Prairieland Market Feature

The Market

Prairieland Market is a local non-profit-community-oriented grocery store in Salina, Kansas that opened in October of 2024. The store is entrenched in local, organic, and healthy food access. Prairieland Market was originally founded in 1978 as a small buyers’ club on Walnut St, and has progressively changed over the years into its current shape today. Now the market is located on 118 S Santa Fe, Prairieland Market has moved to a bigger store, and is one of the newer additions to Downtown Salina.

Their mission is centered on “encouraging healthy food choices, providing nutritional education, and delivering access to local, organic, and craft foods to promote community well-being.” As well as to “Create a food market that promotes personal, community, and environmental nourishment by supporting local/regional and organic food production, as well as consumer education, with access for all.” Tara Herrenbruck, who is a volunteer cook at the market says that “one of our main goals of Prairieland Market is to try and incorporate healthy foods more into the Salina community. We also try to encourage more people to come and visit the market to see what it is all about.”

Farm-Fresh

At Prairieland Market they sell a variety of both Kansas-made and farm-fresh foods which include fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, grains, and baked goods. Local farmers and ranchers also have the opportunity to bring in their own crops and produce to the market where it can be sold. Currently, there are many producers from around Kansas that help supply Prairieland Market. To see the full list of “the producers,” you can visit the link at https://www.prairielandmarket.org/products.

Prairieland Market runs a program called CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), where weekly boxes of locally produced products and home goods are put together. On their website they say that “Each week, we source fresh produce from local farmers and pack it in a convenient grab-and-go bag for you! This subscription-based program gives you access to healthy food that is grown in our immediate area. Every week’s produce list is different, depending on what our farmers have harvested just days before you pick up. This means you get fresher produce with more flavor, more nutritional value and fewer pesticides. Plus, more of your dollar goes directly to the people that grow your food, which strengthens our local food system and economy!”

There are a variety of products that can be added onto these orders to help support locally-owned business. These businesses sell products such as meat, eggs, cheese, and fresh-flowers. To view the full list of these locally owned businesses, you can visit the link at https://www.prairielandmarket.org/csa. 

Educational Events

Prairieland Market also hosts a variety of food-focused classes and events for educational and entertainment purposes. In the past, they have partnered with other businesses and people in the Salina community. Some of these classes include: Life Skills Class with the Salina Emergency Aid Food Bank and a Sourdough Workshop with Cassandra Smith. One member of the Salina community is actually planning on attending the event and says “I am looking forward to the upcoming Sourdough Event that is happening at Prairieland Market. It’s pretty unique that the market can actually host these types of events, and I am looking forward to making my own sourdough bread.” Some of the upcoming events that are happening soon at Prairieland Market include a Local and Seasoning Cooking class with Chef Grant Wagner and Big Brothers Big Sisters Italian Night. There are also online “Canning Class” lessons where viewers learn about tomato and salsa canning, jam and jelly making, and applesauce canning. To learn more about these upcoming events and classes, visit the link at https://www.prairielandmarket.org/classes-events. 

Besides produce, Prairieland Market also supports a variety of products that are made from people all over Kansas, whether that be by local businesses, artists, and craftsmen. Some of a few popular businesses that have been big suppliers of the market include Leaf Logic Tea, Rouge and Rye Perfumes, and Hoganville Family Farms. One person who is not from Salina says that “I enjoy my visits to Prairieland Market when I get the chance to visit Salina. When I am not in Salina, I can still see all of the different suppliers and links where I can purchase other goods from, thanks to the website. To see more of the supplies that the market offers, you can visit the website https://www.prairielandmarket.org/products-2-1 to learn more about the different businesses. All of the products listed can be purchased in-store or online.