Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Summer Exploration: Sheyenne Farmers Market is 10 years old and growing
Five-year-old Cordell Myhre, pictured above, is one of several youth selling their locally-grown produce and homemade goodies at the market.
Joanna Larson, one of the founding members of the Sheyenne Farmers Market, got her start selling garden vegetables when she was just 12 years old. This fall, she will be a senior at North Dakota State University studying Agriculture & Biosystems Engineering.
View from the corner of Main Street and Richter Avenue as the farmers market gets underway July 21.
Saturday mornings in Sheyenne aren't as quiet as one might think. In fact, at the corner of U.S. Highway 281 and Richter Avenue, it is down right busy with foot traffic as market-goers make their way to the Sheyenne Farmers Market.
For some it's become a tradition, to show up early with a hot cup of coffee and enjoy fresh baked goodies. Others hone in on the variety of fruits and veggies freshly harvested from the garden fields of Doris Griffin, Joanna Larson and the Myhre family. And if that isn't enough, Linda Winning offers something really special: her own orchard grown juneberries. Later in the season, we can expect to see Stan and Marilyn Kruger selling raspberries and an assortment of melons.
This year the Sheyenne Farmers Market marks its tenth year in operation. It began as a joint effort between Pastor Sharon Lucas, Stan Kruger and a quite young Joanna Larson. Over the years a number of other vendors have come and gone over, bringing with them fresh apples, sweet corn, farm eggs, breads, pickles, jams and jellies. As a high school student, Emily Swenson joined the market with her fresh baked goodies, the profits of which helped her pay for college. Another young baker, Collin Hanson, son of Bob and Diane Hanson, sold his handmade breads and pies at the market as well.
Janice Ferry was another talented baker who brought her goods the market. Her specialty was homemade donuts, and they were always quick to sell out. For the last few years, Sandra Larson has filled the niche at the market with her homemade cookies and rolls. This year, though, Sandra is passing the torch and the recipe book, to a new generation of up-and-comings: Jacob Louters and Faith Tjelta will be teaming up to fill the selection of baked goods at the market.
One of the youngest members of the market is Cordell Myhre, who is just 5 years old. Cordell naturally falls into the role of "sales manager" at his family's vegetable stand. Cordell's enthusiasm for his products shows, as he helped all the way from the planting to the harvesting, and now the selling of these veggies: cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, beets, onions, and two kinds of beans: green and purple. Yes purple!
Cordell was happy to explain, "They are just like green beans, but when you cook them, the purple color disappears and beans turn green."
"They're easier to pick from the plants too, because you can see them better," his mom, Shirley, added. Cordell was quick to agree. It only makes sense that Shirley would pick up some useful garden tricks, like planting purple beans, to make harvest a little easier. She does much of the work with Cordell and his younger brother, Weston, at her side. They are learning what it takes to grow vegetables, but even more, they are growing a business that can grow with them. "I can see the vegetable business being called C&W Farm someday," Shirley said, looking to Cordell with a hopeful grin.
The Sheyenne Farmers Market runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., from the middle of July until early October as weather permits. The selection of products changes with the seasons, and the best always goes first, so arrive early.
