Sherry Shank, of Fat Radish Farm, Purchase Line, sold produce at a previous Indiana County Farmers’ Market. (Gazette file photo)

By Josh Imhof, Indiana Gazette

The Indiana County Farmers’ Market will be open every Saturday starting May 31 and will finish its 2025 season on Nov. 1.

The market will feature a multitude of vendors who offer items such as fresh produce, meats, soaps and other goods cultivated by the local community.

Jane Kaminski, volunteer president of the market, said keeping things local is helpful to everyone in the area.

“Supporting local farmers and local businesses of any kind is super important to our local economy in that it serves businesses that are providing jobs for local families, it’s helping keep funds in our community, it’s helping to support jobs in our community and in addition to that, the food itself is actually just so fresh,” Kaminski said.

A farmer herself, Kaminski spent her time harvesting produce at John-Paul’s Farm that would be sold less than 48 hours later on Saturday.

“It’s not traveling across the country on a truck for who knows how long. It’s really getting to people quickly and freshly,” Kaminski said.

As a nonprofit organization, the Indiana County Farmers’ Market aims to make its offerings accessible to everyone. Attendees can visit the info booth under the yellow and white tent to speak with volunteers about how to use their SNAP/EBT, WIC or Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks to have their benefits matched up to $20 per market visit.

The market will also provide veterans with vouchers allowing them to shop for produce for free on specific days. Kaminski said more details on this will be announced soon.

Throughout the 2025 season, the market will feature special events, such as Community Health Days and Kids’ Day. These days will allow attendees to connect with organizations in the area to learn more about farming, as well as other programs that provide access to local farm goods.

On Kids’ Day, the Indiana Community Garden will hold an “Eating the Rainbow” event, which will expose children to different types of vegetables they may be interested in and help teach them how to shop for new foods and old favorites in a market setting.

“I think it’s a great way to get (kids) excited about eating nutritious food, to see all of the different colors of what’s on someone’s table, to talk to the actual farmers about what those things are like and just makes eating otherwise scary foods fun,” Kaminski said.

Divine Design by Michelle will also be doing a wool-spinning demonstration, allowing kids to learn about other non-food items created by farmers.

The market will also host a DJ and other live music.

Community Health Days will be held June 21, July 19, Aug. 16, Sept. 20 and Oct. 18. Kids’ Day is scheduled for June 28, and the market will have music from Ripple Effect DJ on June 14, July 12, Aug. 9, Sept. 27 and Oct. 11.

Community members can learn more about the Indiana County Farmer’s Market by going to indianafarmmarket.org or visiting IndianaFarmMarket on Facebook and Instagram.

Josh Imhof is a student at Duquesne University and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns.