Farmers' Market Opens Today

• Brookfield Patch was at the opening day to create this .

You can shop local and shop for Mom this morning as the Brookfield Farmers’ Market kicks off its season in the parking lot at 2000 N. Calhoun Road.

The market runs from 7:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday from May through October and attracts an average of 4,000 people weekly. Opening day is expected to draw a good crowd, particularly because of Mother’s Day weekend, said Bobbi Harvey, market manager.

Shoppers already get excited about opening day, and the hunt for Mother’s Day gifts will add to the market’s draw, she said.

“We attract a lot of families, but I think especially for Mother’s Day people will be coming out and looking for gifts,” Harvey said. “I’m sure there are going to be a lot of items for moms.”

That includes hanging baskets, potted plants and even farmer’s market gift certificates.

About 65 vendors participate in the market throughout the season, and Harvey expects 40 to 45 to be on hand Saturday.

During the market’s five-month season, shoppers can find a wide selection of baked goods, meats, cheese, fruits and vegetables. They’ll find items like honey and maple syrup, mushroom and soap. They can also get a bowl of soup, buy some garden art or get their knives sharpened.

“We’ve got such a great lineup of vendors,” Harvey said. “Because of our size, we try to focus on as much variety as possible.”

Returning businesses include names like Becky’s Blissful Bakery, Satellite Crepes, The Soup Market and Oly’s Oats.

New products will include organic fertilizers, including worm castings from Sue Skis Farm of Caledonia and “paca poo” from Rankin Family Alpaca of Pewaukee.

Cocina DeLeon of Brookfield, which makes gourmet ready-to-bake enchiladas will shift from a part-time to full-time vendor this year.

The market will continue its Market & More arts and crafts events beginning May 21. Market & More is held the third Saturday of each month.

Market vendors say the Brookfield market is a strong revenue generator, and they appreciate that the market is well run.

B’s Bouquets of Hartford will return this year with its bedding plants, cut flowers and bouquets. Owner Nancy Weibye said she expects to have a large variety of blooming bedding plants on opening day, including geraniums, begonias and osteospermum.

B’s Bouquets has participated in the Brookfield market since its inception. “The customers are very loyal. They come rain or shine,” Weibye said.

She likes the wide selection of vendors and products the Brookfield market offers and the atmosphere with live music and camaraderie.

“I just feel very at home there. Lots of us have been there over 20 years, so were just friends,” she said.

This is Cocina DeLeon’s third year at the market and first as a full-time vendor, owner Linda Mulholland said. “It’s such a great market, and since we work and live in Brookfield it just makes sense,” she said.

Customers who stop into her Brookfield store are already talking about Saturday’s opening, she said. “There’s a buzz about it.”