When people think of a farmers market, thoughts often go to pleasant summer mornings browsing the harvest of local farmers and gardeners. What, then, would a winter farmers market entail? According to Jamie Woelke. it’s a warm, festive time where anyone can get locally-made produce and other goodies. Woelke is the organizer and sole produce vendor for the Amarillo Winter Farmers’ Market, and she recently stopped in to talk with HPPR’s Nicole Crawford about the ongoing event, and what people can expect to find at a winter farmers market. To hear the interview, click the link at the top of the page.
“The main difference between a traditional farmers market and what we are doing is that we are indoors. When it's cold outside, you can come on in, we have the heaters going, and you can still shop at the farmers market,” Woelke said.
When asked about what shoppers can expect to see at the winter farmers’ market, Wolke gave some familiar examples, and explained how she is able to grow produce when other producers are in their off-seasons. “I grow hydroponic produce indoors — that is, growing with water instead of soil — at the market year-round,” Woelke explained. “We have romaine lettuce, tomatoes, zucchinis, cucumbers, all types of herbs, and in about two months we will have strawberries, along with a few other offerings. We also welcome vendors of non-produce items such as sourdough breads and homemade salsas as well as locally-raised beef, pork, chicken, goose, and duck eggs. We also have a few vendors selling crafts too.”
“We were at a summer market in 2023, and the organizers and producers there expressed a desire for a winter farmers market,” Woelke said. “My husband used to own a restaurant here called IDK Sports Bar at 1301 SW 6th Ave., and after talking to my husband, we thought ‘well, we can use the old IDK building,’ That building had been empty for about seven years until 2024 when we started growing our produce, and that's how we got started.”
The Amarillo Winter Farmers Market is open 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Central Time every Saturday from November through April. More information on the ongoing event as well as contact information for prospective vendors can be found on the Amarillo Winter Farmers Market Facebook page.
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