Carmel Farmers Market Serves Up Fresh, Local Fun

Carmel Farmers Market on the Monon Trail.

Every Saturday morning from May 22 to October 2, the south parking lot of Carmel’s City Hall becomes a summer festival full of live music, cooking demonstrations, and most importantly, great food. The Carmel Farmer’s Market (CFM) is going strong in its 12th year, and this year promises to be as successful as ever.

CFM is completely volunteer run, and was established in 1999 by a group of volunteers. Carmel’s market is a growers-only market, meaning that the vendors must be selling items that they grew or made themselves. Vendors must be based in the state of Indiana, and whenever possible CFM gives preference to those producers from Hamilton County. Nearly 50 vendors participate in CFM every week, offering everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to homemade fudge. Average attendance for the CFM is around 2,000 people, and last year nearly 365,000 community members attended the market throughout the season.

A member of Skillington Farms booth grills up fresh breakfast sandwiches.

While many shoppers may come to the market solely to purchase local produce and goods, the market has much more to offer. One of the most popular vendors is Skillington Farms, located in Lebanon, Indiana. Skillington offers all natural beef, poultry, pork, and lamb, all raised without hormones, steroids, or growth incentives, but the real draw to their booth is their breakfast sandwich. Prepared to order on-site, the breakfast sandwich contains fresh eggs, cheese, and sausage grilled on thick toast. Another favorite vendor is Phelps Family Farm from Ladoga, Indiana. The Phelps farm offers a wide variety of cuts of pasture raised pork and beef as well as free range eggs. According to Joe Phelps, co-owner of Phelps Family Farm, “We have been coming to the Carmel Farmers Market for almost 12 years, and have loved being a part of its growth. We look forward to it every year.” Susie Maier of Carmel makes a beeline for the Phelps booth every weekend. “I’ve tried just about everything they offer, and I have never been disappointed.”

Perhaps after buying bags full of fresh food, a shopper might be looking for some new ways to prepare their goodies, and the CFM is there to show the way. Clarion North Medical Center sponsors “Cooking at the Market,” which showcases cooking demonstrations each Saturday. Classes range from learning to prepare party dips and appetizers with market vendor Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering to cooking with seafood presented by Kiss Z Cook’s Chef Dwight Simmons. The focus of these classes is to teach healthful ways to prepare local foods, and the best part is that samples of the dishes are available at the end of each class.

Sure, you know the local professionals can whip up some great dishes with market goods, but what about us regular folks? One of the highlights of the market season occurs on August 21 when the annual Firehouse Cook-Off will be held. Each firehouse in Carmel will prepare a special “firehouse” recipe for market attendees to sample and then vote for their favorite dish. The winning firehouse will receive the “Gold Skillet Award” for having the best firehouse recipe.

So whether you are looking to buy fresh, locally grown food, learn some new healthy recipes, or simply socialize with neighbors while enjoying live music, the Carmel Farmers Market is ready to serve you all summer long.

To learn more about the Carmel Farmers Market, please visit www.carmelfarmersmarket.com.