The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Fresh options
Outdoor farmers markets are starting to open for the long-awaited season
As many know, the spring growing season is two to three weeks late in arriving this year, delaying everything from daffodils to lettuce. Recent warm-andrainy days are helping farmers catch up with spring crops such as rhubarb and asparagus.
However, the recent opening in Willoughby of the first of the area’s farmers’ markets brought throngs of folks to town and a feast of colors at vendor stands, mostly from those selling flowers and plants for Mother’s Day.
Willoughby’s Saturday-morning Outdoor Market runs until October, and on May 5 two rows of covered stands sprouted in the city hall parking lot at One East Spaulding St., where it presides each Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Like many other markets, it asks shoppers to leave dogs at home.
This year, the Willoughby market has a presence on Facebook, where those going to Heart of Willoughby and Willoughby Outdoor Market were reminded on social media that fresh mint for Derby Day — that same day — would be available. A post noted that 120,000 mint juleps are served at Churchill Downs on the day of the Kentucky Derby, requiring 1,000 pounds of fresh mint. Fresh mint for making mint juleps was available at several stands, along with free cups of mint ice tea at Maggie Fusco’s stand for her Wood Road Salad Farm.
Larry Klco was on hand for the 2018 debut with his Rainbow Farms stand, an effort usually staffed by his son and sonin-law. He takes produce from his Madison farm to six markets during the growing season, with Willoughby and the Shaker Square market on Saturdays, followed by the Painesville market on Thursdays, the Mentor market on Friday and the Cleveland Clinic market on Wednesdays.
These days he’s usually found at the Klco family’s home market at 2464 Townline Road in Madison. Family members working as a well-oiled machine pick, pack, transport and sell at the other markets.
The family effort has resulted in a fine local reputation for Rainbow Farms, and market goers make a beeline for his vendor stand to buy produce that has been picked the evening before or earlier that morning.
“Our chef business has grown by 35 percent over other years,” Klco said. “Restaurants such as Pastina (Rustic Italian Kitchen in Mentor) list Rainbow Farms on their menus for providing much of their produce.”
Diana Zimmer hasn’t missed a market Saturday in 17 years for her Tea & Honey stand. She has her hives, raises chickens for fresh eggs and keeps a garden on her home’s quarter acre lot near Downtown Willoughby.
“I’m right behind Immaculate Conception Church,” she said. “People in the neighborhood come by for eggs, but I prefer they call for an appointment.”
Reach her at 440-376-9712. John and Debra Kraus make their breads in their Eastlake kitchen for their Cleveland Bread Co. market stand. On the first market day of the year, they’d sold out supplies of their Italian and Kalamata Olive breads by 10:30 a.m. They also make several other breads, scones and coffee cakes, all of which are usually gone by noon.
Conversations with market vendors are a highlight of area farmers’ markets, most of which require that things sold there be grown or created in the area.
Maggie Fusco is a longtime vendor with her Wood Road Salad Farm, which began by selling various lettuces and has since branched out with heirloom vegetables. She was serving mint julep ice tea in honor of Derby Day, and, like many other vendors, she was wearing a hat for the occasion.
The Willoughby United Methodist Church, which serves as a boundary for the far edge of the market, has a sign out welcoming market goers to use its restrooms. And its brick wall formed an acoustic backdrop for music by guitarist Dave Stavick, who had his guitar case open to accept donations.
Many markets these days have a live-music backdrop and some host giveaways and other special events.
The Geauga Fresh Farmers Market, which opens at 9 a.m. May 12, will give a complimentary strawberry plant to market goers on opening day. It will be donated by Hawthorn Springs Greenhouse in Burton, one of its vendors.
Set in the parking lots of South Russell Village Hall at 5205 Chillicothe Road, its open rain or shine every Saturday until October. For opening day, expect hanging baskets, flower and vegetable seedlings for planting in home landscapes, fresh baked goods, beef, pork, and lamb, along with pasture-raised
turkeys and chickens. You’ll find several Amish farmers in the mix of vendors and will be able to buy artisan products such as handmade soaps and aromatherapy Details: geaugafarmersmarket.com.
Painesville Farmers Market runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Thursdays and opens May 24. Barb Monacelli works hard to provide a different experience from other markets, with craft and story time in the gazebo in Veterans Park on the town square, plus unusual vendors not found elsewhere.
One of the 25 vendors gathering this year is Red Beet, an herbalist from Jefferson who will bring both medicinal and culinary herbs to the market.
“Each Thursday we have a different food truck and live music,” Monacelli said.
Customer-appreciation events include the giveaway of a free tote and frozen custard. Those wishing to be included for a weekly newsletter that tells what’s up and what’s ripe can email a request to BMonacelli@Painesville.com.
Mentor Farmers Market runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Fridays from June 22 through Sept. 14 at the city’s tree-filled Eleanor B. Garfield Park,7967 Mentor Ave.
The last Friday of each month is designated as Fantastic Friday, when arts and craft vendors also attend.
That market is still accepting vendors and is seeking those who produce fruits and vegetables, fresh baked goods, jams, jellies, honey and oils. Contact: 440- 9745735 or visit mentorfarmersmarket.com.
Those who head into Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood have discovered the Community Farmers Market at Cleveland Clinic, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from June 6 to Oct. 17. It’s at East 100th Street and Carnegie Avenue.
It’s among the six area farm markets operated by Shaker Square-based North Union Farmers Market, which convenes there from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays. Other markets operated by this well-organized group include Sunday markets at both Chagrin Falls and Legacy Village in Lyndhurst. Both operate from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Chagrin market on the bandstand triangle park downtown starting June 3 and running until Oct. 21 and the Legacy Village market from June 10 to Sept. 23 on the central parking lot.