Though considerably smaller than its summer counterpart, the fall Vicksburg Farmers’ Market, which began last weekend, still packs a punch.

Farmers’ market manager Sonny Hale said though the fall market doesn’t have as many vendors, it still manages to draw a crowd with its offerings.

“The enthusiasm just isn’t there like it is in the spring and summer when things are starting to come out and the tomatoes get ripe, (but) we usually still have a good showing,” Hale said. “It’s a good time of the year, and the weather’s nice, so that brings people out.”

The fall market, which takes place every Saturday through the end of November, kicked off last weekend in conjunction with the Fall Festival.

“Some vendors said they were slow and some vendors said they were okay, so you have to take that as an average, and I say it was good,” Hale said, though due to  health reasons he may not be able to attend the market personally for a few more weeks.

“I’ll be back there. Don’t you worry,” he said.

The market, which is held each week on the corner of Washington and Jackson streets downtown, features produce, including turnip greens, collard greens and pumpkins, in addition to canned goods.

“We have the best canned goods I know of,” he said. “They do a great job with it. A lot of people have regular customers, and they come where ever they are.”

Most of the produce, Hale said, is not from locals but other vendors who often travel quite a few miles to make it to the market.

“Many of the vegetable people travel an excess of 50 miles to come here, and they keep coming, so we’re happy,” he said, adding they are hoping to have a fresh milk vendor added to the fall market soon.

The catch with fall, Hale said, is that fewer vendors sometimes means that if a customer is looking for something specific, it may not be available one week but “they may have baskets of it the next.”

“It’s one of those things you just have to go sneak a peak at every week,” he said.