OGDEN -- Among the peas and cherries, woodwork and sculpture on Historic 25th Street lies the heart of everyday capitalism.
People selling what they grow in the yard, or sow out of their imagination, were all part of the opening day on Saturday at the Historic 25th Street Farmers & Art Market.
The Ogden street outlet for goods and wares -- this year with anything from produce to pasta -- is part of a quickly growing trend in Utah.
The Beehive State went from around 30 farmers markets in 2009 to more than 40 this year.
"We have expanded. We grew faster than the national average," said Larry Lewis of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
Organizers of the Ogden event said it's possible the recession brought out new vendors as people search for different ways to support themselves and customers look for bargains.
"I think they want to buy things fresh and buy them from neighbors," said Ginny Stout, the Ogden City Arts director, who helped with the market. "I think people learned that their dollars have value."
Stout, wearing a Farmers Market T-shirt, was buying pasta from a vendor as she explained what artistic trends she saw at the event.
"There's more 'wearable' art," she said, such as jewelry and decorated, handmade clothing.
The growth in Utah of a blended street market does mirror what has been happening on a national scale for more than a decade.
For the past 15 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been counting the number of operational farmers markets in the United States.
Since the directory was first created in 1994, the number of farmers markets has tripled from 1,755 to 5,274, the USDA reports.
Dharma Sawyer was among the new vendors in Ogden, offering cold smoothie fruit drinks blended with pedal power.
The Ogden man and his partner were using a revamped bicycle to power up the blender.
"We are promoting green energy," he said, as a customer hopped on the bike to control the mixing.
Down the row of vendors from Summit Smoothies was Paul's Garden, with two tables this year.
Paul Tribe and his family have been hauling garden goodies they grow at home to this market for five years.
The market, he points out, is blossoming.
"It just has grown every year," said Tribe, whose pungent cilantro at the table was picked that very morning.
Tribe said his market produce was more a product of passion than pricing. He loves to garden.
"He has a green thumb," said Jan, his wife, as she passed a bag of potatoes to a customer.
The market runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays through Sept. 25.
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