ARKADELPHIA — Personal interaction with farmers and the promise of fresh produce are two of the draws to farmers markets in the Tri-Lakes Edition coverage area.
There are three such markets to choose from: in Arkadelphia, Hot Springs and Malvern.
The Clark County Farmers Market in Arkadelphia is open Saturdays and Wednesdays in Central Park on 10th Street, across from Henderson State University. The market’s hours are 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays, and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays. The
market, which was founded about a year ago, is operated in an open-air pavilion.
Mary Ellen Taylor of Arkadelphia purchased vegetables from Jean Hughes of Bismarck on a recent Saturday.
“This lady and her husband always have nice stuff,” Taylor said. “I’m usually looking for bright red tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. I bought a watermelon here last week; it was wonderful.”
Hughes offered Taylor some beets, but Taylor replied, “My husband and I don’t do beets.”
She said she’d purchased some peach bread from another vendor.
“I’ve come here ever since [the market] opened,” Taylor said. “It’s always well-attended. They continuously have great farmers. It’s fun to come and talk to friends and buy fresh food.”
Jamie Lankin and his wife, Susie, were up from Camden in search of fresh green beans.
“You can’t find any in Camden,” Jamie said. “We came specifically for the green beans.”
He said it was their first trip to the Arkadelphia market.
“We have one in Camden, but hardly anybody shows up.”
While shopping for green beans, he and his wife also purchased several pounds of okra.
Floyd Alexander, a farmer from Hot Spring County, said the weather has made it a “tough year” for many of his crops.
“I planted cukes five times, but they just couldn’t handle the weather — turned white as that paper and died,” Alexander said. “I’ve got 204 plants of tomatoes. I should have them ready next week, and 180 bell pepper plants. Green beans are a real hot item right now.”
Claudia Speights of Arkadelphia said the market is “definitely” a benefit to local consumers and always offers plenty of fresh produce.
Jimmy Bolt, Arkadelphia’s city manager, was purchasing some zucchini to cook on his smoker.
“It’s great for the community,” he said of the farmers market. Asked whether the market has been successful, he said, “Look around at these smiling faces.”
Michael and Debbie Miller of Arkadelphia said the opening of a local farmers market was something they had always looked forward to. They said they appreciate the good food-storage and -preservation advice they get from talking to the farmers.
“I like knowing what I’m getting and who I’m buying from,” Debbie said. “And I like that it’s all in the same place, under one roof. We’ve been waiting for this for years.”
The Historic Downtown Farmers Market in Hot Springs is located at 121 Orange St. Free parking is available north of the pavilion near the Veterans Memorial and south of the pavilion off Broadway. From May through October, the market is open from 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays and from 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. The Winter Market is open from 9-11 a.m. Saturdays, November through April.
On a recent Saturday, vendors at the market were selling sunflowers, honey and, of course, a wide variety of vegetables. Hundreds of shoppers milled about, some carrying away large sunflowers, almost all with plastic bags of vegetables in hand. A musician played guitar and sang as an audience sat in chairs under the pavilion.
Hassan and Melinda Salloukh of Hot Springs were buying vegetables and chatting with a local farmer.
“We come every Saturday — it’s my favorite time to come down here,” Hassan said. “I like talking to the people. You get to talk to the real farmers, and I like that.”
He likened the market to going shopping “in the old days in New York City — you talk to the actual people. It’s not like a supermarket. Farmers bring all kinds of stories, give tips on how to make foods last.”
“They always have good fresh vegetables,” Melinda said. “We like coming here.”
Founded in 1995 near the Transportation Depot at Broadway and Orange, the market received a U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmers Market Promotion Grant, which allowed for the planning of a permanent, open-air pavilion. Subsequent grants and donations led to the opening of the present market in May 2010.
The Hot Spring County Farmers Market is held at 1415 Smith St. in Malvern (at the North Malvern City Park) from 4-7 p.m. Mondays; it opens at 7 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. A second location on Main Street downtown opens at 7 a.m. Wednesdays.