ASHLAND — A little over a month into the new location of Ashland’s farmers market, and it keeps growing.
“We’ve heard nothing but good things,” said Kriss Ott, UH Samaritan Medical Center’s community outreach and volunteer services coordinator.
UH Samaritan began organizing the event this year in its parking lot along East Main Street, next to Luray Lanes. The first market happened June 7. It’s set to continue through Sept. 27 every Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m.
Ott said the new location and hours have worked well.
“There’s more parking now,” she said, motioning at the asphalt surrounding the cordoned-off market area. On June 7, the first farmers market this year, Ott said there were around eight vendors.
On Wednesday, 18 vendors showed up. There were produce farmers, local honey producers and artisans carrying goods from handmade bird houses to soap to biscotti.
The biscotti baker, Nancy Wasen, has been baking for 23 years. She’s sold her goods for 10.
“It’s my favorite thing to do,” she said between talking to a reporter and catching up with a neighbor she recognized. “Did you get my text about what happened down the street?”
Wasen said she sells her goods at different markets around the area — Mansfield, Bellville, Wooster, Oberlin.
The bird house maker doesn’t actually make them. He’s selling them for his deceased brother.
“My brother was from Kansas City. He passed away about a month ago,” said Bill Schlosser. Schlosser’s brother, Rick, built the cedar-blocked bird houses and feeders as a hobby and side hustle after a career in custom motorcycle building.
Bill Schlosser said his brother was his best friend. When he died, he drove out to his home in Kansas and picked up around 80 of the intricately designed bird houses and feeders. He gave some away, but decided recently to begin selling them.
“What else am I going to do with all these? It’s been a good way to commemorate his life,” he said. Bill Schlosser, of Ashland, also designs custom clocks, he said.
Melissa White, also of Ashland, set up a stand filled with produce from the farm — kohlrabi, Swiss chard, radishes, zucchini, squash, kale, potatoes.
The produce comes fresh off the White Family Farmstead, a community supported agriculture operation, near Savannah. White said most of the veggies at the stand are extras that aren’t picked up by members of the CSA each week.
“We pretty much sell out of this stuff each week,” she said, adding she’s noticed an uptick in vendors and shoppers each and every week. But she said the best part of showing up is spreading awareness of the perks of knowing where your food comes from.
“I like to know where my food comes from, so it’s good to be able to provide that for others, too,” she said.