Growing Greenup

Growing Greenup

Anne Stephens

For The Ashland Beacon

Wow – an awesome premiere event took place at the Greenup County Extension Office on Friday, August 15: Taste of the Market 2025! At 6pm, 50 ticket-holders gathered to enjoy and learn more about the Greenup County Farmers Market. This was not a fundraiser event. This was an actual taste of the market that included a multiple course meal featuring ingredients purchased from the vendors of the Greenup County Farmers Market.

The organizing team was made up of market vendors – both producers and artisan makers. One of the things that makes the Greenup County Farmers Market special is the handcrafted and homemade items you can find there. The yearly cadre of vendors are all approved through an application process that includes food safety certifications for all consumable products. Artisans are also approved by an application process. This group of vendors has come together to support each other and promote the skill and talent we have in our home community.

Event chair, Cassie Mace, is an artisan vendor and local public healthcare professional. As one of the agent advisors, I can say that I watched her bring a team together and make a great event idea come to life! Everything from planning, budgeting, gathering of items, sale of tickets, food preparation with food safety protocols, room setup, décor, orchestrating of the actual event, and clean up was handled by this group of volunteers. That is no small feat!     

A goal of serving 50 people was met. The intention was to provide an experience for people to taste familiar and new items/recipes, meet the farmers, learn about the market, and have a nice time together. That is exactly what happened. Here is a breakdown of the menu:

Opening Course

Various fresh breads with selected spreads, seasoned popcorn, and sausage balls

banana bread & homestyle bread - Miller’s Farm

sourdough bread - 606 Sourdough

strawberry jam & pepper jelly - Sarah’s Strawberries Farm

honey - R&J Farm

blue goose jelly- Sweet Bee Gardens

popcorn – The Homeplace

sausage balls - B&T Powell’s Farm

Salad Course

Citrus Kale Salad with sweet dressing

kale - 9 Bulldog Farms

red onion - Howard’s Garden Patch

Soup Course

Cold cucumber soup

cucumbers - Howards Garden Patch

basil - Old Silo Farm

honey - R&J Farm

garlic cloves - Howards Garden Patch

mint - The Goat Lady Farm

Main Course

Pulled pork, brisket, vegetable casserole (vegetarian entree), potato salad, roasted vegetables, cucumber relish, and pickled vegetables.

pork - B&T Powell’s Farm

beef brisket - R&J Farm

*all meat prepared by B&T’s food truck

BBQ Sauce - Sweet Bee Gardens

potatoes - Howards Garden Patch

carrots - 9 Bulldogs Farms

green beans and candy onions - Miller’s Farm

cucumber relish - Sarah’s Strawberries Farm

squash and zucchini - R&J Farm

cucumbers - Howards Garden Patch & Miller’s Farm

Dessert Course

Coal Miner Cake – Sweet Bee Gardens

gluten free brownies - Naomi’s Baked Goods

almond cake – The Grumpy Bavarian

red watermelon - Miller’s Farm

yellow watermelon - Howard’s Garden Patch

angel food cake - Naomi’s Baked Goods

fruit salad - Sunny Brooke Farm

Drinks

water, tea, coffee and flavored lemonade

blackberry & strawberry lemonade - Sweet Bee Gardens

Special thanks to our guest, Cara Stewart from KCARD, the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development. Cara enjoyed dinner with us and shared with the crowd about KCARD and what they do to support farmers markets across Kentucky. Our market has worked with KCARD to prepare the items needed to qualify for the grant that helped build the new pavilion such as a business plan and a financial statement.

You can find the Greenup County Farmers Market open for business on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and Tuesdays, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. There is always a food truck there too so you can shop, purchase items to take home, and breakfast/lunch/dinner ready to eat. The giant pavilion with a blue roof is located beside the Greenup County Extension Office, 35 Wurtland Avenue, Wurtland, KY – directly across US 23 from the Industrial Parkway intersection. There is parking behind the building that you can’t see from the front. Trust the signs and drive around the back, which is where you’ll find the main market entrance. I’ll see you there!

For more information, contact Anne Stephens, Agent for Community Arts and Development in Greenup County. 606.836.0201 anne.stephens@uky.edu 35 Wurtland Avenue, Wurtland, KY 41144 The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.  University of Kentucky, Kentucky State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Kentucky counties, cooperating.