Sunshine, a morning glory muffin, a fragrant cup of coffee — it’s a good way to start off the spring ritual of visiting the Helena Farmers Market.

Some who come each Saturday are in search of bedding plants, others tasty treats — and a number seem content to just visit.

New to the market this year is Kevin Tucker of Montana Prairie Wild. He’s offering bitterroot and clematis plants — but has a lot more choices coming soon. Most are grown from native seeds he’s gathered on his land.

“Bitterroot is my big thing,” he said last Saturday, pushing back his baseball cap and gesturing toward a table brimming with hardy baby bitterroots. “These have been frozen every morning for the past two weeks.”

A fan of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, he’s growing from seeds many of the plants they identified on their Corps of Discovery expedition. Later this season Tucker will sell blanketflower, yucca, bluebells, echinacea or purple coneflower, liatris or gayfeather, clarkia, mock orange and monkeyflowers.

A few steps farther down the market, Mike Wrigg chatted with Pat and Ingrid Inman of Inman’s Berry Patch.

“Fresh food, very fresh food,” is what brings Wrigg to the market, year after year.

“I have been a Farmers Market fan for quite some time,” he said. “I enjoy the people.”

Kicking off the season, Ingrid had prepared 200 jars of jam.

“I make mango jams, strawberry rhubarb, seedless marionberry, raspberry, apricot and pomegranate,” she said. There’s a rainbow of varieties throughout the season, as well as apple butter. She also spends two days each week, she said, baking for the market — breads, muffins, pastries and cookies.

A few steps away were yet more choices.

“These are all European-style dessert breads. It’s sort of a high-end treat, served by the slice or as hors d’oeuvres,” said Terry Podell, an owner of Chez Renee with his wife Renee.

“The best way to serve it is to slice off rounds and serve with any topping you want. They’re great with fresh fruit. The gingerbread is really good with vanilla ice cream.”

Other flavors that morning were key lime chiffon, lemon chiffon, pistachio, pomegranate, chocolate rum chiffon and French vanilla rum chiffon.

At the far end of the market, Albert Wipf from the Milford Hutterite colony offered sauerkraut, chickens, eggs, bread, rolls, onions, marigolds, basil, dahlias, petunias, pansies and tomatoes. The colony has been a vendor for 20 to 25 years. Wipf has come the past four years.

“It’s nice to meet people,” Wipf said, “and folks enjoy our produce.”

One of his customers, Eva Clark, couldn’t agree more.

“When the fresh produce gets here, it tastes better than everything in the stores,” she said. “I just like to shop locally. I think it’s good if you don’t transport produce for miles from out of state.”

Across the way, Johnson Garden’s brilliant-colored flowers and tables laden with herb and tomato plants drew a swarm of customers like bees to crabapple blossoms.

Joe and Patty Mazurek were on a tomato quest, searching for just the right plants for their deck.

“Terry Johnson has the best stuff,” Joe Mazurek said. “We come every Saturday. It’s a happening. You see your neighbors and neighbors you haven’t seen before.”

Chris and Donci Bardash sought tomato plants and flowers for hanging baskets.

“It’s become part of our Saturday morning routine, to see the action,” Donci Bardash said. “We live on Rodney and it’s a nice little walk here.”

For their 3-year-old daughter, Nora, it’s an adventure, chock full of delights — honey sticks, Italian soda, a ride on rocking horses and a chance to climb trees in nearby Women’s Park.

It’s not just the customers who enjoy the milieu.

“I’ve been with the market about 30 years,” Johnson said. “I think probably the biggest attraction is the people. All the friends I’ve made over the years are just incredible. There are people I’ve gotten to know down here I never would have had interactions with any other way.”

And, there are the loyal, four-legged visitors.

Fluffy little pooch Lucy was walking her companion Gale Pikkula and basking in the sun and attention.

“It’s a semi-social event,” said Pikkula, speaking for both of them. “We see a lot of people we know. We live six to seven blocks away. It’s a nice jaunt from Stuart.”

This year’s market offers services some shoppers may not be aware of.

Many produce vendors accept food stamps, and customers can stop and visit with market master Brent Sarchet to exchange food stamps for food stamp tokens.

And those who forgot to bring cash can visit Sarchet to purchase market tokens with debit or credit cards.

Reporter Marga Lincoln: 447-4074 or marga.lincoln@helenair.com