“This time of year we're still harvesting a lot of cool season crops like: kale, parsley, cabbage, turnips, beets, carrots and lettuce,” said Scott Snodgrass co-owner of Agmenity. Agmenity manages the community farm.
In addition to selling the community grown produce, the market also sells honey, cheese, spices, and other items.
“We love working with local producers and honey is no exception to that,” said Snodgrass. “We work with multiple beekeepers - all who harvest their honey within 100 miles of the market - to provide honey and other bee related products to our market shoppers.”
Although the market began as a monthly event, support from the residents of Harvest Green, as well as demand from the surrounding communities, prompted them to hold it weekly.
“We've also seen a great deal of interest from other residents of Fort Bend County who come to our events and markets to do some local shopping,” he said.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of farmers markets cropping up around the country increased by 2.3 percent in 2016 over the previous year. Since 1994, farmers markets have seen an 80 percent increase.
A study conducted by the Economic Research Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, concluded that farmers markets and local suppliers are better able to provide detailed information about where and how items were produced.
Snodgrass encourages people to visit the farmers market in order to support local business and to allow consumers the opportunity understand how their food was grown.
“We believe that shopping at farmers markets is very important as it creates local economies that support the production of sustainable and ethical food.,” said Snodgrass. “While major corporations may also produce quality products like these, it is often hard to determine if they are produced in a manner that the consumer respects. Shopping directly with the producers of goods allows customers to verify that the products are produced in a manner that they wish to support.”
