Note: Check with the KCK Farmers Market Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kckfarmersmarket to see if it will be open in the event of a storm.
The KCK Farmers Market opens Sunday, May 16, in the Rosedale area of Kansas City, Kansas.
The market’s hours will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays at 4020 Rainbow Blvd.
This year, the KCK Farmers Market will be open at two locations, according to Stephanie Moore, board chair of the group.
The downtown Farmers Market location will open Wednesday, May 19, in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, in the parking lot of the Merc Co-op at 5th and Minnesota Avenue. Then, the downtown Farmers Market location at 5th and Minnesota also will be open on Saturday, May 22.
Hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Merc Co-op parking lot will be 8 a.m. to noon. The Merc location is new this year, Moore said.
She said the farmers market is having a soft opening for two weeks until crops get a little more mature, and the market may grow as the year proceeds.
“Pretty much all the farmers are from within the metro,” Moore said.
There are some from Wyandotte County, and also surrounding areas such as Miami County, she added. There are also some New Roots for Refugee farmers from Catholic Charities.
All the fruits and vegetables come from within a four-state area, with many closer to the metropolitan area, she said.
Last year they saw vendors selling fruits and vegetables that were in season, mushrooms, jams, jellies and other items. She’s heard a vendor this year will offer hand-made brooms, and also has a hot-dog stand.
Moore said the farmers market is much different from a chain grocery store. The chain grocery typically will get its food from across the nation, with some fruits and vegetables from California or other places.
The farmers market, as well as the Merc Co-Op, focuses on local farmers.
“It’s much fresher, it’s harvested when it’s supposed to be, and not ripening on the truck,” Moore said.
When asked about prices, Moore said she wants to say they’re comparable, but local often costs a little more than chain grocery store prices. That’s because the chain stores buy in bulk, she said, and often the farmer isn’t handpicking the fruits and vegetables. Overhead is a little different, as there is typically a small increase in price to pay for the local produce and to support local farmers, she said.
Moore said the KCK Farmers Market has operated almost 20 years. Originally the KCK Green Market, an organic initiative through EPA support, it changed to a farmers market as they discovered it was hard to meet all the requirements through the entire food chain.
The Rosedale market started in 2009, she said. The KCK and Rosedale farmers markets merged in 2020.
The downtown farmers market formerly was at 6th and Tauromee and has moved three blocks this year to the parking lot of the Merc Co-op. The Merc opened at 5th and Minnesota last July.
The farmers markets accept debit and credit cards, Snap and cash. EBT-SNAP users’ funds will last twice as long with “Double Up Bucks.” Senior vouchers also will be accepted.
Moore says she enjoys going to farmers markets.
“I love seeing the farmer, and I love to ask him about the product and why they grow it, and how to cook it, how to prepare it and what’s a good recipe for it,” she said.
With the participants from New Roots for Refugees, Moore said she has seen some vegetables at the farmers markets that she had not seen before. “Our New Roots for Refugees farmers like to grow what they know,” she added.
The KCK Farmers Market hours:
Rosedale, open Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until sellout, 4020 Rainbow Blvd.
Downtown KCK , open Wednesdays starting May 19 from 8 a.m. to noon or until sellout, at the Merc Co-Op parking lot, 501 Minnesota Ave.
Downtown KCK, also open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon or until sellout, at the Merc Co-op parking lot, 501 Minnesota Ave.
Sunday’s farmers market in Rosedale will be rain or shine and will stay open unless there is lightning, Moore said. People may check the KCK Farmers Market Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kckfarmersmarket to see if there are any changes because of the weather.