Grab your reusable grocery bags and apply your homemade deodorant, because Sioux County has two farmers markets around the area that anyone – granola girls and cowboys alike – can enjoy. Throughout the summer and early fall, Northwest Iowa hosts farmers markets once a week in order to give local vendors the chance to sell their produce and goods. This also gives buyers the opportunity to find locally sourced food and trinkets. Every Wednesday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Sioux Center hosts a farmers market in their Centre Mall parking lot, and every Saturday from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. in Orange City, you can find booths of vendors down Central Avenue.
Now, upon hearing the term “farmers market,” it is natural to experience some confusion. Is it a market for farmers specifically? Is it a market made up of farmers? Is it a market that sells farmers? Or is this some weird, small town FarmersOnly.com? The answer is a bit of everything. (except the selling farmers part. That’s not cool). Farmers markets are opportunities for people of the community to share what they are passionate about, and to make a profit to support their business and families. This tradition of creating spaces for small businesses to thrive dates back thousands of years, and it continues to be a space that gives people today the chance to advertise and share their craft.
The Orange City farmers market features a variety of vendors and booths and is sure to have something for everyone. Fresh produce makes up the majority of what is offered, but there are also crocheted goods, potted plants, fresh flowers, honey, eggs and homemade baked goods. Junior Elliana Zerr, frequent market attendee, says that “It’s such a fun way to get outside, spend some time with friends, and to meet nice people from the community!”
Senior produce-enthusiast Clara Pahl echoes this statement, saying that “It is a small but mighty market with lots of local honey and cute dogs.”
In addition to cute dogs, you can also find items that are locally sourced, ethically made and environmentally friendly. For instance, one stand sells reusable crocheted dish sponges and another offers shampoo bars, which eliminate the use of single use items and plastic bottles. This is a great opportunity for students who are looking to try their hand at sustainability but might not know where to start.
The Sioux Center market includes similar opportunities, but the main vendor is Cornucopia: a farm that supplies many of the local businesses with their produce. They offer a monthly subscription-style system, where you can sign up for your “share,” and then pick up a bag of fresh produce once a month. This provides a steady source of vegetables and gives the farm steady business.
There are still benefits for those who aren’t looking to shop: farmers markets offer chances to meet new people and get involved with the community. For instance, one vendor had a flower picking event that they put up signs for, which many college students would not have known about if not for going to the market. Furthermore, as college students, it is so easy to stay in the campus bubble and forget that there are real people with real jobs just a half mile away. Northwestern is not the only thriving community in Orange City, and by getting out and shopping locally, students are able to form connections and gain opportunities that academia does not offer. The markets are a great opportunity to meet local people, get connected with nature and to invest in the city that has already invested so much in to the college.
