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The Original El Dorado Farmer's Market

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The Original El Dorado Farmer’s Market The El Dorado Farmer’s Market opened last Saturday morning for the beginning of 2006 summer season. Customers and vendors mingling together as they renewed friendships; the wonderful baked and preserved goodies, and all the good home grown garden produce. Even the air was filled with the anticipation as the vendors displayed their produce in the shade of the third largest Cottonwood tree in Kansas. The leaves of the big old tree sparkling with their shiny green summer color as they rustled in the Kansas breeze. The original El Dorado Farmer’s Market began in the late 1980s, and was first organized under the auspices of the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce. With the hospitality extended by the local meat processing plant, Walnut Valley Packing, the El Dorado Farmer’s Market will be celebrating its eighth year at that location. Recently the group changed their hours: Tuesday and Thursday times are 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. till noon. Last year the dedicated group of market gardeners put together a cookbook titled Garden Harvest Recipes that is currently available at the market. These are favorite recipes from the vendors, many are how-to-prepare the produce straight from the garden. Watch for Carol Garriott’s photo of the giant Cottonwood tree, in it’s golden glory of fall, on the cover. In the very beginning the vendors set up Saturday mornings in the Chamber of Commerce/Butler County Museum’s parking lot in the 300 block of East Central. Bob Burgess, former museum director, recalled that he worked with Tim Connell, Chamber of Commerce retail committee chairman, were among the original organizers, with Fred Engler and his mother, Wauneta. Mrs. Engler had been growing vegetables and strawberries and delivering them around El Dorado for several years. After a couple of years, the market grew too large for that area and Engler remembers the Chamber moved the market to the large parking lot behind local businesses on the west side of the one hundred block of North Main. Troy Keyes and Glenn Knowles joined the group during this time. The next year, the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce terminated its sponsorship and a nonprofit association was organized. Thanks to the Missouri-Pacific Depot restoration committee, the market was able to present their produce on the depot grounds. More vendors joining were Bill Shaffer from Leon; Don and Marjorie Gfeller, from the Burns area; Mrs. Jantz and Mrs. Koehn, who sold pies, from northern Butler County and James and Margaret Fanning, Ramona Lowery, Robin Daffron. As the restoration at the depot proceeded, the market’s space was needed and they moved again. Past experiences with hard paving and the hot Kansas sun had the organizers looking for a shady place on dirt. This they found on the west side of the three hundred block of North Main, under The Big Tree, made famous by Jean Plummer‘s articles. The market flourished in the shade of this big tree and Charmian Sundgren, and Gail and Clyde Martin became vendors. Some of the vendors are retired couples looking for an activity to keep them on the go, as well as generating a little spending money to supplement their golden years. In the mid-1990s, the property on North Main was sold and the market group had to find another space. This time, they found a home at the abandoned Fred’s Drive-In on West Central. Visibility to the passing traffic was great. The awnings and the drive-in’s parking slots were ideal for the group’s way of selling from the back of their pickups. But misfortune still plagued the association. Fred’s Drive-In was sold and they were again looking for a home. No trace of the old Fred’s Drive-In is left – - just memories of the time it sheltered the market. The David Nixon family came to our rescue and extended an invitation too good to resist. They would let us set up on the grass around the large parking area of their business, The El Dorado Meat Processors on the east side of 1000 South Main, between the underpass and the Walnut River bridge. Don’t blink or you will miss the entrance. We could use the shade of the third largest Cottonwood Tree in Kansas. The 2005 officers of this garden group of entrepreneurs were Tonda Alvarez, president; Gail Martin, secretary, and Fred Engler, treasurer. The little group even does their bit for recycling by reusing around a “zillion” plastic grocery bags. Also reusable are berry boxes and canning jars with their metal rings. Many thanks go out to the public for bringing these items with them when attending the market. Many long time buyers will probably remember other vendors who have come and gone, but not forgotten. This who’s who list of past vendors include Troy Keyes, Glenn Knowles. Mrs. Jantz, Mrs. Koehn, David Coryell, Dan Rucker, Shirley Hodges, Les Shull, Sally Shaw, Pat Feller, James and Margaret Fanning, Bill Shaffer, Ramona Lowery, Robin Daffron, Becky Walters, and Martha Stanphill. This past year a cold wet spring and a late freeze caused many gardeners to replant, while the gardens that didn’t freeze were extremely slow to grow. Then high winds and hail plagued some gardens and lack of rain had others watering from their faucets. When the market finally opened Mother Nature was still having a field day in this part of Kansas with rain, rain and more rain. Not only did the creeks rise but the Walnut river overflowed forming an island of the meat packing plant. Even after the waters receded the ground was too wet and soft for the venders to set up. Fred Engler, of rural Rosalia, is the only original vendor still selling at the market. He specializes with sweet onions, pickling cucumbers and summer squash. In late summer, Fred usually has sweet potatoes. He has been known to try his hand in the kitchen by making salsa, piccalilli, and other old time favorite recipes from his Mother’s collection of cookbooks. When not busy with his gardening, Fred has also made and sold his legendary cornmeal cookies. Charmian Sundgren joined the market group in 1996, and she displays her produce, baked pies and cinnamon rolls on an old fashioned red checked tablecloth that adds to the country charm she brings to the market. Charmian sells most of the same produce as other vendors, but grows them north of Rosalia. She also has a big patch of dill that she cuts for the market each year. In season, she sometimes has rhubarb and the top crust of her pies carries her trademark, “a sun with a grin.” Charmian makes and sells jellies and jam from sand hill plums and elderberries that she picks wild from her country acreage. Don and Margie Gfeller, from rural Burns in northern Butler County, have been with the market for many years. Don grows and sells popcorn from his own patch and brings black walnut nutmeats. In season they also have sweet corn, red or white new potatoes, and tomatoes at their booth. Margie is noted for her “sticky” buns and fruit pies that she arranges attractively on their tablecloth of red and white tiny checks. Don claims he always has a good time at the market and enjoys visiting with the customers and other vendors as it is a break from his retirement job at Dillon’s. Clyde and Gail Martin of El Dorado joined in 1996 after selling at the Fort Scott Farmer’s Market for many years and they specialize with “Clyde’s Great Breads,” that includes eight unique kinds of sliced breads: garlic, dill, honey oatmeal, potato, cinnamon, peanut butter, raisin and a sugarless raisin that is great for people who are diabetics. Orders in advance are appreciated. The Martin couple also sell Yukon Gold potatoes, Burpless cucumbers, and Jalapeno peppers. Using a large antique crock, they make turnip kraut and cucumber spice rings, the old fashioned way. In the fall, Clyde gathers black walnuts from around town, and pecans from the huge tree in his backyard that survived damage from the El Dorado tornado in 1958. Tonda and Ron Alvarez and their family of six children don’t fit the senior profile, but Tonda’s parents, Frank and Jane Kaster do. The two families garden together along the north branch of the Walnut River. They bring green beans, carrots, beets, tomatoes, okra and other veggies in season. Last year they introduced a new produce, kohlrabi. Tonda has been making a name for herself as a top pastry chef, and she has brought as many as thirty pies to the market, many hot-out-of-the-oven. Last year she was asked to teach pie baking class to a group of 4-H members. Her pies are a must on many Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables in El Dorado and surrounding areas. Lowell and Alice Markley, from Augusta, began bringing good,clear honey and honeycomb several years ago. Lowell has his bee hives around Butler County and even some on the alfalfa fields close to El Dorado. This is especially great for those affected with allergies. It has been brought to everyone’s attention in recent years that people develop allergies from long time exposure to certain pollens. Bees are attracted to the same flower pollen so their honey acts as an immune booster. It has been recommended that as little as a couple teaspoons a day of local honey can help your allergies. One way to do that might be to mix honey and peanut butter together for a tasty spread. Lowell and Alice also grow hybrid Iris and annually they have sold starts of their fancy varieties in all colors. The market advertises it as a special day. Lowell also sells hybrid day lilies, bedding plants and starter herb plants, as well as traditional produce of beets, onions, tomatoes and other vegetables. Charley Melugin of rural Rosalia retired in 2003 and decided to garden for the market like his friend, Fred Engler. Charley tries something new each year. He spends a lot of time preserving jams and jellies, and salsa, that show up on his display racks. Katy Kittle of rural Douglass wrote, “Each year I look forward to bringing blackberries to the El Dorado Farmer’s Market and have been for over ten years. I bring tame blackberries that we grow and on occasion, blackberry jam or blackberry muffins. I love the stories my customers tell me about when their Grandma took them blackberry picking.” Gene and Esther Fitzgerald, who live south of Towanda, joined the marketers in 2004. With the help of their grandsons, they have been bringing colorful jelly and jams, as well as cucumbers, summer squash and other produce. The general public comes to the market in many different types of transportation. We have customers drive in pulling campers or driving RV’s, riding motorcycles and bicycles, walking in and even fly in with helicopters! It is quite a sight to watch a helicopter land just south of our row of booths. Our customers bring their guests from every where to see the market and of course the big Cottonwood Tree. The tree has become quite a celebrity, getting it’s picture taken many times during the market season. The children have to form a ring to hug this grand old tree.