Crawford farmers markets return in May - where to go and what to buy

Warmer temperatures, sunny skies and April showers are sure signs it's heading toward farmers market times.

The Bucyrus Farmers Market begins May 4, and will take place every Saturday 8:30 a.m.-noon until Oct. 26, rain or shine.

Crestline and New Washington markets will open in May as well.

“There is a lot of love and heart that goes into everything that is there,” said Melinda Hoffman, one of the vendors at the Bucyrus market. “It shines through the quality that the customers get to see and purchase.”

The market is held at 2460 E. Mansfield St. in the Family Farm and Home parking lot across from Timken.

About the market: Goods and vendors

Vendors offer items such as honey; flowers and vegetable plants; in season produce and fruit; organic fed beef, pork and chicken; baked goods; and maple syrup.

Flour & Whisk Bakery is joining this year, offering donuts and freeze-dried candies, said Becky Witter, one of the organizers.

Some vendors will have crafted or handmade goods, such as soaps, jewelry, crochet items, jams, jellies and more. No flea market or garage sale type items are allowed.

“You need to make, bake, craft or grow what you bring,” Witter said.

She said the market usually has 12-20 vendors each week depending on the seasonal crop.

Check the Bucyrus Farmers Market Facebook page Fridays to see who will be at the market that week.

A vendor spot costs $5 a week.

Market proceeds benefit Positive Seekers, which grills bratwurst and hot dogs at the markets. It is a Bucyrus citizen group formed in 2014 for the purpose of providing positive recreational activities for citizens of Bucyrus and surrounding communities.

Hoffman said for the last few years she has been selling plants at the Bucyrus Farmers Market. After going to college for plant production, she decided she didn’t want to work in somebody else’s greenhouse year-round. Now she is growing her own plants for sale in a greenhouse on her property.

“I just absolutely love playing with the plants and planting them up, and I can’t grow them all for myself,” Hoffman said.

She takes annuals, perennials, house plants, bay leaves, berries and vegetables to the Saturday markets.

“A little bit of everything,” Hoffman said.

How Bucyrus residents can benefit from the market

Hoffman said the market is important for the community because residents can get better deals and a larger variety of many products, especially heirloom products.

“The vendors there do a wonderful job with their quality,” Hoffman said. “A lot of times there are a lot better quality plants than what you just find in the big box stores.”

Witter said organizers welcome new vendors year-round. To become a vendor, farmers market liability insurance is required. For more information, contact Witter at 419-569-4171.

“The vendors who want to participate in the market can join at any time throughout the year,” Witter said. “I have a vendor letter that I give them with the rules.”

New Washington and Crestline Farmers Markets

Other farmers markets in Crawford County are held in New Washington and Crestline.

New Washington Farmers Market runs May-September 3:30-6 p.m. Thursdays. The market is sponsored by St. John's Lutheran Church, 203 E. Mansfield St., which also sets up produce and food stands.

Janell Benner, an organizer, said there are 10-15 vendors on average.

The vendors sell a variety of things, including greeting and other cards, jewelry, fabric items, homemade soaps and lotions, plants, sweet corn, honey, popcorn, maple syrup, jam and jellies, baked goods, cemetery saddles and bubble tea, Benner said.

The number of market visitors varies from week to week, Benner said, noting it is usually a small crowd.

Vendors can join the market any time, including the sale day. Weekly vendor fee is $5. Liability insurance or a signed waiver is required. For more information, contact Benner at 419-934-1616.

Crestline Farmers Market is hosted by First United Methodist Church on Thoman Street (state Route 61). The market runs 3-6 p.m. Tuesdays, rain or shine.

Liability insurance or a signed waiver is required. For more information or to receive a vendor letter, contact Becky McKean at 419-545-1090.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Farmers markets return in May to Bucyrus, Crestline, New Washington