Koenigs’ Acres Farm Among Returning Vendors at Farmers Market

This summer’s Hampton Farmers Market kicks off Tuesday, May 13, and, as always, Karen Koenig will be there with her assortment of jams and jellies and veggies.

This will be her 30th summer in attendance at the farmer’s market, on behalf of Koenigs’ Acres Farm.

The Koenig farm is an impressive one. Their two-story home and garden is located just several miles southwest of Hampton at 1510 110th St. The garden is filled with a little bit of everything — asparagus, cucumbers, apples, green beans, squash, onion, peas, beets, cherries, peaches, pears and more.

Karen moved to the property with her husband, Matt, thirty years ago, after living in New Jersey for several years and realizing how homesick she had become for Iowa. They made their way back and with a little help from a postal carrier, they found their current home, which was up for sale at the time. Karen worked as a county naturalist for ten years and then as a teacher for twenty years, before transitioning into her current role as a preacher. When she’s not busy with that, you can find her outdoors in her garden.

Karen is currently preparing for the farmers market with help from her son, four-year-old Adrian. She and her husband adopted him three years ago. Adrian joined Karen’s interview with the Chronicle Monday afternoon, chiming in from time to time and exploring the property with his toilet paper binoculars. Karen said he is a big help in the garden.

The Hampton Farmers Market will be held every Tuesday and Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 182 Central Ave West until October. Karen is one of several vendors who’s participated in the market for the last several decades. They have six vendors lined up for the market this summer.

“The Hampton Farmers Market is a small enough market where you know the people who are coming. They talk to you and tell you what they like. So the vendors work hard to grow and produce the things that they need or want,” Karen said. “We want to provide food that goes from farm to fork and not have all of the middle men, which saves money for all of us.”