Most people think of the Farmers Market is a spring and summer activity. However, the Historic McKinney Farmers Market at Chestnut Square is year round, rain or shine. During the winter months, the market is held the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, but beginning April and running through Thanksgiving, the market is in full swing - every Saturday - 8am-noon.
When the 2016 full season begins April 2, the market will open with a renewed focus on local the produce. During the cooler months, market organizers recruited five new produce vendors, and along with the steering committee made up of farmers, ranchers and producers, created a new product identification program for consumer education.
“Our focus is Texas, obviously” said Mary Lee Homan, part time employee and Market Manager, “and within 150 miles if we can. But we know our customers love the mushrooms they get from Gonzales, or the fruit our vendors source from east or west Texas.” The new Product ID program requires that every product is tagged with its origin, so the consumer knows where it comes from, and if the vendor is the producer. All booths, including craft stalls, are required to grow or make a minimum of 60% of what they sell. “Look for bright green cards at every booth, and if you can’t find them, ask! We encourage customers to have a relationship with the vendors, an experience you can't get at any grocery store, even ones that advertise “local” produce.
Over 50 food vendors and 15 art and craft vendors will be on hand this year, the eighth since the market moved to Chestnut Square. “We are land-locked”, said Jaymie Pedigo, Executive Director of the Heritage Guild of Collin County, owner of Chestnut Square. “We’d love to take the 20 or so vendors on our waiting list, but it’s just not possible. We don’t have any place to put them. We will already have vendors on the porches of our houses, and along the street. We're using every inch of real estate we can, without infringing on our prolific wedding business, which is obviously very active on Saturdays.”
Often new vendors start at Adriatica, which has a smaller customer base, in order to ensure they can keep up with the demand. The market at Adriatica will open May 5th this year, and return every Thursday through September, from 3-6pm.
For market updates and more information, follow the Historic McKinney Farmers Market on Facebook.