Saturday, May 25, 2013

Woodlawn Nature Center's Harvest Market

I was at Woodlawn Nature Center early on Friday and decided to stay for the grand opening of it's Harvest Market for the season.


While there were just 4 vendors, I still found enough to spend almost $20 on various items at great prices. 




It was fun to talk to the vendors! The plant to the above left is a "mosquito plant". It smells like citronella. I had to go back and smell it a couple of times! The asparagus and rhubarb looked great. I have never used rhubarb and asked about how to use it. The friendly farmer whipped out a recipe to try! We'll see how the rhubarb cake goes--sounds delicious!

There were a couple of craft vendors. These wood boxes and clocks were very pretty. I loved the natural touches!



This crafter does all kinds of things--painting, woodwork, crocheting, etc. He does it all! 


This farmer from Bristol had many plants for sale. I wanted herbs earlier, but they were almost $4 at the garden store. These were only $1.50-$2.50, which I thought was very reasonable. I bought a whole range to get started on more herbs in the garden. 



They had dried herbs as well. I snagged some chamomile. To be honest, I didn't know what all the herbs were. A great added benefit of a farmer's market is the wisdom passed from generations and helpful hints shared with one another. This couple shared several helpful tidbits of information to help me understand how to plant potatoes and uses for herbs.


A reporter from The Elkhart Truth was talking to Bill Griffin, the organizer of the Harvest Market, sharing the history. The Harvest Market has been running for 6 years.


There was a steady stream of shoppers while I was there.


Ribbon Cutting Ceremony! I even participated as President of the Board at Woodlawn Nature Center. The mayor sent a whole crew of people to represent the City of Elkhart!




Before leaving, I saw a beautiful butterfly with orange on the undersides. More butterflies are flitting about these days!


There are several special days coming up at the Harvest Market, such as Living Trails Kids Day and National Get Outdoors Day! These should be great days to visit!