The smell of strawberries and peaches is in the air as customers walk around with buckets of corn and squash in their arms. If you are driving down Donahue to class at the right time, it is hard to miss The Market at Ag Heritage Park back in full swing for the summer season.
On May 26 the farmer's market, sponsored by the college of agriculture, got back to business. The Market will be open every Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. this summer and will feature farmers from the local area selling fruits, vegetables, shrimp, flour and other baking materials, soaps, flowers and ice cream.
Located on the corner of Lem Morrison Drive and Donahue Drive, The Market gives vendors the opportunity to sell their products in rain or shine. The season will end Aug. 25 unless vendors have enough produce to keep selling.
"It's up to the vendors to decide whether the season will be extended," said Katie Jackson, marketing director for the college of agriculture. Jackson said as long as vendors have something to sell, The Market will stay open.
Free to the public, The Market gives locals a chance to see, taste and learn from vendors about where the produce they eat comes from.
"It's not grown in the stores," said Wesley Hale of Burnette Farms, junior in agriculture education. "People get to see where it comes from."
As part of the Burnette family who has been selling their Chilton County peaches along with other produce at The Market for years now, Hale said he wants students to come and see what fresh produce is all about.
Hale said it is a great learning opportunity for everyone to talk to the people who grow or make what they sell.
Not only does The Market give customers a chance to buy locally-grown food, but there are many vendors set up to educate and inform people about the importance of agriculture.
The University's Horticulture Forum will have a tent set up all season to inform people about its purpose. The Forum also sells blueberry lemonade and different flavors of ice cream each week.
"We grow what we sell to raise money for volunteer work," said Judson LeCompte, graduate student in horticulture.
The Forum works to help the city with planting gardens around town. LeCompte said the Forum has recently volunteered for the college of agriculture's Field Day and also planted vegetable gardens at the Auburn Diabetes Center.
There are also many vendors selling goods that are not edible. Soaps and jewelry are a few of the artisan crafts that can be browsed and purchased. Jackson said Market officials oversee the screening process for what is allowed to be sold.
"We want to make sure everything is handcrafted," Jackson said. "A committee of artists helps make the selections."
All vendors must pay a license fee which goes back into grounds and maintenance of the park, but Jackson said it is not a money-making venture for the college.
Jackson said vendor spots usually fill up at the height of the season. She also said the managers try to make sure there is not too much of one product being sold at the same time to reduce competition among vendors.
For anyone who is interested in buying products grown close to home, The Market offers a wide array of goods just waiting for the picking.
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