WOLFFORTH, Texas – Organic produce has become more important to consumers as chemicals like herbicides, insecticides, and preservatives can remain on the foods we eat.
The popularity of Farmers Markets have surged giving people an alternative to finding locally sourced produce.
The Wolfforth Farmers Market has been a part of that surge from three vendors in the beginning to now operating a year round market on a weekly basis with twenty two permanent small vendor barns and fifty outside vendors at the height of their season.
Farmers markets give small scale organic growers alternatives to just producing for restaurants and private clients.
“Eating locally really stretches your dollar, it reinvested in the community,” Quail Feather Farms managing partner Joshua Shankles said. “It makes the food last longer because it’s spent less time in transport.”
Kerry Mayfield owner and roaster of Tierras Planas Roasters has been a vendor since 2018 and enjoys the unique operations and interaction with the customers.
“I love bringing a product that most people might not have ever tried,” Mayfield said. “Seeing people’s faces light up when they find that coffee that they really love. Explaining that when one of my coffees has a blueberry flavor, that’s not something that I’ve added it’s just inherently there in the beans and brought out by my roasting operation.”
Besides nourishing the community, farmers markets are a great way to nourish young entrepreneurs.
Frenship High School senior Ethan Carter runs his own booth called Ethan’s Earthly Edibles and plans on majoring in Plants and Sciences at Texas Tech University.
“We were one of the first people out here to get this kick started,” Carter said. “Not a lot of people grow vegetables throughout the winter and we needed somewhere to sell.”
Carter has recently ventured into growing and selling mushrooms which he finds both interesting and scientific.
“I get to do a lot of lab work and tissue cultures with it and cloning different strains of mushrooms,” Carter said. “This definitely my favorite part.”
The Wolfforth Farmers Market is open year round on Saturdays from 10am – 2pm. To learn more about the vendors and upcoming events visit wolfforthfarmersmarket.com
