Millwood farmers’ market starts Wednesday

It’s one of those ideas that fits so well that you wonder why it hasn’t been done before now.

Millwood Community Presbyterian Church will host a community farmers’ market beginning Wednesday.

The market is a ministry of the church and will feature goods from local farmers and artisans. The church expects to play host to vendor offering a variety of products, from local farm-raised beef and seasonal produce to artisan breads, flowers, plants, herbs and fruits.

The number of vendors each week will vary as will the variety of products and produce available, depending on the season.

“I walked around and talked to the people who live right around the church to let them know what we were going to be doing,” Millwood Presbyterian Pastor Craig Goodwin said. “One of our neighbors said ‘How in the world could anyone object to something like this?’ I hope that’s the feeling everyone has.

“We’ve received wonderful support for this from the community.”

The church parking lot is an ample setting for the market, as is the Millwood community.

“This whole area is the kind of place that was made for people to stroll through and enjoy,” Goodwin said. “

In addition to the market, the church will offer live music.

“We still haven’t decided exactly where we’re going to set that up, yet,” Goodwin said. “We’re still working on that. We may put them across the street.

The idea of buying fresh, locally produced fruits and vegetables is one that has seen an increase in support. A number of studies have shown that eating fresh produce in season has a definite health benefit in addition to tasting better.

“Our farmers tell us that the fruits and vegetables they will have for sale will most likely be picked fresh the morning they come to market,” Goodwin said. “The nutritional value they have is so much greater the fresher they are.”

Anyone who has ever bitten into a fresh-picked, ripe strawberry knows, the fresher it is, the better it is.

Vendor information, as well as market information, is available on the church’s Web site, www.millwoodpc.org. Rules for the market are simple: Items need to be made by, grown by or otherwise brought to the market by the people selling them. No wholesale or used goods are allowed, and 60 percent of gross sales need to be from produce, thus limiting the number of craft items available for sale.

Organizing vendors for the market include: Arabesque Farms, Susie David’s Cattle Co., Elithorp Farms, Ly Lo’s Garden and The Rocket Bakery.