It’s a crisp Saturday morning at the Pony Express Farmer’s Market in St. Joseph. Joan and Wayne Hall stand with orange pumpkins, red tomatoes and shimmery purple eggplant looking like a vibrant still life spotlighted by the early morning sun. All shades of blooming chrysanthemums decorate a nearby booth. And homemade cinnamon rolls, breads and pies beckon customers to another.

These sensory delights along with the opportunity to buy from local producers bring customers here in the parking lot of East Ridge Village on Wednesday and Saturday mornings starting in the middle of April.

“I come on Wednesdays, and my husband comes on Saturdays,” says Alyce DuCoing, as she looks over the produce. “It’s better than the grocery store.”

Come Oct. 29, it will all be over. That’s when the outdoor market closes for the season. But this year, the vendors are going to try something different: a winter farmer’s market.

“Some of us hated to close up because of our regular customers,” says Sandra Justice, owner of Annies Accent’s Bakery, one of the vendors.

So they made arrangements with the shopping center to open an indoor shop right behind the area where they usually sell their products. It will be open the same days and times as the outdoor market: Wednesdays and Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We won’t have all the produce,” Mr. Hall says, “but we thought we’d try it and see how it goes.”

Around eight or nine vendors will sell their year-round products such as fresh farm eggs, garlic, honey, jams, popcorn, baked goods, candles, soaps and some of the crafts the farmers make over the winter, like baby afghans.

“We’re fixing it up to look like an old-fashioned market,” says Debbie Lehmer, known as the Enchilada Lady. She will be selling her homemade tamales, salsas, enchiladas and dark chocolate brown Cuckoo Maran eggs.

Market regulars, like Mrs. DuCoing, like the idea.

“I think it’s neat,” she says. But right now, she’s got her eye on Mrs. Hall’s giant smiling pumpkin made from an African wine kettle gourd grown on the Hall farm.

Harold Peek, Pony Express Farmer’s Market president, says they hope to have the winter market open on Oct. 29, the last day of the outdoor market. The store will be located at 3801 Fredrick Blvd. behind the Village Steak House. For more information, call 617-2086 or visit http://www.ponyexpressfarmersmarket.com.

Lifestyles reporter Sylvia Anderson can be reached at sylviaanderson@npgco.com