
Half a dozen tents are strung alongside Magnolia Road in Orangeburg.
On Thursdays, Claflin University is the site of a bustling farmers market from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (it will not be open on July 4).
Local farmers fill their tables with crafts, homemade treats and fresh produce, often picked immediately before. A gift from their farms to your home.
David Wideman grabs freshly picked produce to sell at the Claflin market.
“I was pickin’ the string beans this morning and I picked the peas. I was runnin’ late, and had to stop,” David Wideman of Wideman Produce in Bowman said.
Wideman’s table was lined with baskets of peaches, plums, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, okra, sweet potatoes, cabbage, string beans and peas.
“I brung the cabbages down here. I cut ‘em the other day. If I don’t sell a lot, I have to throw ‘em away. So I might just, when people come to buy something, I’ll just give ‘em a cabbage for free. Get rid of ‘em,” he said.
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For most of these vendors, farming is a way of life.
84-year-old Wideman came home in 1996 to help his father with the farm and took over once he passed.
“I keep selling to his customers because we got some old-fashioned sweet potatoes and people love ‘em,” he said.
A few tents over, Ella Mae Jennings called out, “We have baked goods!” as customers moved from table to table.
She prepared red velvet cakes and cupcakes to sell at the market. Jennings has a farm in Orangeburg called “Sister Farm.” On her table were corn, tomatoes, cabbage, okra, squash, cucumbers, and plums.
“I’ve been farming since I was a young girl,” Jennings said.
She often sells at various community-based farmers’ markets across the county.
Farmers’ markets are generally known for being convenient sources of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, dairy and grains.
But Tina Houran’s setup features more than that.
Ella Mae Jennings of Orangeburg sells produce and baked goods at multiple farmers markets in the county.
Houran is a crafter who typically sells her work at flea markets.
Her collection includes sublimation products, crochet work, rhinestone products, baked goods and farm-fresh eggs.
Houran’s table was festively decorated with custom wind chimes that hung below the tent.
“We can put a picture on pretty much any kind of products,” Houran said. “Anybody that does crafting at home is welcome at a farmers market.”
TeaBitha Voin also ventures from selling fresh foods. The 82-year-old, daughter of a farmer, primarily uses her farming skills to grow plants for their healing properties.
“I used to go to the farmers market in Columbia with my father, that’s how I learned about a lot of this stuff,” Voin said.
“All of these are medical plants,” she said pointing to her display of elephant ear plants (Colocasia), hen and biddies (houseleek) and Aloe vera.
“Aloe vera is a great plant. It does many things for your body,” Voin said.
TeaBitha Voin of Santee sells medicinal plants at the Claflin market.
Even though Voin sets up shop at farmers markets, she hardly concerns herself with making sales.
“I’m not really out here to sell plants. I’ll give a lot of these plants away,” she said. “But see when I give, God gives back to me. That’s why I don’t worry about selling.”
Claflin’s Farmers Market, which initially started in 2019, reopened on June 6 after being closed due to COVID-19.
The market is open on Thursdays until October, except for holidays, said Frances Koon, coordinator of the market.
Wideman Produce sets up shop at Claflin’s Farmers Market.
Shop your local market
The South Carolina Department of Agriculture provides a list of markets in the area.
Denmark Farmers Market (Bamberg)
Hours: Thursday Friday 8:30 am-3:30 pm
Season: June-October
Market at COA (Calhoun)
Hours: Monday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Season: June-August
Downtown Orangeburg Farmers Market
Hours: Tuesday 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Second Saturday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Season: May-August
Orangeburg Farmers Market
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Season: April-December
Right Choice, Fresh Start Farmers Market (Orangeburg)
Hours: Friday 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Season: June-October
Eutaw Springs Community Farmers Market
Hours: Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Season: October-December
Stop by a roadside market
Other options for fresh, locally grown produce are roadside markets. SCDA offers a list of certified roadside markets in the area.
Calhoun County
- Calhoun County Market on Bridge Street in St. Matthews.
- Oak Grove Farms of Gaston on Old Sandy Run Road in Gaston.
- Zeigler Farms Plant and Produce on Trotter Street in St. Matthews.
Orangeburg County
- Livingston Farms on Savannah Highway in North.
- McCurley Farms on North Road in North.
- St. Julien Plantation on Highway 6 in Eutawville.
Tyuanna Williams is a Lee Enterprises intern with The Times and Democrat. South Carolina collegiate journalist of the year for 2023, Williams is a spring 2024 Claflin University graduate.
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