New at BG farmers’ market: Check produce at ‘Veggie Valet’

File photo. Linda Joseph arranges zucchini at her booth at last year's Farmer's Market in downtown Bowling Green. (Photo: Enoch Wu/Sentinel-Tribune)

When the Downtown Farmers' Market in Bowling Green returns in May, organizers will be incorporating several suggestions gathered from the community in a year-long study that concluded in late 2012.
"The new features we're implementing at the market this year are intended to make the downtown more of a summertime destination for area residents and to make the market more responsive to our customers' needs and wishes," said Barbara Ruland, executive director of Downtown Bowling Green and the leader of the strategic planning study.
The Downtown Farmers' Market was begun in 2010 and has grown steadily since. The planning study was funded by a grant from the Center for Farmland Policy Innovation at Ohio State University and sought input from community members, downtown business owners, and market vendors through a combination of surveys and focus groups. The study also surveyed other markets for best practices and evaluated available downtown spaces to accommodate the market's growth.