Lee Branch to host new farmers market

After Renee Betz was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in February 2015, she and husband, Mike Betz, began taking a serious look at their nutrition. They began growing their own produce and grocery shopping at farmers markets, both for health and as a stress outlet.

“It was therapy for me as much as her,” Mike Betz said. “One thing I can do is make sure she eats good things.”

Though Renee Betz is now in remission, the Brook Highland couple’s garden is still flourishing — and overflowing, beyond the point where they can eat everything they grow. When they couldn’t find the right farmers market to sell their extra produce, Mike Betz decided to organize his own.

“We want it to be a very fun event, and we want to make it very community oriented,” he said.

The Lee Branch shopping center is hosting the farmers markets, which will be Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon from Memorial Day through October. 

The Marketplace at Lee Branch is an Alabama Certified Farmers Market, which means at least 70 percent of vendors must be selling meats, produce or other food products. Mike Betz said he wants the Lee Branch market to encourage buying local food and be convenient enough for some local families to shop there instead of at a grocery store.

“My wife and I are both passionate about educating people about eating locally,” Mike Betz said. “We should eat locally and we should grow locally.”

The food for sale will change based on what’s in season, but he said he has vendors lined up from Shelby County and surrounding areas, including a local grower who uses hydroponics. Mike and Renee Betz will have a stand of their own, selling garlic, tomatoes, squash and other items from their garden and greenhouse in Chelsea.

There will also be some local artisans at the market, with about 50 vendors in total. Mike Betz said he wants to bring in music, kids’ activities and cooking demonstrations from time to time.

As they launch the new market, he said they are trying to “throttle our expectations” for how busy the market will be. He is also trying to figure out the right balance of available products to shoppers willing to buy them. 

“That’s a really precarious balance there, so we’re hoping to get that right,” Mike Betz said.

However, he said he is confident that residents in nearby neighborhoods will support the Lee Branch market and be more aware of what they put on the dinner table.

“We feel like it’s a timely event, and something that will be well received by the community and supported by the community,” Mike Betz said. “You are the sum total of what you eat.”

For more information, visit themarketplaceatleebranch.com.