Farmers Markets Thriving in Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island
Myrtle's Market Brings Farmers from Near, Far
By Lenore McKenzie-Morris
Twice a week, a small urban corner of Myrtle Beach transforms into a country market.
Myrtle's Market, open from April through October, is a small park between Joe White Avenue and 10th Avenue North at Oak Street.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., farmers from Horry, Brunswick and Marion counties sell their fresh produce along with produce vendors from the Myrtle Beach areas.
But there's more here than just fresh vegetables and fruits. The Market also has its share of incidentals with fish, plants and even furniture.
Bill Basden stopped by recently with his dog, Bingo, and bought some plants from Horton's Plants. "I'll get these in the ground in the next few hours," Basden said, as he selected some flowering plants. "I'll take pictures of them and come back and show you."
Delilah Horton, who started all the plants by division in the fall, said it's not uncommon to have customers return to tell her how the plants are doing.
"We have a lot that come back," Delilah said.
In addition to the tomato and pepper plants she sells early in the season, Delilah and her husband David offer house plants such as schefflera and Swedish ivy, and garden plants such as caladiums, hostas and elephant ears.
Mary Jo Jenrette spends her days under the beams of an arbor, comfortably seated in the handmade furniture produced by her son at the Cajun Carolina Cypress site. A former elementary school principal, Jenrette comes to the market on Mondays and Fridays to sell her son's swings, chairs and swing beds. When it's slow, Jenrette reads her cookbooks, searching for recipes to make the most of the fresh local produce that surrounds her.
"Last week I bought fresh blackberries and peaches," she said, "then I went home and made cobbler."
Joyce LaFavor's blackberries glisten in the sunlight, a dark mound of savory sweetness representing the work of a fast picker and the talents of a good farmer. At $3.99 a pint, it's hard to walk away without a taste. Bakers will find her gallon containers will make three generous pies at $20.
Joyce leaves LaFavor Farms in Marion County at 6 a.m. to make it to Myrtle's Market by the 9 a.m. opening. She's brought the last of the season's strawberries today but has included some of the first ripe peaches.
Myrtle's Market is never quite the same, changing as the seasons evolve. Peaches are beginning to appear now, and soon the local tomatoes and corn will make an entrance.
Patrick Mooney of T&J Organic Produce is at the market with certified produce. His boxes all bear a USDA label proclaiming them organic.
"We opened in April," Mooney said. "We have some steady customers who buy nothing but organic. A lot of people are doing juicing now and they want organic for juicing."
Lib Johnson's stand features garden peas, turnips and collards. Johnson said they'll be picking 50 acres of cucumbers this week to bring into the market, and soon after that the 40 acres of butterbeans will be ready to pick.
"Right now, most people come to me for tomatoes and beans this time of year. In mid-June we'll have okra and zucchini, too," Johnson said.
Jenette Tyler's produce comes from her 80-acre farm in Bayboro near Loris. Neighbors also send their produce to Myrtle's Market with Tyler.
"For me, the big seller is strawberries," she said, adding that the Tylers have four acres of the farm devoted to the red ripe berries that rule the farmers' market from April through early June.
"Very seldom do you see me with very much that I haven't grown or that a neighbor hasn't grown," she said.
Indigo Farms' Sarah Bellamy stays busy in her booth under the branches of a large live oak tree.
"You can tell people want fresh fruits and vegetables and local produce," she said, as she weighed produce for one of the many customers waiting in line at her market stall.
Pawleys Island Launches Farmers Market
By Jim Maggio
Along the South Strand, the ongoing success of the Saturday farmers market in Georgetown has inspired a mid-week venture in Pawleys Island.
The Georgetown County Parks & Recreation Department and the Pawleys Island & Litchfield Business Association have teamed up to launch the Pawleys Island Farmers Market, held Wednesdays from 3 to 7 p.m. at Parkersville Park (located on Duncan Road in Pawleys Island; turn west onto Parkersville Road off Hwy. 17, next to the Holiday Inn Express).
Local farmers and merchants offer a wide variety of fresh produce, jellies, sauces and the like, as musicians entertain and the local Lions Club dishes out ice cream and accepts donations to help its cause.
"The Georgetown market runs 31 weeks, and seeing how successful that one has been got folks thinking that we could do one here in Pawleys Island," said Paul McCulloch, athletic director for the Georgetown Parks & Recreation Department. "It's not only a great opportunity for local merchants in this area to offer their products, it's also a great way for visitors to get fresh produce at an affordable price."
The Pawleys Island Farmers Market began June 10, and will run each Wednesday through August 12.
There are no comments posted. Add yours below.