From potted plants, to vegetables, to flowers and grasses, you’ll find only the best for your garden. Why would you expect any less from our master green thumb vendors? And speaking of that, feel free to ask them any questions you may have about your garden. They are experts after all, and they’ll be happy to give you some tips!

Of course we also have plenty of produce, meats, dried pasta, breads, pastries and much more!

Whether you’re looking for plants for your garden, fresh produce or just a little fun this Memorial Day weekend, the Falls Park Farmers Market is waiting for you, this Saturday at Falls Park from 8am to 1pm.

Gerber Berries, Inc.
2224 120th St
Larchwood, IA 51241

karla@gerberberries.com
www.gerberberries.com
Like us on Facebook: Gerber Berries, Inc.
Phone: 712-478-4050
Cell: 712-400-9521

Products:

• Fresh strawberries
• Strawberry Jam
• Strawberry Syrup
• Variety of unique Strawberry Products

Gerber Berries, Inc. is a family owned and operated U-Pick/We-Pick Strawberry patch. We are located in NW Iowa, near Larchwood, IA or Hills, MN, a quick 30 minute drive from Sioux Falls, SD. Our patch is 2-1/3 acres of several varieties of June bearing strawberries. WE are CRAZY about STRAWBERRIES and excited to bring our unique & delicious strawberry products and fresh berries to you at the Falls Park Farmer’s Market!

Valley Side Farm Cheese

605-359-6902
kwhzy123@alliancecom.net
www.vsfc.net

We offer artisan cheese that is made in our local shop right here on the farm. We are only a short distance from the city of Sioux Falls, SD.  Our cheese can be identified by the red barn on the label so give us a try and tell us what you think!

If you didn’t make it to our opening market day last weekend, don’t worry, we’re open again this Saturday, and every Saturday through October! And while you’re there, pick up the perfect gift for mom.

What does shopping at the Falls Park Farmers Market mean for you? For starters, you get to enjoy garden-fresh produce without getting your hands dirty; leave that to our farmers and vendors. Not to mention you know where it came from, and who it came from. Go ahead, ask our farmers about how your fruits and veggies were grown, when they were picked, heck, even shake their hand; you can’t do that at a supermarket.

And since the Falls Park Farmers Market is the biggest farmers market around, you get a wide selection of produce, plus a wide selection of other goods including meats, breads, pastries, eggs, pasta, coffee, honey, flowers, wood-fired pizza, the list goes on.

So head down to the Falls Park Farmers Market, this Saturday, 8am-1pm!

This spring season will go on record as being the most destructive in most of our memories.  I remember the blizzard of 1967 (I was still at home as a teenager in northwest Indiana that year) and it was bad. Although winter wasn’t all that difficult for us locally this year, the ice storm was the worst I’ve ever experienced.  I actually turned on an electric fan to drown out the sound of breaking tree limbs early on. It was like something out of The Lord of the Rings, terrible, sad destruction of our natural world.  Yet nature rebounds.  I was one of the lucky ones.  Near twenty-year-old trees planted by my late husband were damaged, but not lost.

So this afternoon my raised garden beds were just manageable, and I put in a measly two tomato plants and two Anaheim peppers, and the chives my Minneapolis girl gave me last season came back again.  This year, I will have to protect them not only from the foraging critters (squirrels and those rascally rabbits) but also from my puppy Molly, who has a penchant for chewing sticks, rocks, and probably garden plants.  She has thwarted the local mallard duck pair from re-nesting in my yard however, and that is a good thing.  As you may recall, I never did get to see those little ducklings last year.  They hatched and left in one big hurry.  

So the garden centers are full of plants.  I would urge all to check out the Market offerings first.  They are locally grown and will do well in our area.  My four plants were started from seeds I managed to save from the plants I bought from Seedtime and Harvest last year.  Two of each is all that I could muster, but it’s a small start.  I will purchase more from them next week.  They are certified organic and were they ever good. 

Here’s a success story!  Last fall I picked up some tulip and daffodil bulbs at the end of the season, and never got them into the ground.  Well, the tulip bulbs rotted, but the daffodils still looked firm from their spot on my garage shelf in February.  I potted them in a big planter on my deck in that month, hoping they would survive. They did!  I have daffodils peeking through the potting soil.  I believe our moderate late winter temps helped in this, but am not sure they would survive one of our complete harsh winters in a pot.  I’ll post some directions I found in a magazine on the MontereyPeninsula in California of all places, during my Easter week visit to my son and his family this year.  Hoping to experiment with those directions later on, fall and winter into next spring and I will keep an update going.

 This year, just turned nine on May 4th granddaughter Piper says she wants to have her own garden, so I am giving her 2/3 of one of my raised beds (the other 1/3 has a second year asparagus bed in it).  We will purchase seeds this weekend for her favorite carrots, lettuce and green beans.  Photos and progress reports will be posted throughout the season.  It’s a great way to get children involved in growing things and learning where their food comes from. 

 In the meantime, enjoy the temperate weather and let’s get planting.  Just keep an eye on the nighttime lows for the next few weeks and be ready to cover as needed.  Looks like we may have a cold dip overnight Saturday, but Sunday looks good.

What does shopping at the Falls Park Farmers Market mean for you? For starters, you get to enjoy garden-fresh produce without getting your hands dirty; leave that to our farmers and vendors. Not to mention you know where it came from, and who it came from. Go ahead, ask our farmers about how your fruits and veggies were grown, when they were picked, heck, even shake their hand; you can’t do that at a supermarket.

And since the Falls Park Farmers Market is the biggest farmers market around, you get a wide selection of produce, plus a wide selection of other goods including meats, breads, pastries, eggs, pasta, coffee, honey, flowers, wood-fired pizza, the list goes on.

So get excited about another season of freshness, and head down to the Falls Park Farmers Market, this Saturday, 8am-1pm!

It’s been a great year, so let’s go out with a bang! Stock up on apples, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, sweet potatoes, baked goods, meats, coffee, pastas and more!

We’d like to thank all of our customers and the community for their support, and thanks for another fantastic season. We’re already looking forward to next year!

So we’ll see you this Saturday for the final Falls Park Farmers Market day of the 2012 season.

Another great addition to the fall season is pumpernickel! Use this versatile bread for sandwiches, toast, or alongside hot soups and hearty meals. In addition to pumpernickel you’ll find all kinds of other fresh breads and delicious baked goods. As for produce, get your squash, beets, radishes, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, sweet potatoes, cabbage, peppers, turnips, onions, apples and watermelon!

With two more market days left in the season, there’s still time to enjoy what the Falls Park Farmers Market has to offer!