VENDORS WILL MEET TO PLAN DENVER MARKET

By Kevin Starr
County Extension Director
N.C. Cooperative Extension Service


There will be a meeting for anyone interested in selling at the 2009 Denver Farmers Market at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 9 at the Florence Soule Shanklin Library in Denver. The library is located at 7837 Fairfield Forest Road just a short distance off Highway 16.

The Cooperative Extension Service provides overall coordination of the market and our Master Gardener volunteers are on-site each Saturday to perform the tasks which make the market function. The market is located on the campus of Rock Springs Elementary School. This has proven to be a great site and we appreciate the support of school administrators in making this location available.

While we receive feedback from market vendors throughout the season, this is the only time in the year when we will sit down as a group to talk about ideas for improving the market. We will discuss the market guidelines in detail and see what changes need to be made.

I want to encourage those who have previously sold at the market as well as those who are considering selling for the first time to join us. I suspect there will be several important changes that will be considered including the fee structure for vendors.

What can you sell at the market? Basically, you can sell produce, meat, or plants that you grow locally. You can also sell home-made, hand-made crafts. Certain processed products are allowed such as jams, jellies, and baked goods if you have a kitchen inspected by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Meat sellers are required to have a Meat Handlers Certificate. Pickled products can be sold but only if you have completed the required Acidified Foods class offered by N.C. State.

While the diversity of items at the Denver market is a plus, we really need more produce vendors. Customers would like to find more fruits and vegetables in terms of both quantity and diversity. There is also a great need for more early and late-season produce. Perhaps you have a large garden and typically have a lot of surplus vegetables.
Maybe you’d like to try selling some of those at the Denver Market this year.

If you want to be a market vendor but are unable to come to this meeting, it is important that you contact the Cooperative Extension Service prior to attempting to sell at the market for the first time. Please call me at 704-736-8452 and I’ll be glad to answer your questions.