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St Matthews Farmers Market

"Eating is an agricultural act" Wendell Berry

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You are here: Home / Archives for Penny Peavler

Penny Peavler

February Spotlight on Bakar Family Farm

February 20, 2022 by Penny Peavler

Amina Osman and her family got their farming start in the U.S. through the Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program (RAPP), a program through which Catholic Charities provides agricultural land, trainings, sales and marketing support for recently relocated refugees. RAPP hosts five incubator garden sites in Louisville that allow settlers from a variety of countries to grow food for their families and for sale. 

Originally from Somalia, Amina is a Somali Bantu who has been growing and selling produce at Louisville farmers’ markets for more than 10 years. Bantus are an ethnic minority in Somalia, many of whom were brought there from Southeast Africa as enslaved persons. Native Somalis are known as nomadic traders, and Bantu are the farmers.

When Amina, her husband, Bakar, and seven children fled the Somali civil war they didn’t know if they would ever farm again, but now the family cultivates two gardens, one plot designated for commercial sales and the other for family consumption. She sells to many local restaurants, especially in the East Market District, and at several farmers’ markets. 

Visit Bakar Family Farm located along the Shelbyville Road side of the market and enjoy their many varieties of fresh vegetables. 

Filed Under: News

Wells Made Co!

February 2, 2022 by Penny Peavler

Andrea Wells started Wells Made Co. as a made to order seed butter business out of her home in early 2016. Her mission was to create only seed butters for children with nut allergens.  That mission has grown to include bringing awareness of how a few simple ingredients can have a positive impact on health and taste buds. 

They source the ingredients locally as much as possible from farmers and artisans in Louisville and surrounding areas.  Sustainable packaging is necessary and relevant to community, so they only use glass jars.

Working in small batches ensures higher quality and requires lots of love and dedication. They never compromise when it comes to ingredients, offering wholesome food that is clean and simple. Many flavors are packed with protein, potassium and good fats.

All the flavors are vegan. Andrea purchases maple syrup and sorghum from Kentucky farmers to use in her Cashew Butter and Buckwheat Granola. A local coffee shop’s espresso beans are used in the Hazelnut Butter. 

She says she’s are on a mission to sensibly feed the world one healthy spoon at a time.
The processing is minimal. At the start of creating the flavors, she first makes sure that every surface, utensil and jar is clean. She cleans her jars the night before production to ensure that water is not present.

All the seeds and nuts are roasted first, but not in the same batch. Some of the ingredients, such as figs and dates, are chopped by hand. The whole pepper corns are ground with a mortar and pestle for the Cashew Black Pepper Butter.

Once everything is roasted, cut, ground, and blended together; the butters are put into jars once the mixture reaches optimal temperature. Lastly, once cooled, the labels are applied and a delicious butter is ready for you! She also makes delicious roasted nuts and the rosemary almonds are a favorite! https://wellsmadeco.com/shop/

Filed Under: News

15 Years of the Market!

September 22, 2021 by Penny Peavler

The St. Matthews Farmers Market was founded in May 2007 by a small and very determined group of members of Beargrass Christian Church.  They had three objectives in mind:

  • Creating a festive, family-friendly Saturday event, available free to everyone from late spring to early fall
  • Providing a vibrant sales venue for local farmers looking to sell their home-grown produce; at that time, few such markets existed in Louisville or had available space for growth
  • Continuing their congregation’s long tradition of reaching outside the church walls to serve the wider Louisville community

For 15 years, the market has been serving the needs of St. Matthews and the larger community.

In the first of many ministries that three-decade member, Bob Callander, would come to envision and launch, and after exploring such markets in other cities and determining only a few small ones existed in Louisville, Callander organized a core group of interested Beargrass members, including current committee member, Leslie Geoghegan, to consider the concept for Saturday mornings on our outdoor campus. Their goals were simple but their aims were high.

Initially, getting the concept off the ground was not so simple. Callander’s team determined they would move forward if 25 farmers and producers could be convinced to participate. After many seemingly unfruitful visits and communications by the group, a breakthrough came with a call from Irvin Stoll, owner of Gypsy Ridge Farm in southern Indiana. After seeing the layout and location of Beargrass, Stoll proclaimed, “I’ve been selling at farmers markets for 30 years, and this is the best venue I’ve ever seen.”

With Gypsy Ridge as the first, 22 more farmers and producers signed on as charter members and the St. Matthews Farmers Market was born. It was an instant success, bringing an amazing vibrancy to the corner of Shelbyville Road and Browns Lane every Saturday, May to September, as well as a newfound, citywide recognition for Beargrass Christian Church. It would soon become an award-winning market on a statewide basis.

As the curtain closes on our 15th season we are extremely grateful for all of you and for our farms and vendors. Our founding members include the following:

Coulters Good Earth Farm 

Full Heart Farm 

Gallrein Farms 

Garey Farms

Gypsy Ridge Farms

Hambley Farms

Harmony Fields Farm

Highland Moor

Holy Branch Farm

Jacksons Produce

Organic Acres

Sherwood Acres

Sunergos Coffee

Triple J Farm 

Wildflour Bakehouse

  • Garey Farms sells its eggs, sustainably grown vegetables, fruit, meat birds and pork to restaurants and in Louisville markets. MATT GOINS — Herald-Leader

Filed Under: News

Limited Edition 15th Anniversary Market Bags

July 31, 2021 by Penny Peavler

Limited edition 15th anniversary organic cotton market bags are now available to mark this exciting time in the life of the St. Matthews Farmers Market. Just $10 cash or Venmo and available near the seating area under the big tree. Organic cotton, 13″X 13″ with a 7″ gusset to hold all your produce and with long 26″ handles for easy carrying. This special artwork featuring a market’s bounty in the fleur de lis symbol of Louisville and the founding date of 2007 was specially designed for the St. Matthews Farmers Market by a local artist. Get yours today before they sell out! Thank you for the support of our farmers!

Filed Under: News

Music Returns 2021!

June 16, 2021 by Penny Peavler

Music returns to the Market. We are eager to welcome area musicians back to the Market stage as live music is now permitted due to changing guidance from the CDC. Masks are no longer required. Reusable shopping bags are welcome. Come one, come all, shop 6′ apart and support local farms and local food. Only service animals are permitted. Musicians play for tips. Please show your generosity and thanks. As of now, the music schedule for the season is:

6/5 Gavin Caster
6/12 Trent Vonn Drisse
6/19 Sand Box Soul
6/26 Blue Monroes
7/3 Pat Younger
7/10 Don Brockmeier
7/17 Joel Curtis
7/24 Madeline Miller
7/31 Black Dog String
8/7 Bourbonauts
8/14 Down to Earth
8/21 Gavin Caster
8/28 Blue Monroes
9/4 Sand Bar Soul
9/11 Bourbonauts
9/18 Down to Earth
9/25 Danny Flanigan (tentative)

Gavin Caster performs.

Filed Under: News

Gallrein Farm: Founding Member

May 14, 2021 by Penny Peavler

Gallrein Farms is a Founding Member of the St. Matthews Farmers Market.

Located on Vigo Road in Shelbyville, KY, and in business since the 1920s through 5 generations of Gallreins, the Farm offers all kinds of fruits and vegetables, flowers, plants, and herbs. Their fresh popped kettlecorn is a tried and true market favorite.


In the late 1920s, Edward Gallrein, Sr. started a dairy farm in Jefferson County with 17 dairy cows and grew the herd to over 400. His son, William Sr., bought a larger operation in Shelbyville in 1972 and diversified to include grain, vegetables, and tobacco. By the mid 1980s the family focused solely on raising vegetables. Bill Jr., and his wife Randie, opened the farm store 30 years ago to sell directly to customers and to make a visit to the farm a special occasion. Today Bill Jr. and Bill Sr. continue to operate the farm together.


Gallrein offers activities at the farm in spring, summer, and fall. Spring blooms at Gallrein by mid-April and nine greenhouses are filled with flowers. Hot house vegetables are ready in early spring and bedding and vegetable plants abound. They grow acres and acres of strawberries which mature in late May. You can pick them yourself or buy them by the basket. Corn comes in high summer season and Gallrein is known for its sweet, tender varieties. You can also find squash, green beans, homegrown tomatoes, okra, potatoes, berries, fresh jams and jellies, and honey. An onsite bakery offers homemade fudge, sweets of all types, cakes, and pies. Beginning in July, they will offer lunch Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Join Gallrein at the Farmers Market or at the Farm. https://gallreinfarms.com/

We value all our farms and vendors. Founding Members who are still active:

Coulters Good Earth Farm 

Full Heart Farm 

Gallrein Farms 

Garey Farms

Gypsy Ridge Farms

Hambley Farms

Harmony Fields Farm

Highland Moor

Holy Branch Farm

Jacksons Produce

Organic Acres

Sherwood Acres

Sunergos Coffee

Triple J Farm 

Wildflour Bakehouse

Filed Under: News

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Every Saturday 8 am to Noon
May 9—Sept 26, 2026
4100 Shelbyville Road - at the Beargrass Christian Church parking lot -

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