Master Gardeners at the Market
Reggie Reeves, Project Coordinator
I don’t know about you, but I am sooooooo happy that the Rutherford County Farmers Market is about to open for the 2012 season! Starting Friday, May the 11th, fresh, local produce will once again be available right here in Murfreesboro. By now, many of us have depleted much of our stash of frozen or canned fresh local produce from last year’s Market or from our own gardens. I know that in our house we recently enjoyed the last of our green beans and black-eyed peas from last year, and we are down to our last couple of jars of tomatoes. For us, the 2012 Farmers Market could not get here soon enough!
The return of the Farmers Market also means the return of Master Gardeners at the Market. Following up on our tremendous success last year, we will once again be very involved in actively supporting the Rutherford County Farmers Market while at the same time promoting our organization and Rutherford County Extension.
Reggie Reeves, Project Coordinator
I don’t know about you, but I am sooooooo happy that the Rutherford County Farmers Market is about to open for the 2012 season! Starting Friday, May the 11th, fresh, local produce will once again be available right here in Murfreesboro. By now, many of us have depleted much of our stash of frozen or canned fresh local produce from last year’s Market or from our own gardens. I know that in our house we recently enjoyed the last of our green beans and black-eyed peas from last year, and we are down to our last couple of jars of tomatoes. For us, the 2012 Farmers Market could not get here soon enough!
The return of the Farmers Market also means the return of Master Gardeners at the Market. Following up on our tremendous success last year, we will once again be very involved in actively supporting the Rutherford County Farmers Market while at the same time promoting our organization and Rutherford County Extension.
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Our activities at the Market this year will again include the Master Gardeners information table and concessions stand. Two or more of our membership will be on hand at every Market offering information about our organization and classes, answering gardening questions, and operating our concessions stand. Last year vendors and patrons expressed their appreciation for being able to purchase fresh hot coffee or cold beverages to enjoy while at the Market. Proceeds from concessions sales will continue to support our 4-H Scholarship Fund, as well as our many outreach and educational activities.
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We will also continue offer our First Fridays at the Market programs. Taught by some of our own Master Gardeners, this free garden inspired workshop series will take place at the Farmers Market on the first Friday of each month at 9:30 am, beginning the first Friday in June and running through October. Programs will cover a range of timely gardening topics-look for our 2012 First Fridays at the Market schedule soon!
Like last year, we will also continue helping with the promotion of Terrific Tuesdays. Tuesday shoppers will receive a punch card on the first Tuesday of each month that we will validate each following Tuesday. That card will then be entered into a drawing at the end of each month for a basket of produce from Market vendors. We will also continue helping with the sale of the very successful Farmers Market totes, which sports the terrific new Rutherford County Farmers Market logo. |
We will also continue to assist with the collection of culled and spoiled produce from vendors at the end of each Market and take it to the Butterfly Garden where we will be loading it into compost bins. This is a great opportunity for us to lead by example; it will create numerous opportunities to talk with folks about composting, and will produce wonderful compost for our use at the Butterfly Garden and in our new Demonstration Gardens built by this year’s terrific Master Gardeners class.
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And finally, exciting news!! Through Farmers Market Manager Janie Becker’s hard work and a partnership with MTSU, the Farmers Market will for the first time accept debit, credit and EBT cards (formerly Food Stamps). The wooden token system that will be used is becoming the standard for many successful Markets throughout the county. MTSU students will be on hand each Market day and will be able to swipe debit, credit, and EBT cards in exchange for wooden tokens that can then be spent just like cash with Market vendors. One exception for tokens received from EBT cards is that vendors cannot make cash change from these tokens, while cash change can be give for debit and credit tokens. Please note that while the Master Gardeners concessions stand will continue to accept cash only and will not be directly involved with the token program, it will be helpful for our volunteers to be aware of this new program and know to send shoppers asking for tokens to the MTSU table for service. While this new token program will be a tremendous convenience for shoppers and will help increase vendor sales, most importantly it will for the first time make all fresh local produce at the Market available to shoppers using EBT cards.
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So, as you can see we will again be very actively involved in supporting the Rutherford County Farmers Market. This involvement not only provides valuable assistance to Rutherford County Extension and the community, but also provides a wonderful opportunity for our membership to meet and interact with the public. Many thanks go to the Master Gardeners and Interns who have already signed up to volunteer with our May Farmers Market activities. I sincerely believe that our presence at the Market makes it a better experience for everyone, and has played a major role in the continued development and evolution of the Rutherford County Farmers Market!
Any Master Gardener or Intern who would like to participate in any of these Farmers Market opportunities is welcome to contact me, Reggie Reeves, via e-mail at reevesj1@comcast.net , or at 615-210-3050 We typically try to complete sign-ups for the following month at each of our monthly meetings.
Any Master Gardener or Intern who would like to participate in any of these Farmers Market opportunities is welcome to contact me, Reggie Reeves, via e-mail at reevesj1@comcast.net , or at 615-210-3050 We typically try to complete sign-ups for the following month at each of our monthly meetings.
Rutherford County Farmers' Market
By Katherine Smith, Editor, CMG
Opening Dates and Hours:
The Rutherford County Farmers Market opens on May 11, 7am - 11am. The main market season runs from May through October and the extended season begins in November through the Sunday before Christmas (open on Sunday afternoons only).
Market Rules:
· 100% producer only — no exceptions.
· Advertising Fees—$25/season; $2/day for daily vendors to cover in-season print & radio ads, reusable RCFM shopping bags, and
· “Terrific Tuesday” punch card. All Tuesdays punched for the month are eligible for drawing of a basket of items purchased from the vendors.
· Seasonal Booth Location Drawings are based on vendor support of the RCFM. Those vendors who attended 70% or more of all market days in the previous year will have priority in the drawings.
Food Donations:
· To “Meaningful Gleaning of Rutherford County”. Volunteers will pick up food from RCFM at 11:00 every Friday.
Collaboration with Master Gardeners of Rutherford County
· Selling concessions
· 'Ask a Master Gardener' Table
· Selling RCFM tote bags
· Stamping and collecting “Terrific Tuesday” cards
· Composting vendors’ waste at the end of market days
· Holding workshops on the first Friday of the month
· Counting the crowds occasionally
By Katherine Smith, Editor, CMG
Opening Dates and Hours:
The Rutherford County Farmers Market opens on May 11, 7am - 11am. The main market season runs from May through October and the extended season begins in November through the Sunday before Christmas (open on Sunday afternoons only).
Market Rules:
· 100% producer only — no exceptions.
· Advertising Fees—$25/season; $2/day for daily vendors to cover in-season print & radio ads, reusable RCFM shopping bags, and
· “Terrific Tuesday” punch card. All Tuesdays punched for the month are eligible for drawing of a basket of items purchased from the vendors.
· Seasonal Booth Location Drawings are based on vendor support of the RCFM. Those vendors who attended 70% or more of all market days in the previous year will have priority in the drawings.
Food Donations:
· To “Meaningful Gleaning of Rutherford County”. Volunteers will pick up food from RCFM at 11:00 every Friday.
Collaboration with Master Gardeners of Rutherford County
· Selling concessions
· 'Ask a Master Gardener' Table
· Selling RCFM tote bags
· Stamping and collecting “Terrific Tuesday” cards
· Composting vendors’ waste at the end of market days
· Holding workshops on the first Friday of the month
· Counting the crowds occasionally
