Eat Locally at Over 100 Farmer’s Markets in Connecticut
and fruits? How about eggs that have just been gathered, eggs that make you wonder how you ever bought “fresh” and “free range” eggs in the supermarket? It’s easy to do if you live in Connecticut. Ac- cording to the US Department of Agriculture website, there are over 100 farmer’s markets here, collectively operating on every day of the week and if not in every town, then not far from one. Most are also affiliated with the Women, Infant and Children and/or Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program. Farmer’s markets have been operating in the US for almost 300
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years, and luckily for the consumer, they are popping up every- where. According to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, the number of Farmer’s Markets listed in the USDA National Farmer’s Market directory has more than quadrupled to 7, 175 as of August 2011.
Many cities purport to have the oldest continuously operat-
ing farmer’s market. One is Lancaster, PA, where it was included in Andrew and James Hamilton’s town plans in 1730, the whole town conceived of as a “market town.” Another, Alexandria, VA also claims to be the oldest, having been in existence since 1752 and still operating today.
In Connecticut, the first farmer’s market was at the Old State- house in Hartford, begun in 1643. Now the market is open three days a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11am - 2pm, with farmers allowed to participate on any or all of those days. This year it will open on June 26th and run until October 26th (18 weeks, but closed on July 4th.)
http://www.ctosh.org/farmersmkt.asp One of the largest and most diverse farmer’s markets is in Cov-
entry, where from 11 - 2 on Sundays, June 3rd until October, you can find anything from organic and heirloom plants, grass-fed beef, free-range eggs, preserves, freshly-baked pies, homemade sauces, artisanal cheeses, and artisan goods. You can also find children’s ac- tivities and guest musicians, making it a very special experience. As Christine Chitnis described it when it won Yankee Magazine’s “Best Five Farmer’s Market in New England,” in 2011, it is “equal parts county fair and farmer’s market.”
http://coventryfarmersmarket.com/ Many of the farmer’s markets have vendors who sell organi-
cally grown fruits and vegetables, and there is even a movement afoot to sell GMO (genetically modified organism)-free food. Bob Burns of Aiki Farms in Ledyard is busy trying to create GMO-free farmer’s markets in CT, beginning at his own farm. Burns dis- cusses this in the following YouTube video at
www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Q56hqmsaAhw.
ant to eat locally grown and har- vested vegetables
Ledyard’s market runs
from 4-7pm, Wednesday, June 6th to September 5th at the Ledyard Fairgrounds. www.
ledyardfresh.com. In lower Fairfield County,
Westport’s Farmer’s Market returns on Thursday, May 24th from 10am - 2am at the Impe- rial Avenue Commuter Parking Lot. The market features a combination of organic and non-organic produce as well as locally made breads,
artisanal cheeses, fresh plants, locally raised shellfish and meats, and flowers, among other things.
www.westportfarmersmarket.com. There are so many markets, it’s impossible to list them all. An online list of those in CT can be found at www.farmersmarketonline. com/fm/
Connecticut.htm. NOFA also has a site listing farmers markets in CT: www.ctnofa.
org/
FarmersMarkets.htm For more information on Connecticut farmer’s markets and other supplemental food programs offered through farmer’s markets, such as the Women, Infant and Children Market Nutrition Program or the Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program, you can look at the CT Farmers’ Market Reference Guide or call the CT Department of Agriculture – Marketing Bureau (860) 713-2503. A wonderful website for those interested in starting a farmer’s market in CT is Buy CT Grown. You can find information at www.
buyctgrown.com/market. And finally, no list would be complete without Analiese Paik’s
Fairfield Green Food Guide website for lower Fairfield County consumers. It not only contains a list of local farmer’s markets, but also has up-to-date including GMO-related information, information about CSAs, local wines and recipes. wwwfairfieldgreenfoodguide. com.
The farmers at the markets are happy to tell you about what they
most love and what is their biggest challenge. Many say that they love the direct link to the consumer, making a connection that ex- tends beyond the market, with some happy buyers eventually going directly to a farm for their food. Asked what was the most frustrating aspect of selling organic produce, they say that the public doesn’t understand its high prices are a result of the extra labor involved, including massive paperwork needed to be filled out. Supposedly, Meryl Streep once said, “It’s bizarre that the pro- duce manager is more important to my children’s health than the pediatrician.” For many who buy fresh locally grown food, this is no surprise. The improved taste and health benefits are enormous!
Submitted by Elisabeth Rose.
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