Tag: People’s Market

Farmers notebook: Bloomington’s People’s Market helps Farm Aid get fed

Jada Bee of Jada Bee’s Black Witchery
Paradise Apple
The Chile Woman (aka Chile Woman (aka Susan Welsand)
Chili powder packets ground up by The Chili Woman for Farm Aid.
Andre Bispo de Jesus grates cheese from Twilight Dairy for the chef’s at Farm Aid.

This Saturday at First United Church on E. 3rd Street, the People’s Market looked pretty much like it does every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

On one side of fellowship hall, vendors had their tables set up—with cinnamon buns, arepas, tamales, jam, pulled pork, and other ready-to-eat fare.

Towards the side of the room next to the kitchen, CSA shares were lined up on a table, ready for pickup by people who had ordered them in advance.

Setting Saturday apart from an ordinary market day was 500 pounds of cheese from Twilight Dairy, which was sitting on the kitchen work tables.

The Chile Woman (aka Susan Welsand) told The B Square that the cheese had been requested by the organizers of Farm Aid. A crew was grating the blocks into shreds, because that’s how Farm Aid wanted it. Continue reading “Farmers notebook: Bloomington’s People’s Market helps Farm Aid get fed” →

Monthly Vendorfest launches: “We need not worry, if we know our stuff is going to People’s Market!”

Anna with Bivi’s Tamales.
Rose Harding and Erik Anderson with Good Dog Farm.
Jada Bee and Mara Bernstein with Jada Bee’s Black Witchery.
Nic Garza and Marie O’Neill with Outlier Farmstead.
Shanna Poveda shows The B Square one of the elixers she sells through Wild Mint Apothecary.
Susan Wesland is The Chile Woman.
State senator Shelli Yoder gets to the root of the problem.

On Saturday, People’s Market launched its summer Vendorfest series in the southwest parking lot of Rev. Ernest D. Butler Park.

About an hour after Saturday’s 10 a.m. opening, the overcast skies were spitting rain. But the first edition of the third-Saturday-of-the-month event was spared a drenching downpour until just after 2 p.m. when the heavens opened.

For the next three months, People’s Market will be hosting Vendorfest events at Rev. Butler Park—to complement online ordering, which is now available 24/7.

The choice of the third-Saturday pattern was not random. Market organizer Lauren McCalister told The B Square it was chosen because Juneteenth (June 19 every year) falls on the weekend of the third Saturday of June. So the rest of the Saturdays follow the same pattern. Continue reading “Monthly Vendorfest launches: “We need not worry, if we know our stuff is going to People’s Market!”” →

At People’s Market, Santa speaks on climate crisis, potential record warmth at Christmas: “I didn’t cause it, because I use joy and wonder to power my sled.”

Jada Bee with Brussels sprouts at People’s Market on Dec. 25, 2021.
Temperature trends for Bloomington, Indiana from http://scacis.rcc-acis.org/
Winter radishes at People’s Market on Dec. 25, 2021.

This year, Christmas fell on Saturday, the regular day for the weekly People’s Market, which operates from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. out of Full House Fitness on Elm Street.

The market was open for business as usual this Saturday.

Around 10:30 a.m. about a dozen pre-orders sat bagged on a table waiting for pickup. The bags contained still-on-the-stalk Brussels sprouts, heads of cabbage, radishes, and broccoli, among other locally grown produce.

Santa Claus, in the form of Jada Bee, a regular market vendor and organizer, was also on hand to spread some cheer. She quickly swapped out a full Santa beard and hat combo for just a hat, to keep from overheating.

It was plenty warm inside, because the outside temperature at mid-morning had already hit 63 F degrees. Continue reading “At People’s Market, Santa speaks on climate crisis, potential record warmth at Christmas: “I didn’t cause it, because I use joy and wonder to power my sled.”” →

People’s Market notebook: Pumpkin pie is in drag!

This past Saturday, the People’s Market finished up its outdoor season at its Harmony School location on 2nd Street.

The indoor winter season for the market starts next Saturday, Nov. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Full House Fitness.

Readers might remember the place as the former Girls, Inc. location, where 9th Street ends at Elm Street, a couple blocks north of the Banneker Community Center.

On Saturday, The B Square checked in with some of the market vendors and the musical entertainment.

Continue reading “People’s Market notebook: Pumpkin pie is in drag!” →