By Stephanie Irvine
The Village of Manhattan currently doesn’t have an official farmer’s market, but the Bothwell family does the work to ensure there is a local market for people to enjoy, stating they just do it for something fun for the community.
Beginning April 27, Bothwell Farms will host a weekly farmer’s market at their farm on Smith Road, on Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is open to the public.
“I always tell people rain or shine because once we pick it, we can’t put it back,” joked Brad Bothwell about the Saturday markets being rain-or-shine events.
A myriad of hanging baskets, planters, and flowers are available. In the spring, those are their big sellers, especially around Mother’s Day, explained Karen Bothwell.
In addition to offering a variety of fresh vegetables, herbs, fruits, flowers – including houseplants, and honey for sale, the Bothwells also host vendors who sell food, baked goods, artisan wares, and handmade crafts.
“In the summer, we’re known for our sweet corn and our tomatoes,” said Brad. They grow the sweet corn themselves at their property in Chicago Heights, while the tomatoes are grown locally at the Smith Road farm.
“We start planting here in early February. About 90 percent of what we sell, we have grown in-house, although we do bring in tropicals, perennials, and some bedding plants,” Brad explained.
Customers seeking trees and shrubs also can purchase them through Bothwell Farms.
The first event of the season will feature a local favorite, The Taco Man, as well as Bosco’s All Natural pet treats. The Bothwells don’t charge their vendors, and they have room for about four or five. The vendors change each week to create variety and opportunity, since they have limited space.
Food vendors are required to have the appropriate licenses, such as a cottage food license for home-made baked goods, for any goods sold at the event. In the event of inclement weather, vendors are not required to come out.
Throughout the season, the Bothwells also hosts various events, including a pig roast with a band and benefits for local animal shelters.
Previously, the Village of Manhattan held farmer’s markets, but location challenges inhibited its success, and COVID shutdowns put the final kibosh on the markets. The Bothwells said, with the new downtown plan in Manhattan, they foresee a possibility farmer’s markets could come back to downtown Manhattan, an opportunity they support.
The Bothwells got into farmer’s markets after the Great Recession had resulted in Brad being laid off, while Karen was at home raising their two children, Faith and Dylan.
Brad had an opportunity to work at his cousin’s farm, helping out with farmer’s markets, sometimes up to six a week. During that time, he found he really enjoyed the work.
With the growth of the farmer’s markets and the lack of open jobs in his previous industry, Brad took the opportunity to operate a farm stand at Laraway and Spencer Roads in New Lenox. Bothwell Farms officially opened shortly thereafter in 2010 and, over the years, they have worked many farmers markets in Manhattan and Frankfort, plus had veggies, fruits, and flowers available at farm stands in New Lenox.
After the Laraway farm stand lease was up, “We decided to expand here, and it’s probably one of the best decisions we ever made,” Brad noted.
Today, Bothwell Farms has five greenhouses on its Smith Road farm, and they operate a second, seasonal location at Cedar and Francis Roads, by Ranch Frostie’s in New Lenox. The farm is operated by Brad, Karen, and son, Dylan, plus their daughter Faith, who is a registered nurse, helps out as much as she can. Brad intends for Dylan to someday take over the business; he currently is working full-time on the farm.
During its regular season, the farm is open for business seven days a week. They also remain open until 5 p.m. after the farmer’s market wraps up. Currently, they are open at the Smith Road location from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m during the week, until 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 4 p.m. on Sunday. After the New Lenox farm stands open in May, the Smith Road location will open a bit later. Farmer’s markets on their farm will run through October.
The Bothwells keep their Facebook updated, so those interested in the goings-on should check online at www.facebook.com/BothwellFarms.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.
