit initiative Produce Perks doubles the purchase dollars SNAP users spend on fruits and vegetables.

Berk sees the partnership between market and foodassistance programs as one way to address difficulties in affording fresh food.

“Food insecurity in central Ohio and all across the country is a big deal, so what can we do to connect those food- insecure folks with some great fresh produce that’s grown within 50 miles of where they live?”

In addition to accepting SNAP, the Delaware market also offers Delaware County residents ages 55 and older whose income does not exceed $24,280 (singles)

or $32,920 (couples) a $60 voucher toward plants and produce.

The voucher is one more way to attract a flow of people to Delaware’s historic downtown area, which has long been Linda Shearer’s goal.

When she founded the market 16 years ago, foot traffic had slowed because of surrounding malls and shopping centers.

Now, businesses along the market route — including Whit’s Frozen Custard and Mohio Pizza — are thriving, and the farmers markets have become community events.

“It (is) a family-oriented thing, so you (can) eat your way up and down the street,” she said.

Joyce and Hal Miksch were doing just that on the first Wednesday market. They strolled up the street toting several quarts of Lanum’s strawberries, which Joyce Miksch called “the sweetest, best strawberries you could ever want to eat.”

“It’s not just the farmers market,” Hal Miksch said. “It’s lunch outside; it’s ice cream.”

“The ice cream dripping down your arm,” his wife added with a laugh.