Local coffee roasters, artists, basketmakers, artisan bakers, ceramicists, soapmakers and hot food vendors fill the Marigold Markets for the spring season at Pittard Park.
The busy market season of the Marigold Collective, a Winterville nonprofit, started on April 6 and continues through December.
“This year, we are welcoming three new farms and piloting a program to offer a wide selection of produce, cut flowers, vegetable starts and live plants at affordable costs,” said Katrina Ohstrom, director of marketing and communications of the Marigold Collective.
Farmers from Winterville and surrounding areas come together each week to host the market. Everything is handmade or homegrown, but vendors work to keep it affordable.
Lexington’s Moonflower Farm, which joins the Marigold Market each week, produces jams, honey, jellies, preserves and baked goods.
“I try to use fruits and vegetables from my garden to make my jams and jellies and preserves,” said Kathy Howell, owner of Moonflower Farm. “If I do not grow them, I try to use locally produced products to make them. If we have extra veggies or products, I bring them to market, such as garlic, cucumbers and eggs.”
Moonflower Farm also has a license to make and sell cheese balls in the Winterville Community Kitchen.
“I have made them for family and friends, and they have all encouraged me to add them to the products I make,” Howell said. “I have five varieties that I will make. They are wonderful for gatherings and sometimes just for a light lunch, or a tailgate, holiday party, charcuterie boards or an afternoon on the lake.”
Whymss Farm, also in Lexington, sells “naturally grown produce, cakes and pastries and prepared food,” according to the Marigold Collective website.
“Whymss Farm will be bringing kale, beets, strawberry plants, rosemary bundles, kale chips, radishes,” Ohstrom said.
Both farms accept pre-orders for any of their products.
Marigold Collective strives to provide food and resources to underserved communities, livelihoods for small-scale farmers and educational opportunities, Ohstrom said.
“We know that the prosperity of urban and rural communities are linked and envision a food system vital to our local and regional economy,” she said.
Visit the Collective
The Marigold Collective is held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays through December, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays all year long. The Marigold Collective will host a free hands-on compost workshop from 1-3 p.m. May 4 at Pittard Park.