Brooke Parker, who owns Herbal Rayne Sourdough LLC, holds a loaf of homemade sourdough bread she prepared and brought to the recent Downtown Youngstown Farmers Market at the main branch of the public library on Wick Avenue.

YOUNGSTOWN — Ask Brooke Parker about her relationship with all things sourdough, and be prepared for her to possibly take you back a few generations.

“I grew up in the kitchen with my great-grandma. Now I’m carrying on her love of the kitchen,” Parker, who runs her two-year-old business, Herbal Rayne Sourdough LLC, said.

Parker’s early inspiration and spark for her career dates to her childhood of partnering with her maternal great-grandmother, Maryjo Johnson, who taught her great-granddaughter how to bake pies using a custom-made rolling pin, which is the same one Parker uses today.

It didn’t take long for Parker to leave empty-handed, because she sold several loaves of her sourdough bread as one of the vendors at the recent Downtown Youngstown Farmers Market at the main branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County on Wick Avenue.

The three-hour gathering, which Thrive Mahoning Valley hosted, was the fifth of its kind since the farmers market got underway this year on Feb. 12, Vicki Vickers, Thrive’s vice president of operations, noted.

Parker was among the growers and farmers who brought a variety of healthful products that included vegetable plants, seedlings and herbs. Also on hand were representatives with Bronson Family Farm and Light of Paradise Farm, both of which are on the East Side.

Sourdough is the refrain that runs through everything she bakes, including English muffins, soft pretzels, cupcakes, buns and bagels, and she prepares her products simply with water, flour and salt. In addition, sourdough, which has been used to bake bread for generations, is healthy and nutritious, especially for those who have diabetes or are sensitive to gluten, for example, Parker noted.

A new addition to Thursday’s farmers market was Bubble Babies, which are seedlings in germinated kits that are carefully grown and hand-wrapped into compact spiral rolls that protect the roots while making it easy to transport and plant them.

Each Bubble Baby typically contains three to 10 plants per roll and includes collard greens, tomatoes, peppers, herbs and lettuce, which are ready for immediate transplant into a container or garden.

“This is about restoring the ability for families to grow their own food. We’ve made it simple. You don’t need a lot of space, and you don’t need prior experience; you just need the willingness to grow,” Constance Burgess, who founded the 118-acre Bronson Family Farm in 2023, said, adding, “We have our own mixture of natural soil for them to grow.”

Burgess noted that Bubble Babies also serve three highly useful purposes: They are healthier than most processed foods, the seedlings are chemical-free and they provide healthful alternatives for people who live in areas of the city and beyond in which food insecurities and shortages exist.

In addition, such choices can greatly reduce the likelihood of developing health problems such as heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure. Opportunities to develop one’s own healthful food choices also produce beneficial psychological results, Burgess said.

“When people grow their own food, something changes. There’s pride, there’s learning and there’s a sense of control over what you’re feeding your family,” she added.

Part of that effort also is undertaken by Nick Craciun, who owns Creation’s Backyard in Niles, which is open year-round.

“I’m solo-operated,” said Cracium, who brought to Thursday’s farmers market trays of Rambo radishes, Pak choi cabbage, broccoli, speckled peas, kale and cat grass, which is a variant that improves digestion for cats, among other things.

Thursday’s gathering also included pasta salad preparation demonstrations, courtesy of Trina Williams, who runs Fresh Wind Catering and operates a food truck. Since 2015, Williams has specialized in preparing and selling gourmet egg rolls.

It’s the latest in a series of diverse careers for Williams, who also worked in car sales, as a chef at Youngstown State University and with children who have mental and emotional challenges.

The Downtown Youngstown Farmers Market will operate 4 to 7:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday of each month, with the next one set for April 23 at the main library.

Acceptable forms of payment include Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Electronic Benefits Transfer food stamps, family fruit and vegetable vouchers, produce prescription vouchers, senior farmers market coupons and Women, Infants and Children cards.