2 minute read
Ames Main Street Farmers Market and Diet Inclusivity
By: Etta Schnyder
The city of Ames, Iowa, has been making strides to offer food events for the city and has been increasing their options for vegans, vegetarians and other people with special diets.
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The Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market has been adding more types of vendors and activities since its first season in 2011. They offer fine arts and crafts, homemade food from some of Ames’ most popular restaurants and fresh produce, dairy and meats from nearby farms.
Meena Wilwerding, a frequenter of the market, believes the city has the tools they need to make their event fully inclusive for all diets.
“There is such a wide variety of products available,” Wilwerding said. “I always see vegetables at different stands, and then they also have food products like honey and jams.”
Still, many customers believe progress can be made to increase their inclusivity. Skylar Diaz, an out-of-state freshman at Iowa State University, visited the Ames Farmers’ Market and compared it to her hometown market in Princeton, New Jersey.
“The main ready-to-eat food I saw there were things like fair and barbecue food,” Diaz said. “I think they should add different Chinese foods which seem to be good for vegetarians or vegans. A lot of rice dishes also don’t have dairy. Also just in general, less meat and more tofu.”
Some of the most popular homemade food vendors at the market are Carlos Quesadillas, Huey’s Mini Donuts, Macubana and Willies BBQ. There are other options like different coffee and smoothie stands, homemade jam booths and baked goods. The different produce options are popular among customers as well.
“If someone is looking for veggies to bring home and cook, there are so many great options,” Wilwerding said. “If someone wants food right there, it might be hard because the trucks are mostly meat dishes and gluten.”
One thing that is loved by all visitors of the local farmers’ market is the friendly and welcoming experience.
“I feel like overall the setup is similar [to her hometown farmers’ markets] but I could really tell with the Ames Farmers’ Market that everyone put a lot of hard work into what they were selling and it really felt more like a community,” Diaz said. “They wanted to have conversations with the people around them, whereas I feel like back home they are mainly there just to sell and not really to get to know the people who want to buy their stuff.”
“I like seeing all the kids and dogs running around,” Wilwerding said, “And buying new flowers for myself.” The Ames Farmers’ Market is open for its summer season every May through October and holds various events throughout the winter. The market has also started holding their Online Farmers’ Market Showcase the week before their winter events for people to pick up on Main Street the day of the events.
