Market Basket
Leo Jablonski admits he doesn’t come to the South Bend Farmer’s Market much — only about two or three times a year. However, the North Dakota native who moved to the South Bend area about 10 years ago found himself at the market on Tuesday morning to find the right ingredients for a salad.
Lightly squeezing red tomatoes grown by farmers in Nappanee and sold by Bourbon-based Lemler’s Farm, Jablonski admits he doesn’t really know what he’s looking for when picking out the best tomato.
“I have no idea what I’m feeling for, I’m just looking for something good in a salad with cucumbers,” he laughed.
“Usually when you feel them, you’re looking for ripeness,” said Tim Lemler, a fourth-generation owner of the now 20-foot booth selling the variety of vegetables. Lemler, a board member for the market, demonstrated what to look for in the perfect tomato.
“How about these then?” Jablonski asks.
“They’re going to (taste) the same as the others you see here,” Lemler said.
Jablonski paid $3.40 for the two red tomatoes, a bit pricier than in years past, Lemler admits, because of the spring weather. But Jablonski didn’t mind because he got fresh produce and Lemler’s advice.
And if you ask vendors at the market, connecting with consumers is what it’s all about.
National Farmer’s Market Week began Sunday and concludes Saturday. Though the South Bend Farmer’s Market at 1105 Northside Blvd. hasn’t had anything specifically planned to celebrate the week, produce vendors say it’s a great time to pick the best seasonal fruits and vegetables, most of which are plucked from the ground or tree less than 24 hours before they’re in the market.
But what can deter consumers from choosing between a farmers market and a national grocer are the prices. There is a misunderstanding that larger grocers generally have lower prices and more offerings than their local counterparts. But according to a Purdue University agriculture economist study, that may not be entirely true.
Ariana Torres, an assistant professor for the department of horticulture and landscape architecture and agriculture economics at Purdue, has been comparing produce prices from national retailers to farmers markets across six counties in Indiana since 2017. In her 2018 research, she and Orlando Rodriguez, a master’s student, found that prices for fruits and vegetables were generally the same, if not lower, at markets than they were at grocery stores.
“If you’re going to spend $30 for a week on fruit or vegetables and you want seasonality, which is better for nutrition, than you’re better going to a farmers market,” Torres said. “On the consumer side, we take for granted farmers markets and think they are always more expensive and that’s not true. … To me, a very good take on message is if you want a good tomato, you’re going to pay the same and when you’re paying to the farmers market, you’re going to contribute more directly to your local community and the quality is going to be better.”
When pricing out their primarily vegetable produce, brothers Mark and Curt Hetler take into consideration prices at the larger grocery stores. On Tuesday morning, Hetler sells radishes he pulled from the ground 18 hours before for $2 a bunch, varieties of red, green, orange and heirloom tomatoes averaging about $2 a pound and sweet corn at $3 a pound at his booth Hetler Farms.
“I used to get here (at the Farmer’s Market) and run around and see what the other prices were, but now I watch Martin’s, I watch Meijer and I watch Walmart,” said Mark Hetler. “I want to be somewhere in the market prices for customers.”
But pricing isn’t everything for Hetler. The market board member and farmer who has been coming to the South Bend market since 1990 reiterated there’s more to the market than the prices.
“At the market, you’re getting a quality local product that’s coming out of a field less than 50 miles away and it was picked less than 24 hours ago and, if you’re lucky, you get to talk to a grower,” Hetler said. “Communication is big at a market because that’s when you really know where your food is coming from.”
Have you heard?
Half Price Books announced it will open its new Mishawaka store in Wilshire Plaza on Oct. 17. The Dallas-based entertainment company sells new and used books, along with movies, music, textbooks and more. It will fill the former Fun F/X location next to JoAnn Fabrics at 5610 Grape Road. … Walmart in Mishawaka will soon launch its grocery pickup option. The store at 316 Indian Ridge Blvd. will allow customers to shop online and quickly pick up groceries without having to leave their cars at no additional cost. A spokesperson said the program will be launched this month. Shoppers may notice blocked out parking spaces for customers to use for grocery pickup orders in the coming weeks. … Rocco’s Restaurant at 537 N. St. Louis Blvd. in South Bend is back from its summer vacation. Its hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to midnight.
Where: 1105 Northside Blvd.
Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Contact: Call 574-282-1259 or visit www.southbendfarmersmarket.com to see vendor lists, events and seasonal produce.