Farmers: Market in better location

Yolanda Romero, right, samples Happy Feet dry skin lotion and a facial mask prepared and sold by Katie Palmer, left, Saturday at the Clovis Farmers Market.

A recent increase in business at the Clovis Farmers Market can be attributed to a more prominent location, said farmers market manager and local vegetable grower Margie Plummer.

The market moved from Fourth and Pile streets to the Goodwin Lake Walking Trail parking lot on North Prince before opening July 7. Plummer said the market will be open until the end of October.

"The farmers market went from being really good to pretty slow the last couple of years, but moving here (Goodwin Lake Walking Trail parking lot) has helped," said Plummer, who sold more than 10 types of vegetables Saturday from her 20-acre garden in Roosevelt County.

"It's been really busy this year. It has a good location. Fourth and Pile was a nice lot but it was kind of out of the way. A lot of people stop here because they see it open."

Plummer said after an extremely busy first hour and business slowed to a steady stream of customers throughout the day. She said she has sold produce such as green chiles, jalapenos, corn, cabbage, black-eyed peas and squash until around noon during the last few weeks.

Plummer said she will sell sweet potatoes in about two weeks and pumpkins when pumpkin season begins at the end of September or in mid-October.

Farmers market manager and local vegetable grower Margie Plummer, right, bags produce for Nancy Fischer Saturday at the Clovis Farmers Market.

Parmer County vegetable farmer Reace Bennett sold produce such as zucchini, butternut squash, green chiles and tomatillos Saturday from the back of his pickup. Bennett sold produce in the market for the first time this year. Bennett said his large zucchini, which are more than a foot long and about three to four inches in diameter, are used to bake zucchini bread. He said the small zucchini are used for boiling and the medium-sized zucchini are used for frying.

"Sales have picked up this month from what they were in July," Bennett said.

"There have been a lot more vendors and a lot more customers."

Bennett said the farmers market is an excellent way for local vegetable growers to market their produce.

"I've tried other ways of selling vegetables, just walking the streets or setting up on the side of the road somewhere," Bennett said.

"This has been by far the best way to market my produce."

Sjierkje Van Der Ploeg, owner of Freanna Original Yogurt, sold her company's first batch of yogurt on Saturday. Van Der Ploeg moved to Clovis 10 years ago from her hometown of Rauwerd in the Netherlands.

"Sales are going well today," said Van Der Ploeg, who operates her yogurt plant with her husband Andle and their three sons and daughter.

"I've sold a few (containers of yogurt) already. They (customers) like it. The texture is totally different from the yogurt you buy over here. It's what we were missing when we came here."

Van Der Ploeg said the yogurt available in local supermarkets is excessively thick and contains too many additives. She said her family started making its own yogurt to provide locals a taste of natural yogurt from the Netherlands.

Adela Sanchez, right, purchases zucchini for zucchini bread from Parmer County vegetable farmer Reace Bennett Saturday at the Clovis Farmers Market.

Deborah Borden said she has visited the farmers market for the last 10 years.

"I just enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables," said Borden, while dropping off a large bag of string beans at her vehicle.

"My husband used to farm and we grew vegetables. When he no longer grew vegetables we started coming here."

Cheryl Burch runs a small catering business and visits the farmers market at least once a week to shop for produce for her dishes.

She said she stopped by Saturday to purchase fresh roasted green chilies to use in her green chile beef enchiladas. Burch said the green chiles purchased at the market are the key to her top selling enchiladas.

According to Burch, the best tasting green chiles in Clovis are available at the farmers market.

"They have them (green chiles) at Wal-Mart and Albertsons but I like the locally grown green chiles here. I like to support my locally owned businesses."