(The Oakland Press file photo) Anissa Howard and Lynne Millies, both of Clarkston, cofounded the Clarkston Farmer’s Market.

The cucumbers and squash are growing, blueberries ripening, wool being spun, and honey being readied for the Clarkston Farmer’s Market, which opened Saturday. Market Manager Anissa Howard has been hard at work since the first of the year, lining up growers and businesses to fill the forty plus stalls at the Clarkston market.

Howard says, “Clarkston is a really good area, and the farmers appreciate the people in Clarkston. Several of the growers only do our market.”

“The growers come from a 100 mile radius. You will meet the farmer that grew the produce,“ Howard shared. The Clarkston Farmer’s Market does not open until mid July as there is not enough produce to sustain a whole market.

Market items featured this summer include a wide selection of conventional and heirloom fruits and vegetables, organics and fairly traded items such as coffee in the bean and teas, honey, jams, salsas and dips, pies, cheesecakes and baked goods, breads and pastries, hand milled soaps and body products, furniture, pottery, metalwork, garden art, hand-dyed and spun alpaca fiber, watercolor art, hand-spun un-dyed llama fiber and fertilizer by the bag, cheese and pickles, maple syrup, a variety of peanut butters, berries and granola.

Howard wants the community to feel comfortable asking the growers questions and learning more about where to get these products during the market’s off season. “A couple of our growers run Community Supported Agriculture and Buying Clubs that include delivery of locally grown products,” Howard said.

The Farmer’s Market is on Depot Road across from Depot Park. Howard is thankful for the parking lot space donated by local businessmen, Bob Roth and Ed Adler.

The market is run by a volunteer committee of community members. “The small team of volunteers was started with great respect for people who grow food and learning from the family farm,” said Howard. Volunteers are always needed to answer questions, help buyers and vendors and set up and take down the market. The market is a non profit but costs are incurred for such items as insurance, advertising, phone and the Web site.

To earn funds to run the Farmer’s Market Bolga Baskets from Ghana are available for sale. The baskets are made by master weavers in the village of Zaare in the Bolga and Bongo Districts of Ghana. The baskets are a work of art, and can be used to take produce home from the market.

Howard was one of the original founding members of the Farmer’s Market. She relates that she literally drove around the community and knocked on peoples’ doors to see if they were interested in selling their produce and wares at a community market in the beginning. Today, word of mouth has brought many vendors to the market.

Many of the vendors are working to create organic farms. Howard says, “There are many types of organic farming. Some are certified organic farms by the USDA and they should have a sign at their booth. There are a handful of growers in a niche called bio dynamic methods of growing. These farmers do certain soil treatments and have a calendar for certain growing seasons. Other vendors are in the process of becoming certified organic or are certified “naturally grown”. Some farms due to their locations cannot be certified because of nearby golf courses and the treatments put on the course.

Howard says “there were lots of requests from the community for heirloom vegetables last season and the vendors are producing more heirloom vegetables this year.” Heirloom plants were commonly grown during earlier periods in history and are not used in modern large scale agriculture. Heirloom vegetables and plants are some of the original plants that were brought from Europe when the settlers came to America. These plants have not been genetically altered and many heirloom vegetables have kept their traits through open pollination.

Howard invites the community to come and meet the new vendors see their wares and produce and say welcome back to vendors from last year. There will be something for every member of the community at the Saturday Farmer’s Market. The Sweet Briar String band will be playing at the market as well as other musical groups from the community.