Fresh from the Garden

Every Tuesday afternoon, Houma customers are able to get fresh, home-grown products at cost-efficient prices – all while enjoying the company of friends, neighbors and maybe even family.

The South Louisiana Seed Market started in February 2017 and is now a year old – operating on Tuesday’s out of the parking lot of South Louisiana Seed Co. Inc., in downtown Houma.

The market runs each week from 3-5 p.m. – rain or shine. When the weather isn’t good, organizers set up in the alley next to South Louisiana Seed Co. Inc. to keep customers dry.

In its 12 months, the market has grown immensely and it’s now a well-populated event for those in the area.

“The market has grown much faster than we anticipated,” said Cheryl Skinner, the Marketing Coordinator for the South Louisiana Seed Market. “There is a waiting list of potential vendors and we have dedicated customers that return weekly. All of us are deeply grateful for that.”

The market developed as a passion project for Cheryl who said she wanted to help bring a good thing to the people in Houma.

Cheryl said she’s been a vendor at the Rienzi Market in Thibodaux on Thursdays and noted how the community flocked to support that market with open arms.

“I thought that Houma might appreciate a weekday market also,” Cheryl said.

So she talked to Don Callahan, the owner of South Louisiana Seed Co. Inc., and he liked the idea, so it was born – officially opening up shop last year.

After a few months of operation, the market started to grow, which led to other opportunities – namely a partnership, which Cheryl said the South Louisiana Seed Market is most grateful for.

“After being open a couple of months, we partnered with the Houma Main Street Program run by Anne Picou,” Cheryl said. “By doing that, we could offer a wider variety of products at the market.”

Variety is a huge attraction and selling point for the South Louisiana Seed Market. Cheryl said it’s what keep customers coming back – week after week – for more products.

The market has a little bit of everything – something that can appeal to literally anyone’s taste buds. Of course, there are fresh vegetables grown by local gardeners. That’s a stable of any local market. But the South Louisiana Seed Market also has others in a line of delicious products, including homemade salsa, jams, jellies, pickles, egg rolls, fried rice, pound cakes, cookies, freshly baked bread, cinnamon rolls, kettle corn, sweets and plants. For those wanting a meal on site, the market also serves plate lunches, homemade soup and even live crabs.

“We pride ourselves on being a diverse market by not having too many duplicate products,” Cheryl said.

Since opening, Cheryl said the market has seen steady growth and today, it’s well attended each Tuesday with both repeat customers and also first-time visitors combing through the items to find a delicious buy.

She said in the coming months, the market hopes to continue to expand its availabilities, adding that she’d challenge any potential customer hearing about it for the first time to spend a Tuesday afternoon in downtown Houma.

You won’t regret it, Cheryl said.

“If you never have been to this market, try it out,” she said. “You never know who you will see or what you can buy.”