The Bluffton Farmers Market isn’t going into hibernation this winter. The popular market that started in 2008 on the banks of the May River was supposed to end in November, but it is staying open on a limited basis through the season until March 4. Instead of weekly, the market will be open from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of every month. It will set up at 40 Calhoun St. in the Carson Cottages area of old town Bluffton, though the number of vendors will be smaller than during the warmer months. The decision to keep the market open through the winter was in response to popular demand from both farmers and customers, said Ed McCullough, chairman of the board of directors.
“In the last two or three weeks of what was the normal schedule, everybody just kept coming up to the market tent saying, ‘This is just so great; does it really have to end?’ ” McCullough said. Organizers originally expected only about half a dozen vendors to participate in the winter market, but were surprised to find about 20 were showing up in the first few weeks, McCullough said. “Even though it was a shorter time period, everybody did really well,” he said. “So they’re thrilled.”
The market also redesigned its web site (www.farmersmarketbluffton.com) to include information on the kinds of vendors attending each week and scheduled entertainment. The web site includes a chart describing which vegetables are in season at what time of year, and which are grown locally in the Lowcountry, along with information about some of the growers and vendors.
