Farmers deliver produce to city life

With only about two dozen ears of corn left on her table, Marilynn McElhinny marveled at the… With only about two dozen ears of corn left on her table, Marilynn McElhinny marveled at the success of the first-ever Oakland Farmers’ Market.

“We did really well,” the grower of McElhinny sweet corn from Evan City, Pa., said.

For the rest of the summer, and until the Friday before Thanksgiving, Oakland will serve as the host of a farmers’ market, where vendors will sell fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers and other Western Pennsylvania-grown goodies.

The market takes place Fridays, between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sennott Street, between Atwood Street and Meyran Avenue.

Georgia Petropoulos, the executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District, said that the idea to host a farmers’ market was first thought up two or three years ago, because of the lack of a grocery store in Central Oakland. Since there was no close location to buy fresh produce, fresh produce would come to Oakland.

Petropoulos said that after the idea sprouted, getting the market coordinated was a grass-roots campaign.

Because of the poor financial status of the city, many organizations had to collaborate to plan the market.

The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and councilmen Bill Peduto and Gene Ricciardi helped provide funding.

“There’s a lot of players, a lot of people want it,” Petropoulos said.

Chris Walhberg — the founder of Mung Dynasty, a company that specializes in seeds, sprouts, micro-greens and Asian foods — stood at his booth at the end of the day with only a few remaining containers of sprouts.

Walhberg said that he had no expectations for the first market and was just happy to be back in the neighborhood where his business started 30 years ago.

Now located on the South Side, Mung Dynasty will bring raw food, and organic, vegetarian and oriental-inspired dishes to its booth in the next few weeks.

On the street, colorful annuals, perennials and shrubs were ornamentally displayed in front of a large nursery truck.

Dan Higgins, a grower for Michael Brothers Nursery of Russleton, stood behind them, satisfied with the turnout.

“I was hopeful that it would be a good market because of the UPMC employees and the Pitt employees,” Higgins said.

“I’ll be here all summer,” he added. “I’m in it for the long run.”

As the farmers’ market wound down Friday, McElhinny still had a few ears of corn left, which she said are always the hardest to get rid of.

“They anticipate that next Friday will be even bigger,” she said. “We are looking forward to it.”