From dive to destination

By Jeff Say

Published: May 28, 2008

Nineteen years ago the parking lot on the corner of Davis and Commerce streets was filled with drunks and drug dealers. The lot smelled of urine and it wasn’t exactly what you’d call a hotspot for tourists in Culpeper.

Now the smell of urine has been replaced by the aroma of fresh cut flowers. The drab lot is now colorfully adorned with red, pink and white flowers. Instead of being barren with only a few stragglers mingling, now families walk the lot every Saturday, inundated with friendly chatter from vendors hawking their goods.

What was once a place no one would visit has now become the talk of the town with the Downtown Farmer’s Market bringing in crowds every April through October.

The lot isn’t the only thing that has changed, so has the market itself. What was once a small gathering of local farmers has bloomed into a weekend tradition, one that has 30 farmers selling their produce, meat and eggs.

“This market has expanded quite a bit,” Farmer’s Market manager Tom Henneman said. “Not only is it a place to come get produce, baked goods and flowers, but it has become a fun place to be as a social event.”

Part of the growth can be attributed to Culpeper Renaissance Inc., which took over the market three years ago. Since then the market has grown and has become known as a place to be on Saturday mornings. Farmers rub shoulders with the mayor and commonwealth’s attorney as families meander along, greeting friends — new and old.

Sarah Thompson, shopping at Simply Sage on Saturday with her husband Nate, daughter Regan and son Rowan, was picking through the shop’s selection of spices — all organic.

Thompson and her family recently moved from Fredericksburg and have been to the Farmer’s Market twice already.

Having two young children spurred her into looking for more organic food, and the Farmer’s Market has plenty of variety.

“I didn’t know much (about organic) so I had to learn about making my own baby food,” Thompson said.

Plenty to offer
At the center of the festivities on any given Saturday is Henneman. He greets newcomers as they enter the lot and mingles, usually putting in a good word about the hydrophonic lettuce he sells at his booth. Manager of the market since last July, Henneman is still amazed at how much has changed in such a short amount of time.

“CRI came in and revitalized the area,” Henneman said. “This place has really come back. People really want to be at the Farmer’s Market.”

And CRI is still making improvements. This year they partnered with the Piedmont Environmental Council as part of the organization’s “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” campaign.

CRI and the PEC are partnering together to have special events through the summer such as having local chefs show how to cook recipes using ingredients from the market, local artists displaying their works and even musicians entertaining the crowd.

“We’re excited about the number of people attending,” CRI director Diane Logan said. “It’s wonderful to see people stop by and visit and meet friends and family.

Michelle Wiley of the PEC points out that having a Farmer’s market is a boost not only for the community but also for the farmer as well.

“It makes it convenient, it’s much more effective than driving down dirt roads to get to a farm,” Wiley said. “It’s extremely important to strengthen the bond between the farmer and the community.”

From small to large
Nineteen years ago the Farmer’s Market was small, being held in the parking lot behind the State Theatre.

Terry Osborn of Corvallis Farms is one of the vendors who can remember selling from that parking lot.

“This was an end of Davis Street that you didn’t want to come to,” Osborn remembered. “Now it’s full of vendors. It’s a full-circle difference.”

Valerie Huffman of Piedmont Growers of Fauquier County has been coming to Culpeper for 17 years. She remembers it being only producers at the market, and the number of vendors has nearly doubled.

“It’s a great atmosphere, we love talking to people,” Huffman said. “It’s a fun place to be.”

Jeff Say can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 115 or at .

Who’s there?
Below is a sampling of vendors at the Downtown Farmer’s Market, and a full list of all the vendors participating this year. The Farmer’s Market is every Saturday through October from 7:30 a.m. to noon. at the corner of East Davis and Commerce streets.

Hanging Moon Farm
What they have: Canned products — pickles, jam, pickled pepers, fresh chicken and turkey eggs, exotic vegetables, heirloom tomatoes
Turkey eggs?: “It’s wonderful. If you bake with it, it makes everything richer.”

Rice Poultry and Produce
What they have: Americana eggs (blue and green), cantaloupes, tomatoes
Gone to the birds: Rice and his wife raise and sell chickens and eggs

Corvallis Farms
What they have: Spinach, lettuce, sugar-snap peas, fresh cut flowers, berries, heirloom tomatoes and red and orange peppers.
Big business: Corvallis Farms owner Terry Osborn sees business rise when they have spinach in stock and has noticed more customers coming out to buy produce because they know where it’s coming from.

Piedmont Growers
What they have: Lettuce, spring onions, strawberries, potatoes

Kimberlie’s Creative Designs
What they have: Kimberlie Giltin creates custom silk arrangements
Is that real?: Customers have been known to come up and smell Giltin’s creations, thinking they are real.
Want one?:

Silk Ear Farm/Northern Piedmont Beekeepers Association
What they have: Honey, and lot’s of it. But they also have goats milk and honey soap and other honey related products
Bee nice: Want to know more about bees? Then this is the place for you. These beekeepers will update you on the “buzz” about bees, telling you everything you want to know about the growing hobby.

Simply Sage
What they have: All organic herbs, they offer rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley, fresh flowers, edible flowers, raspberries, grapes, cherries, grass-fed beef, free-range pastured poultry and eggs, honey
Plant your own: Get tired of buying fresh herbs at the grocery? Simply Sage sells herbs that you plant in your garden on in a pot in your kitchen, use them when you need them and they keep replenishing themselves.

Pannill’s Gate Farm Grass fed Beef
What they have: 100 percent grass fed beef, any size, just about any cut
Why grass fed?: Grass fed cattle spend their entire lives on pasture (while most cattle is fed grain later in their lives). Grass fed beef eat nothing but grass and it leads to a different result at the dinner table.

Summer Creek Farm
What they have: Frozen lamb cuts, whole freezer lambs, eggs
That’s interesting: Summer Creek Farm offers a sweet Italian lamb sausage along with a spicier sausage.

Vendor list
Jerry M. Ferguson Sr., Corvallis Farms, Karen and Ricky Rice, Sara Smith, Piedmont Growers, Silk Ear Farm/ Northern Piedmont Beekpers, Kimberlie’s Creative Designs, Sunshine Acres, Pasture Prime, Simply Sage, Brenda’s Sweets, C&T Produce, Jeanne Copperthite, Feather Frenzy Farm, Clover Hill Farm, Pleasant Hill Farm, Hattie’s Doggy Bite Bakery, FLores Produce, Ruth Jones, Master Gardener Program, Summer Creek Farm, Brandon’s Place, Hanging Moon Farm, Pannill’s Gate Farm, Morningside Farm & Nursery, LLC, Ness Designs, The Unbridled Bakery, Rabbit Hill Gardens, Anteseedent, Kimberly Swogger