Wearing a beekeeping suit and occasionally riding a skateboard, River Ware and his father, Bradley Ware, of Ware Bros. Stone Grist Mills, set up shop Saturday at the Pioneer Farmers Market in the Tractor Supply Company parking lot in Killeen.
The father-son team offered honey and eggs to shoppers along with stories about their family’s ranch.
“The land has been in our family for over 100 years and we’ve had to change with the times to keep it,” Bradley Ware said. “When the deer take over, we offer recreational hunting. When the drought comes; we harvest honey and sell eggs. We just roll with it to keep our land.”
The farmers market recently relocated to Tractor Supply Company from Green Street in hopes of drawing a better turnout, organizer Virginia Kessel said.
“We try to offer a variety of items and have limited space but there’s something for everyone — vegetables, jams, honey, bread, jewelry and other handmade items.”
Kessel named the farmers market after pioneers who had to work hard to survive.
“They did it with their hands and on their own, just like we’re doing it here,” she said. “We aren’t resellers; we grow these ourselves, we make these ourselves and sell it ourselves.”
Casie Davidowsky, the Roaming Baker, makes her own rolls, bagels and other bread products to sell. She said baking keeps her busy while her Army husband prepares for deployment.
“Baking helps me deal with stress and I love to come up with new recipes,” she said. “I come up with a new item every week.”
Customers were scarce when the farmers market opened at 8:30 a.m. Saturday until Killeen resident John Prince stopped by for his first visit. He said the city needs to provide a larger area for local vendors to have a decent-size farmers market.
“There needs to be lots of vegetables, more vendors and a good sized location,” he said. “There are enough empty parking lots in Killeen, and they should have them the same time every week where people know when they can come.”
Pioneer Farmers Market is open from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. the first and third Saturday of every month at Tractor Supply Company, 2002 E. Central Texas Expressway, Killeen.
Herald/ Kathryn Leisinger