x
Breaking News
More () »

You Can Grow It: Meridian Main Street Market

Jim Duthie recaps a recent visit to the Meridian Main Street Market and shows us some of the things you'll find there.

MERIDIAN — Looking for something fun to do on a Saturday morning? Stop by one of the many farmers’ markets throughout Idaho, where you’ll find all kinds of produce, bakery items and arts and crafts.

Garden master Jim Duthie recaps his visit last Saturday to the Meridian Main Street Market, and brings us a look at some of the things you’ll find there.

Saturday morning street markets, like Meridian’s Main Street Market, are a common sight throughout southern Idaho, offering fresh produce, sweet honey and jam, and tasty treats for people, as well as the four-legged members of the family.

Once known as the Meridian Youth Market, it has now expanded to include adult vendors. But you’ll still find several young entrepreneurs selling their wares, and learning how to run a business and interact with their customers.

“So we have a little bit of everything,” said market organizer CheRee Eveland.

“The reason we changed the focus and the reason we changed the name is because, eventually, we will go down Meridian Main Street, so right now we’re at City Hall Plaza,” Eveland said.

At Hocevar Hives and Hens, Elsa sells fresh eggs and produce, as well as honey and homemade jams and scented soaps.

At Lydia’s Delights, run by young entrepreneur Lydia, you’re bound to find something you can’t resist, from her homemade brownies and cupcakes, to her peanut butter blossom cookies. Today’s favorite?

“Probably my banana bread, because every single time I bring something new, and this time it was banana bread,” Lydia said.

According to her mom, Lydia is developing more than just her baking skills. She’s also learning to organize and run a small business.

“She has a plan about what she’s going to make, and buys all her own ingredients and makes everything from beginning to end, and I don’t help,” said Carolyn Jacob, Lydia’s mother.

Lydia also has a plan for the money she’s earning.

“And if I have any extra money, I put it in my savings for a Kitchen Aid mixer. A what? A Kitchen Aid mixer.”

And the way her business is going, that shouldn’t take long.

Star Vista Farms offers fresh produce, eggs, and handmade soaps. Hailey says their lavender sachets are very popular.

“This is our soap, oatmeal and lavender soap, that me and my mom and brother made. And then we have these sachets with our dried lavender,” Hailey said.

They grow the lavender themselves on their family farm and dry it to make a variety of products including the soap and sachets, as well as these hot/cold packs, filled with flax seed and lavender buds.

“Yes, they feel really nice if you put them in the freezer for just a little while, they get nice and cold like an ice pack,” Hailey said.

Next door, 8-year-old Lucy sells tasty homemade cookies, while her 9-year-old sister, Claire, has her own line of greeting cards.

“Cookies and Cards is one of the great little shops you’ll find here at the Meridian Main Street Market. You’ll find great artwork that Claire has done, and excellent cookies that Lucy has made. Mmmmm…”

Claire’s artistic talents began to show when she was very young, and she now has 35 different kinds of cards featuring her artwork. And since she loves African animals, it’s no surprise which cards are her favorites.

“Probably the elephant sunset ones,” Claire said.

“I did another elephant sunset one where the baby is kind of running behind the mom, but the trunk is up… And then I did another giraffe one with the sunset, so I have three different sunset ones.”

Claire also illustrated this book that her friend wrote, and there’s another one soon to be published. With the money she makes, Claire hopes to visit Africa and go on a safari.

The other half of the business is the homemade cookies, which her younger sister Lucy sells.

“I’ve made two kind of chocolate ones, and then I made some chocolate chip ones, some peanut butter and cinnamon molasses,” Lucy said.

So how many cookies does Lucy make each week?

“Each one of them…. six dozen.”

That’s about 30 dozen cookies a week, and she’ll be sold out by the time the market closes.

That’s just a sample of some of the things you’ll find at the Meridian Main Street Market. And you never know who, or what, you’ll run into.

Meridian Main Street Market is open every Saturday through September 1st at the Meridian City Hall Plaza from 9 a.m. until noon.

Before You Leave, Check This Out