Located in the scenic Loess Hills of Western Iowa, Sawmill Hollow is the country’s first commercial Aronia berry farm and one of the Market’s newest season vendors. Vaughn and Cindy Pittz, along with their son Andrew, started Sawmill Hollow in 1995, planting their first Aronia bushes in chemically untouched land. Sawmill Hollow’s mission is not only to produce organic Aronia berries, but to advocate and educate on the benefits that farming a sustainable crop can have for both the farmer and the community.

As a perennial crop, Aronias do not require the same intensive annual planting system that many main stream crops demand. Aside from the added benefit of less manual labor, there is less land disturbance, allowing the berries to give back nutrients to the soil. The Aronia berry is well suited to the Midwest’s soil and climate conditions. The berry is also naturally resistant to the majority of pests, making it an ideal crop for both organic farming and as a cash crop for Midwest farmers. The consumer, in turn, reaps the benefit of purchasing an organic product that contains the highest levels of antioxidants of any fruit or berry. 

The fourth of July is quickly approaching and what goes better with the 4^th than homemade pie? As you’re planning your 4^thof July menu, make sure to include Kelly’s Berry Best Pies!

Before Kelly Alfer’s started Berry Best Pies or came to her first Market in 2002, her customers were the farmers that worked on her dairyfarm in Minden, Iowa. Her business’ modest beginnings has transformed into a bustling, modern bakery located on the family farm. Today, Kelly’s pies are a Market favorite - especially her popular strawberry rhubarb pie. Every Saturday Kelly can be found downtown selling a vast variety of fruit pies and breads. 

Kelly Alfers, founder and head baker for Berry Best Pies, is as sweet as the pies she brings to Market. A former full-time teacher and current substitute teacher, Kelly now dedicates the majority of her time to her business where she recruits her whole family to help out. Berry Best Pies does not strictly bake pies, though. They also make quiche, cream pies and rolls. These items can be bought by special request or by visiting her bakery in Minden, Iowa

However, Kelly’s favorite place to sell her baked goods isthe Omaha Farmers Market. To Kelly, the Market is more than a great place to sell her product. As she said, “its fun to be part of a very positive part of the city…I’m proud to be apart of it.”

GreenLeaf Farms is a model of the "buy fresh, buy local" movement and a favorite at the Omaha Farmers Market. The ten acre farm is run by Joletta Hoesing and Tim Rogers outside of Omaha, Nebraska. This year they are celebrating both the farm's tenth year as an organically certified farm, as well as their tenth year at the Omaha Farmers Market. The farm produces over 200 different kinds of vegetables, a variety of herbs, culinary herbs, garlic and flowers; providing a variety of produce throughout the season for Market customers.

Tim, a native of Boston, came to the Midwest in the 90's and fell in love with the landscape. With a new passion to farm Tim attributes his calling to a, "love of the land and seeing a need to bring quality food to the market." In 1998 Tim and Joletta moved to Nebraska and started GreenLeaf Farms. GreenLeaf Farms is a certified organic operation, cultivating and growing all produce without the use of synthetic chemicals or hormones. This method of farming emphasizes good land stewardship by replacing nutrients back to the land and providing the consumer with organic, fresh produce. Tim insists that, "food integrity starts with land integrity." GreenLeaf Farms not only emphasizes land integrity but also the importance of sustaining the community by their commitment to the Community Supported Agriculture Program. This initiative has become popular on both the east and west coast, but is slowly gaining momentum in the Midwest. Entering their third year in the program, GreenLeaf Farms partners with 50 consumers who pay a share at the beginning of the season. The consumer shares the risks that may occur during the harvesting season, in turn GreenLeaf Farms provides each consumer with a weekly box of fresh produce for 26 weeks. This shared partnership benefits both the farm and the consumer, emphasizing the importance of buying local and fresh produce.

Tim and Joletta are not only known for their fresh, organic produce, but also as one of the Market's favorite vendors. They can be heard across the Market entertaining customers, educating on produce and adding to the atmosphere that makes the Omaha Farmer's Market the place to be on Saturday mornings!

The Omaha Farmers Market is a staple of Omaha's culture. Every Saturday from May to October, more than one hundred vendores gather to transform the Old Market into a bustling community market. Over the course of the season, we will be sharing insight into what some of our vendors bring to the Market and why you should be sure to stop by their booth on Saturday morning.

Every Saturday for the last sixteen years (They've been with the Market since it opened in 1994!), Phil and Marilyn Hackett have made the 25-mile drive from their farm in Carson, Iowa to the Omaha Farmers Market. Instead of just offering pumpkins, like they did at the first Market, they now offer lamb, a variety of vegetables and flowers. 

For Omaha Farmers Market vendors, the Market begins much earlier than the first Saturday in May. Preparing for the Market is a year round process at the Homeside Farm Market and Greenhouse. The Hacketts grow over forty different vegetables and raise a flock of lamb on their 10-acre farm, allowing the Hacketts to bring 20 heads of lamb over a Market season and a variety of vegetables in accordance with the different growing seasons. 

After a long winter and a demanding spring, the first Market of the season is just around the corner. Throughout the winter, the Hacketts have been nurturing their flowers and produce in one of their two greenhouses. Once the plants have begun to grow, they are then transferred into a second greenhouse and eventually transplanted into their fields. Marilyn and Phil have also been working diligently at their looms, weaving rugs to sell during the first month of the Market season. 

In preparation for the Market, the Hacketts will spend all day Thursday and Friday picking, washing, and cooling produce. Phil and Marilyn take this process very seriously to gurantee the quality of their product, and as Phil said, "[We] always stressed that if it's not good quality, then we won't bring it in."

If anyone knows quality it's Phil. An expert at farming, Phil grew up on a farm in Hancock, Iowa and started his own farm (Homeside Farm Market and Greenhouse) in 1963. Phil has made it his goal to produce and sell fresh locally grown food, something he takes pride in and guarantees to his Market customers.

When Saturday, May 1st arrives Phil and Marilyn will pack up their van and drive in the early morning hours to set up their booth. Although their customers are surely eager to purchase Phil and Marilyn's salad mix (their most popular selling item), the Hackett's are also excited for the season to start. The Hacketts are looking forward to seeing their loyal customers that visit every Saturday and the camaraderie they have created with the other vendors at the Market. So head to the Market May 1st and meet the Hacketts! They will have a variety of bedding plants, fresh basil, lamb and beautiful rugs waiting for you!