The hidden gem of Iowa City

Early morning goers were already departing with their new green bags filled with fresh produce and balancing boxes of new plants, rested precariously on their shoulders. Streams of sunlight were starting to filter through the trees, lighting up the area that was already filling with families and friends, the old and young alike. It was one of the first truly, bright, sunny days since a while, and the trees had just turned green again. People were clustered into groups, talking and munching on their breakfasts, some eating a Jamaican burrito, and others a donut. Vendors were attracting early morning customers, the regulars; reuniting with old ones and greeting the new. The Iowa City Farmer’s Market takes place in downtown Iowa City from 7:30-12:00 every Saturday from the beginning of May until the end of October.

As the 2017 Iowa City Farmers Market gets back into the swing of things after a 6 month hibernation, it appears that everything has been dusted off and kicked into full gear. Spring is turning to summer, and Washington Street is turning with it; still teeming with people, creating a vibrant atmosphere filled with laughter and the hustle and bustle of a typical market; but this is not your typical market. Many people come bearing cloth bags and buy freshly harvested corn, apples, vegetables and jams, and rare is it to find a person leaving empty handed. Most depart carrying a bag or three bustling with their finds for the week; a bag of noodles from ZaZa’s, a pie from IC Pies, coffee from Cafe del Sol, kale from the Grinnell farm, or whatever other treasures they found. The Iowa City Farmers Market is a hidden gem of Iowa City, where people come together to form a community.

As people return to the farmer’s market, some go to vendors from previous, and others branch off and find new vendors. Long lines form at old favorites: Griddle me this and Banditos, filled with parents, friends, bikers, and children, all waiting for breakfast. Emma and David*, a young couple enjoying their breakfast, say they come here every Saturday for the Jamaican Wrap Me Up burrito from Banditos. “The atmosphere here is definitely lively, and it smells good,” they answered together.

Marilee Feldman, who sells fibers and products from her llamas and alpacas, always has a good time conversing with her customers. This is here second year back at the market, and she returned because of the atmosphere and friendliness about the market. Feldman loves what she does. Everyday after work, she sits down and does her ‘homework’ before treating herself to the ‘dessert’; spending time with the llamas and fiber. Ever since Feldman got her first llama, she said “I wanted an alpaca and then I wanted more, and I wanted more, and I wanted more.” While it’s a lot of work to make the products and care for the animals, Feldman loves being selling at the market. “Being a vendor is just about loving your product and sharing it,” she says. “I think, for someone who wants to sell, they need to find something they’re passionate about, and then it sells itself.”

One reason for the interaction is because this is one of the only places where people can talk directly to the farmers who produce their food. “This is a community space, where people can ask the farmers about how they do their produce,” explained Claire, one of the volunteers at the farmer’s market.

Akash Bhalerad, a young man toting a backpack, is a monthly visitor to the market. His favorite thing about the market is being able to enjoy this fresh food with the farmers who produced it. “[My favorite thing are] the people as a whole and the positive morning energy. I don’t know if I would call it celebrating produce and fresh food, but enjoying and living it,” he said. Sophia Finster, a friend at the market with Bhalerad, tries to go there every week. “We don’t usually get to see who actually grows our food,” said Finster. This level of interaction is rare, and these young college students seem to be making the most of it. Local farming has become especially important lately with the increased use of genetically modified seeds as well as fertilizers.

In the midst of this bustling crowd, you can see people strolling about, and vendors leaning over to hear their customers over the sounds. Most of all though, people notice the energy and atmosphere around this place. “It’s kind of like a carnival,” Paul, a customer said, relaxing with his friend on a bench. Feldman said, “Every time you come out here, it’s like a community gathering with everyone.”

Mills, the vendor who sells mushrooms also enjoys the environment created by the marketplace. “It’s an awesome environment. It’s kind of one big neighborhood. They’re great in Iowa City,” added Mills.

One customer wearing a vibrant red hat and scarf, strolled through the market at a casual pace. Cheryl Hetherington comes every week, and converses with the vendors and friends while she’s there. “It just feels like a happy thing about Iowa City,” Hetherington said.  

There is, however, a definite shift in the atmosphere between the early morning crowd and the later one. “At the beginning of the market people are looking to grab things and go. Right around 10 o’clock, people are here just to spend some time to learn and to shop,” Feldman said. One of these customers, Tim Barries was munching on a large bag of popcorn outside on the street. “[It’s nice to see] the community coming together with local ingredients and meeting your neighbors and what not,” said Barries as he ate another handful of popcorn. Barries comes to the market for the popcorn and enjoys the welcoming atmosphere.

And then there’s the customers who stay for the whole market. Paul and Quinton are two old friends who meet at the market every Saturday. They don’t see each other outside of this time, so they make an effort to come every week. These two men can be seen sitting on a black bench for most of the market, talking and eating,or walking around. “I like to call myself the mayor of the farmer’s market,” said Paul. “He likes to think everything is orderly because of his presence,” responded Quinton with a chuckle as he waved to a friend passing by. These two friends are often agreeing and finishing each other’s sentences. After Paul described the farmer’s market as a carnival Quinton added,“It’s a community too.” To which Paul agreed, “Yeah, a community too. That’s a good word for it.” Paul and Quinton notice everything, pointing out that there is an interesting mix of people at the market. “I guess it’s because I sit and watch the people,” says Paul.

The Iowa City Farmers Market is quite the experience, although the vendors are exhausted by the time noon rolls around on Saturdays. Dale Buck, a vendor who sells eggs at the market, gets up at 4:30 on Saturdays to prepare. Others, such as Carrie Wall have to deliver their produce to multiple places before going to the farmer’s market. Wall delivers to four HyVees in the morning before coming. Harriet Wager typically only gets one hour of sleep the night before the market because she wants to make sure her products are as fresh as possible. While all of this sounds exhausting enough to not come, the vendors return year after year because of how special this farmer’s market is. Wager said, “I would say that the Iowa City Farmer’s Market, out of all the ones I’ve done over the years is the best one there is.”

*some people didn’t want to state their last name