Goodbye to Farmers Market

It’s that time of year again, fall and the ending of the 3rd & Curry Street downtown Saturday morning farmers market. It’s been a busy year for our market with new vendors and more customers. I’m always a little sad when the market ends because I miss all the wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables but probably more relieved to have a break on Saturday mornings. The market is like kids, you don’t have to watch them every minute, but you’re always responsible for them. It’s truly a labor of love.

I know we will be missed and that’s a good thing. When you come to this last market to fill up on strawberries, cantaloupe, peaches, plums, green beans and all sorts of vegetables, thank your farmers. Tell them you appreciate what they do. Thank the rest of the vendors for committing to be there every Saturday. We also want to give a big shout out to all of our wonderful customers who have been supporting the market for going on nine years now.

The market is like a little city that comes together each Saturday for the purpose of serving our community. It’s a gathering place for a lot of people and a camaraderie exists here. You can sit and have a cup of coffee from Comma Coffee and a Danish from LA Bakery or a beignet from Cafe Beignet, all while listening to some great local musicians. You can chat with the farmer who actually grows the food, get advice on how to store it and pick up a recipe for some ideas on how to prepare what you purchased.

This is a good week to pay a visit to the rest of your favorite vendors and stock up on olive oil, vinegars, anything lavender and honey to get you through the winter. It’s not too early to be thinking about Christmas gifts and we have some wonderful artisans at the market selling homemade toys to kids clothing. Casa Bonita’s yard art is hard to pass up and Art Glass Creations has some beautiful jewelry. You can even get an early Nevada Day button from LBJ pottery. Butler Meats will be sampling wonderful 15 bean soup with ham hocks, and don’t forget he sells farm fresh eggs all year round at his store.

The market would not be possible without the support from the city; Office of Business Development, Parks and Recreation, Streets and the Volunteers from the Sheriffs office who help with parking enforcement every week in the wee hours of the morning. I want to personally thank Rick Rather who’s retiring from his post this year and wish him the best. Thanks to our neighboring businesses who lend a hand when we need it and put up with the congestion having a downtown market adds.

On a sadder note, we lost one of our long time vendors, Mary MacDonald, in a tragic automobile accident earlier this month. Her booth Beautiful Food Farms was a staple at the market for seven years. Cafe Beignet took over that spot. She sold her house, bought a truck, a little travel trailer and was doing what she always dreamed of when she passed. We will miss Mary, her smile, beautiful edible flowers and all her help and hints she shared with us over the years. I’m going to share her last post from FB: “Butterflies can’t see their wings. They can’t see how truly beautiful they are but everyone else can. People are like that as well.”

My recipe for this week is simple. Buy some tomatoes at the market this week and slice them with a little fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Grab some of the last ears of corn on the cob to grill or boil, try some bison burgers or any of the meats from our vendors, and finish off your meal with some strawberries, raspberries or a Fallon melon. Have a great fall and winter and look for the early spring market in 2017.

Linda Marrone, a longtime Carson resident, manages the 3rd & Curry Street Farmers Market and is the director of Nevada Certified Farmers Market Association.