Green Shoppers

Welcome Back Organic Farmers’ Market

By Nancy K. Crevier

Beneath a blue sky shot through with wispy, white clouds, the Sixth Annual Sandy Hook Organic Farmers’ Market opened Tuesday, June 24. A crowd hungry for fresh, locally grown and homemade items filled their reusable totes with the goods from the 16 vendors selling greens, herbs, jams, relishes, baked goods, handcrafted items, jewelry, and specialty soaps and oils.

“Very pleased,” was marketmaster Mary Fellows’ assessment of opening day. Earlier on Tuesday, though, she was feeling a bit less hopeful that opening day of the market, located behind St John’s Episcopal Church on Washington Avenue, would kick off smoothly. “As of 10 am, there were twelve 6-foot tall piles of chips on the lot where we set up the market. I can’t thank Fred Hurley and all the guys at the Highway Department enough. They sent down a battalion of guys and front loaders to help us spread all of these chips in time to open up,” said Ms Fellows.

Shoppers were pleased to see familiar vendors among those set up on opening day. This was Waldingfield Farm’s fifth year at the Organic Market and owner Patrick Horan of Washington had a table laden with certified organic greens, pasta sauce, and vinaigrettes. Also back from previous years were Stoneledge Hollow Farm, offering fresh cut flowers, herbs, handcrafted items, jams, berries, and greens, and Bittersweet Farms from Roxbury. Bittersweet owner Rose Garbien had a full line of naturally scented vegetable soaps, woven market baskets from Ghana, herb and flower plants, and felted-wool figures that she crafts herself.

“The toothache herb is an unusual herb,” said Ms Garbien, referring to the leafy plant with tiny, cone-shaped yellow flowers, one of the medicinal plants she grows and sells. “If you chew on the leaves or flowers it creates a numbing sensation, so you can see why it is used for toothaches,” Ms Garbien said.

The lines were long at Mamie’s of Roxbury, where baker Mamie Keys had a table filled with pies, almond cakes, pumpkin and banana breads, and a cooler packed with Key Lime pies, soups, and salads. Ron and Melody Plummer were pleased to present their line of olive oils and balsamic vinegars from The Olive Factory in Watertown. Plenty of bread was on hand for customers to sample the flavor infused olive and grapeseed oils, or the regional olive oil from the Apulia region of Italy.

Kathie Rosenschein has been a vendor for the past several years at the market, and this year she had not only the popular 6-ounce bag of flavored “Superseedz,” but “grab and go” snack-sized bags of the pumpkin seeds, as well.

At Three Bs Bakery, shoppers could sample wheat- and nut-free baked goods created by Lori Buchetto. The cookies, tea breads, granolas, and brownies were just a few of the items Ms Buchetto makes.

“I’m happy to take special orders from anyone who stops by, too,” said Ms Buchetto, whose own daughter is allergic to nuts.

Sue and Jim Shortt and nine-month old James Shortt of Shortt’s Garden and Farm Center in Sandy Hook heaped a long table with the harvest from the Riverside Road farm. Giant radishes, glistening greens, and flowering plants were just a hint of the bounty to come as the growing season goes on, they said.

Shoppers who arrived bagless were in luck. At Once is Not Enough, Newtown resident Emily Snyder was back for the third year selling her reversible cloth tote bags and aprons.

At the Bee Kissed Farm booth, a gigantic kettle was steaming and corn was popping for owner Dean Haines’ tempting Kettle Corn. Jars of Bee Kissed Farm Buzzin’ BBQ Sauce, pickled peppers, and relishes had plenty of customers lined up while the sweet  scent of kettle corn drifted overhead and Ms Haines vigorously stirred the vat of popping corn behind the counter.

For shopper longing for a little something beautiful, Jennifer Grant of Goose On The Loose and her hand made jewelry was there, her fifth year at the market.

“My jewelry really is one of a kind,” explained Ms Grant. The cast silver charms and necklace pendants are her own designs, and many of the necklaces are strung on linen threads she makes herself, closed with handcrafted button clasps.

A.J. Collier had a full line of alpaca products at her booth. The owner of Rowanwood Alpaca Farm on Route 34, Ms Collier was selling drop spindle kits, and felting kits, as well as friendship bracelets made of alpaca wool, and alpaca finger puppets from Peru.

Regular market customers were pleased to find new vendors such as Middlebrook Farm and Orchard of Newtown. John and Marion Mead had crisp heads of lettuce and pots of herbs for sale, and garden plants like foxglove, columbine, and coneflowers, as well as free-range eggs.

Honey, preserves, yarn, potpourris, and fragrant goats’ milk soap were the wares of Dream Com True Farm, another newcomer to the Sandy Hook Organic Farmers’ Market that garnered a lot of attention from the crowds on Tuesday. Owner Pam Blasko was pleased with the response.

The Sandy Hook Farmers’ Market also features weekly children’s activities, and special lecturers and demonstrators will be featured throughout the summer. The market is open from 2 to 6 pm every Tuesday through mid-October. For more information call 313-9908.