OTTUMWA — Terry Mitchell has never been to a farmers market, but she found herself selling her homemade baked goods at the Green Earth Farmer’s Market Monday.

She said she is good friends with the market’s organizer, and she’s always loved to bake. Mitchell has lived in Ottumwa her whole life and said she just never got around to going to a farmers market.

Mitchell and about nine other vendors were selling local goods at the market Monday. It was the first day of the new market in Ottumwa.

“We hope we have more vendors,” said Ule Glenn, one of the organizers, who was also selling at the market. “We hope it’ll grow.”

Mitchell was selling cookies, pies with crumble tops and breads. She plans to continue selling at the farmers market, though wasn’t interested in expanding to others.

“I think once a week is enough. There’s a lot of labor involved,” Mitchell said.

Chefs from the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa were giving free samples of salads made with fresh produce and homemade dressings.

“We’re happy to do it, and hopefully we’ll have someone here every week,” said B.J. Whitmore, executive chef at the Bridge View Center.

Mark Jansen, of Oskaloosa, was selling jerky, burgers and brats made from buffalo meat.

Jansen, who has 13 buffalo, said he buys the animals and feeds them corn for about six months; after that, they “make good meat,” he said.

Buffalo products, like Jansen’s are fairly hard to find.

“This is the first [farmers market] I’m selling at. I said ‘Yeah, I’ll give it a try,’” Jansen said.

Nicki Wyldes and her brother, Stephen Maize of Ottumwa, were selling homemade granola, biscotti and a few herbs at the market.

“I like all things natural,” said Wyldes.

Wyldes said her specialty is apple butter, which is made from apples from her apple tree. That will come later in the season. They only plan to sell their products in Ottumwa