Farm fresh? Yes, but farmers markets offerings are months in the making

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the days, times and location for the Central Westmoreland Farmer’s Market near Greensburg.

Kira Karpinski’s farmers market offerings in June take root six months earlier in a sun-drenched room in her house.

Not a greenhouse — her actual house.

“I start my seeds in late January,” said Karpinski of Gilpin. “I start a lot of them in my house when it’s real cold. I keep them in a room that gets lots of sunlight, then I transfer them to a greenhouse before they go into the ground.”

The workload is similar for most vendors who count down to farm market season while hoping for the profit from the pop-up sales to supplement their income.

There are months or more of work to put in to be ready for the first markets to open in May and June.

Orchards owned by Maria Kretschmann of After the Fall Cider produce an abundance of fruit each summer that takes 16 months to transform into juice.

Apples are squeezed in the fall and fermented all winter at the Rochester, Beaver County, site before the final product makes it to shelves for farm market season.

“I put a lot of energy into my orchard,” said Kretschmann, who sells her goods at Pittsburgh’s Northside Farmers Market.

Many markets opened in church parking lots and parks earlier this month. They are one-stop shops for fans of locally grown tomatoes, ghost peppers and honey that have been prepped and nurtured by vendors through most of the cold-weather months.

Related:

• Farm fresh? Yes, but farmers’ markets offerings are months in the making

• Know how to shop at a farmers’ market

• A list of local farmers’ markets

A work-from-home leathermaker, Karpinski said she shoulders most of the prep work before the seedlings get to the farm on Novinger Road in Gilpin. She plants thousands of seeds to make sure her tables are brimming with a variety of vegetables once the Leechburg Farm Market opens.

“We won’t go out and bring stuff in from far,” said Karpinski, who coordinates the market. “We usually wait until we grow it.”

Local vegetables last longer in the fridge, which helps stretch budgets, and buying locally keeps dollars circulating in the community rather than sending money to big-box companies or to California and Mexico, where most produce is grown, according to Pennsylvania Veggies, a state-run program that represents vegetable farmers across the state.

Kretschmann, who also grows watermelons, pears and herbs, says there is close to zero waste on her farm.

When there’s a batch of apples that she can’t use, they are transformed into the apple cider vinegars and tonics that she sells.

At the Tarentum Farmers Market in First United Presbyterian Church’s parking lot, organizers seek farmers who fit the bill of locally grown. There are flowers grown in Buffalo Township, and a new vendor, Fig Berry Farm in Saxonburg, made its debut with a variety of sweet fruit grown on its property in Butler County.

“We can’t wait for people to try the diversity and the stuff that’s harder to find,” owner Rob Mazzetti said.

“The market has become a gathering place on Wednesday mornings to shop and visit with neighbors,” said Jessica Jones, church secretary.

Similarly, at the Saturday farm market at Route 66 North and All Saints Brewery on Route 119 North in Greensburg, coordinator Paul Sarver said there are great crowds that gather, many of whom are regulars who shop for their weekly produce and enjoy perusing the specialty items.

The market is well known for its trademark vintage red farm truck with the big umbrella. It has been a staple since the 1970s.

During the early weeks of farm markets, shoppers can find all things green — lettuce, kale, onions and beans — and they can browse specialty items that are often homemade and handcrafted. Peak produce usually gets picked by mid-July.

In Greensburg, the greens are grown just a stone’s throw from the market’s location.

“Asparagus is in now, and lettuce, bok choy, green onions and radishes,” said Sarver, owner of Sarver Hill Organic Farm in Hempfield. “By Memorial Day, things start to crank up. It should only be a couple weeks before strawberries.”

Sarver, a pastor, said the market is a year-round project that requires the same patience and passion as his church post.

“To keep people coming and create a nice, welcoming atmosphere is what we think about all year-round,” he said. “In the winter is when you build on what you have and lay out a game plan. You’re always wondering how things are going to work out.”

Karpinski said the Leechburg market draws shoppers for its bacon and sausage, raised at Kasanicky’s in Gilpin. She said she realizes the value of providing fresh meats and produce, saying it helps the bottom line.

“This is my livelihood,” she said. “Yes, we want to publicize the market as a fun place to shop, but the quality is important to us to work toward the goal of sustaining a full-time income.”

In June, the market offers an array of lettuce, spinach, radishes and beets. By July, her 10½-acre farm turns out a variety of unique tomatoes that were planted during the spring months, such as Pink Bumblebee, and peppers that include ghost and serrano.

“Tomato seeds get started eight weeks before they go into the ground,” Karpinski said. “So that means we started them in March.”

Visitors to the Vandergrift Farmers Market can browse the Columbia Avenue setup for baked goods, chicken, eggs and even crocheted dish towels, director Natalie Jaworsky said.

At the Verona Farmers Market, coordinator Stefani Garibay said customers will be happy to find local produce from Musser’s in Salem. The market has been a staple since 2004.

In addition to freshly picked veggies, it features homemade soap, Tom’s Candy Co. and a local tattoo artist who sells art.

“We get a fairly big crowd,” Garibay said. “People appreciate local goods, and they like to support small businesses.”

The Forest Hills Farmers Market boasts 24 vendors, expected to be selling fresh produce, meats, baked goods and snacks. Vendors include Rockin’ Cat Organic Coffee & Tea, Pittsburgh Pierogi Truck, McKinney Family Farm in New Brighton, Sol Patch and others.

Latrobe’s Farmers Market is unique because of its rotating vendors, said Craig Shevchik, program director at Latrobe-Unity Parks and Recreation.

About 25 vendors work the market at a time. Produce will be limited in initial weeks, but Shevchik said “it gets better as the summer progresses.”

Fresh and local

Here is a list of selected farmers markets in the area:

Baldwin Farmers Market

• Dates: Second and fourth Thursdays of each month through August, plus Sept. 7 and Oct. 7
• Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Location: The outdoor field at the Wallace Building, 41 Macek Drive, Pittsburgh

Bellevue Farmers Market

• Dates: Wednesdays, to October
• Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Location: Bayne Park, 34 N. Balph Ave., Bellevue

Bethel Park Farmers Market

• Dates: Tuesdays through Sept. 26
• Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Location: South Park VIP parking lot, 30 Corrigan Drive, Bethel Park

Bloomfield Saturday Market

• Dates: Saturdays through Nov. 19
• Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Location: 5050 Liberty Ave.

Braddock Farm Stand

• Dates: Wednesdays and Fridays through October; Saturdays through Thanksgiving
• Time: 3:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays
• Location: 1000 Braddock Ave., Braddock

Carnegie Farmers Market

• Dates: Sundays, July 9 through Sept. 24; No market Sept. 3
• Time: Noon to 3 p.m., July and August; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., September
• Location: East Main Street, between Broadway and Mary streets, Carnegie

Central Westmoreland Farmer’s Market Association

• Dates: Saturdays and Thursdays through Thanksgiving
• Time: 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays; 3 to 6 p.m. Thursdays
• Location: All Saints Brewery (Saturdays), Route 66 North, across from Tastyland Ice Cream (Thursdays)

City of Pittsburgh Farmers Market: Carrick

• Dates: Wednesdays through Nov. 15
• Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Location: Carrick Dairy District, 1529 Brownsville Road

City of Pittsburgh Farmers Market: East End

• Dates: Mondays through Nov. 20
• Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Location: Liberty Green Park, Larimer Avenue

City of Pittsburgh Farmers Market: North Side

• Dates: Fridays through Nov. 17
• Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Location: Allegheny Commons Park, East Ohio Street and Cedar Avenue

City of Pittsburgh Farmers Market: Squirrel Hill

• Dates: Sundays through Nov. 19
• Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Location: Beacon/Bartlett parking lot, 5737 Beacon St., Pittsburgh

Farmers Market at The Block Northway

• Dates: Fridays, through September
• Time: 3 to 6 p.m.
• Location: The Block Northway, between DSW and Lands End

Farmers Market Cooperative of East Liberty

• Dates: Saturdays, year-round
• Time: 5 a.m. to noon
• Location: 344 Sheridan Ave., East Liberty

Forest Hills Farmers Market

• Dates: Fridays, through October
• Time: 4 to 7 p.m.
• Location: Forest Hills Westinghouse Lodge parking lot, 4400 Greensburg Pike, Forest Hills

Green Tree Farmers Market

• Dates: Thursdays, through Oct. 26
• Time: 4 to 7 p.m.
• Location: Green Tree Park lower parking lot, 905 Greentree Road

Hampton Township Farmers Market

• Dates: Wednesdays, through mid-October
• Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Location: Hampton Township Community Center parking lot

Latrobe Farmers Market

• Dates: Tuesdays though Oct. 10
• Time: noon to 4 p.m.
• Location: Legion Keener Park

Lawrenceville Farmers Market

• Dates: Tuesdays, through Nov. 21
• Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Location: Bay 41, 115 41st St.

Leechburg Farmers Market

• Dates: Every other Thursday, through Oct. 12
• Time: 5 to 8 p.m.
• Location: Market Street, Leechburg

Lower Burrell Farmers Market

• Dates: Saturdays, through Oct. 7
• Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Location: Bon Air Elementary School parking lot, 3260 Leechburg Road

Market Square Farmers Market

• Dates: Thursdays, through Oct. 26
• Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Location: Market Square, Pittsburgh

Monroeville Lions Farmers Market

• Dates: Saturdays, through Nov. 18
• Time: 9 a.m. to noon
• Location: Monroeville Mall between Dick’s and Best Buy

Moon Market & Music

• Dates: Second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, through September
• Time: 5 to 9 p.m., through August; 5 to 8 p.m., September
• Location: Moon Park, 1350 Ewing Road

Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market

• Dates: First and third Wednesday of each month, through September
• Time: 4 to 7 p.m.
• Location: Parking lot across from the gazebo, Mt. Pleasant

Renzie Night Market

• Dates: First Thursday of each month through September
• Time: 5:30 to 8 p.m.
• Location: Renzie Park, behind McKeesport Fire Station No. 2, Tulip Drive, McKeesport

Robinson Farmers Market

• Dates: Mondays, through September
• Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Location: Holy Trinity Church parking lot, 5718 Steubenville Pike, McKees Rocks

Ross Township Farmers Market

• Dates: Wednesdays, through October
• Time: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Location: St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church parking lot, 920 Perry Highway

Sewickley Farmers Market

• Dates: Saturdays, through November
• Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Location: St. James Parking Lot, 200 Walnut St., Sewickley

Swissvale Farmers Market

• Dates: Saturdays, through October
• Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Location: Dickson STEAM Academy, 7301 Schoyer Ave.

Tarentum Farmers Market

• Dates: Wednesdays, through mid-October
• Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Location: First United Presbyterian Church parking lot, 913 Lock St., Tarentum

Vandergrift Farmers Market

• Dates: Thursdays, through Oct. 12
• Time: 4 to 6:30 p.m.
• Location: Columbia Avenue parking lot, Vandergrift

Verona Farmers Market

• Dates: Thursdays, through Nov. 16
• Time: 2 to 7 p.m.
• Location: 736 E. Railroad Ave., Verona