"Kentuckians are avid shoppers at Farmers Markets when produce is plentiful during the warm weather. However, many will be surprised at the variety and unique offerings that are available during Kentucky winters. Meats, eggs and cheeses are available year round, as well as jams and jellies and other items prepared by farmers when the products needed were plentiful. And we certainly don't want to forget the delicious breads and cakes for sale at the markets during winter months.
One such market with a grand selection of goods all year long is just a short scenic drive away from Lexington in Midway, Ky. — Honest Farm's Pure Kentucky Market. Getting to the market is as easy as the market is fascinating: simply take a left at the end of Main Street in Midway onto Gratz Street, then make a quick right on Dudley Street. Follow the twinkle lights to the side entrance of the big white building with the bright green door, and you're there. This clever place is open Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Honest Farm's Pure Kentucky Market is a nonprofit enterprise dedicated to promoting local food and providing a year-round venue for Kentucky farmers (most of whom were tobacco-dependent farmers who are now diversifying). The goal is to provide customers with a taste of the finest and most delicious foods grown or produced within a 100-mile radius of Midway. This market is the result of the creative thinking and hard work of Susie Quick. Quick worked in New York City for ten years, writing features and serving as a food editor for the magazines Gourmet and Real Simple. She is also the author of two cookbooks: The Cake Club: Delicious Desserts and Stories from a Southern Childhood, and Quick Simple Food.
This past summer, Quick froze tomatoes, corn and beans that she will use to make soups for sale during the winter, so that we may still enjoy local food. All of the baked goods sold year-round are made with locally produced eggs and with flour produced down the road at Weisenberger Mills. Quick would like to use butter made and produced locally, but she has been unable to locate an available source. She also plans to have cooking classes for children and adults to teach them how to use local products and, as she says, "to see, smell, touch and taste Kentucky."
Now if you are not up for a drive to Midway, the Lexington Farmers Market provides another solution to finding local goods in winter. The Lexington Farmers Market outdoor market is open through November on Tuesdays and Thursdays on the corner of Broadway and Maxwell and on Saturdays on Vine Street from 7 a.m. until sold out. On Saturday, December 1, the indoor market will open in Victorian Square from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. It will continue at this location throughout the winter months and up until spring arrives, when the market moves back outside to the usual locations.
Free parking for the market is available in the Victorian Square garage across Broadway or on the street. According to the market manager Jeff Dabbelt, "This is the beginning of the season extension in Kentucky and a model for a year-round market. Success in this area is predicated on customer loyalty and demand during these winter months."
Just as in warmer weather, there are a variety of goods available throughout the winter. Customers can purchase fresh flowers, honey, meats, eggs and cheeses. Potatoes, winter squash, onions, and garlic are a few storage crops available from the farmers. There are also root crops like radishes, parsnips, turnips and beets, plus the cold weather crops of lettuces, kale collards and Swiss chard. Not only are there fresh products available, but value-added products of breads, cakes, jams, jellies, salsa and spices may also be purchased. Wreaths and garlands made from the branches, leaves and berries of Kentucky trees are perfect for decorating for the holidays. The market is also a wonderful place for holiday gift shopping — custom gift baskets are available full of delectable treats made by Kentucky's farmers.
Farmers select their seeds and plan their crops during the winter months. However, they are also busy extending the season to serve consumers throughout the year. As you plan your shopping, consider these local markets and continue buying Kentucky. "