Webb City Sentinel market column - Wednesday, October 14, 2020

We’re heading into Winter Market this week, though we’re hoping for more beautiful fall days. Yesterday was our last Tuesday market for the year. It’s always bitter sweet to say goodbye to Tuesdays but invariably it is time by the middle of October. Our customer base begins to dwindle for the weekday market even though our produce supply is still good. For the first time all year, we had periods of time yesterday with no customers at all. When we first opened 21 years ago that wasn’t unusual, especially during the last hour of market, but it is virtually unheard of now – except on our last Tuesday of the year.

For our Tuesday shoppers who need uncrowded shopping, come to the Saturday market after 10 am and you should have plenty of room.

This Saturday, we welcome back Still Waters Farm and Clear Water Shrimp. We should have a total of 11 farms with local produce, plus our mushroom growers. Harmony Hill will have baked goods, as will Redings Mill and Sunflower Bakery. Garrett Family Farm and Sunny Lane Farm will have all-natural meats. Specialty vendors include DnD Smoked with salts, spices, and mixes, Good Golly Tamale, Juniper Coffee with freshly roasted coffee beans and coffee drinks, Kings Kettle Corn, MaMa JoJo’s Pasta, and 2Ts Soap & Stuff.

Both MaMa JoJos and Songbird's Kitchen will have tasty food for eat-in or take out.

Music and meals run from 9 to 11. Drew Pommert plays.

The adult breakfast will be, by popular demand, biscuit and gravy (with extra sausage in the gravy) served with scrambled cheddar eggs, and coffee or juice for $5. Profits from breakfast support the market.

The Free Kids Meals is free to any child, aged 1 through 18. This Saturday, the meals include a hot breakfast of biscuit and gravy, wedge of watermelon, and a couple of slices of kohlrabi, plus white milk. Kohlrabi is a vegetable but tastes very much like a crisp pear. I think the kids will like it, I do. AND a sack lunch of a ham, cheese, cucumber, and sweet pepper roll up, with broccoli salad, cherry tomatoes, and chocolate milk.

See what I mean about a lot of produce?  The kids meals include produce from Braker Berry Farm, E & O Produce, Harmony Hill, and Yang Family Farm. Both the adult breakfast and the Free Kids breakfast can be eaten at the market or packed for take away.

Remember as we move into the cooler season that the market remains open air, so dress for the weather. We aim to continue to be a safe place for the community to shop by providing plenty of fresh outdoor air and lots of room for social distancing. The picnic tables are spread out across the north lawn and the vendors are stretched out over 300 feet of covered space.  Welcome to the Winter Market!