Farmers' Market and Strawberry Farm Visits This Weekend

The Mtn. Grove Farmers’ Market opened up its 2009 season on a cold and blustery weekend this past Saturday. It was cloudy and a little frigid the morning on the market, but customers were stopping by to purchase items such as honey, strawberry plants, hanging baskets, asparagus, vegetable plants, bird houses and much more. All products are grown and made by each vendor of the market. The vendors at the MG markets take great pride not only in their farmers’ market, but there hometown.

The Mtn. Grove Farmers’ Market is open May through October on the square Saturdays - 7:00 am - 12:00 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays - 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Saturday might have started off cloudy and cold, but by noon the sun peeked out and the warming began, just when I was headed north of Mtn. Grove to do a farm visit with the Simpson family.

The Simpson family started in commercial grape production in the early 1970s and has expanded their grape operation to 16 areas of Catawba grapes. Today, the Simpson Farm offers a wide variety of fresh fruits, strawberries, blackberries, pre picked blueberries, candy sweet onions, vine ripened tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, spring flowers and fall mums, pumpkins, as well as Fall Farm Tours that include a tour of an historic log cabin and blacksmith’s shop on the farm.

The Simpson Farm was one of the first commercial strawberry operations, in Missouri, to convert from the matted row method of strawberry production to the plasticulture method. All of the strawberries grown at Simpson’s are now grown on plastic. Education and entertainment are also a large part of the overall farm operation.

The strawberriers are almost ready for picking and I had a hard time visiting the farm and not being able to pick some fresh berries. View photos from my tour with at the Simpson Farm.

Want to U-Pick Your Berries or Pumpkins?
Simpson Farm U-Pick Schedule and Location:
8748 Simpson Rd. (right off Highway 95 N..look for the sign)
Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. or until picked out.
When strawberries and pumpkins are producing we will open on Saturday and Sunday 1:00 p.m. till 5:00 p.m. or until picked out.