eats

Home Is Where the Harvest Is

Local farmers markets are making a big-time comeback

Growing at a farmers market near you:

farmers and shoppers. With the jawdropping increase in food prices lately, make a mid-year resolution to purchase as much produce as you can at the dozens of municipal markets, downtown’s market or the Central New York Regional Market Authority, casually known as the Regional Market.

There you’ll find plenty of locally grown produce sold by local farmers that you can hold accountable; no factory farms allowed.

“While growing and eating locally and supporting local economies are large factors in the growth of farmers markets in New York state,” says Diane Eggert, executive director of the Farmers’ Market Federation of New York, “food safety is an even bigger factor. Consumers can ask questions directly of the producer and feel more comfortable with the foods they eat.

“Because of food-borne illnesses, people are flocking to farmers markets for their food,” Eggert adds. “The spinach scare a few years ago, the tomato scare, and now the outbreak in Germany that is spreading across Europe. With factory farms there are a lot of steps along the path. There is no path when you’re buying direct from the growers. The farmers are eating the product, too.”

From her perch in Fayetteville, Eggert reports an exponential growth in farmers markets. “They’re more popular than ever,” she says. “Last year there were 475 in New York, and this year we have about 500.” The newest local market is in Baldwinsville, where “they have done a terrific job of getting the customer base very excited about coming in,” Eggert says. They’re doing so via Facebook page; just search Baldwinsville Farmers Market.

That market is setting up shop for the first time this Friday, June 17, in the Virginia Street parking lot behind Baldwinsville Public Library. It continues every Friday through Oct. 28 from noon to 6:30 p.m. Also open this week is the Downtown Farmers Market, staying put inside the cozy confines of Clinton Square. That market, organized by the Downtown Committee, is open every Tuesday through Oct. 11 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to more vendors, Eggert says more shoppers are heading to farmers markets as well. “Those markets that take counts are seeing an increasing number of consumers,” she says. “It’s a way for more farmers to sell their product at a higher retail value and get the interactions with consumers.”

Open year-round but decidedly busier as the growing season starts waxing is the Regional Market, 2100 Park St. “We’ve experienced a lot more popularity in the last few years,” reports executive director, and a farmer himself, Ben Vitale. “We average 26,000 vehicles on a Saturday. Vendors continue to grow every year as well.”

While the renovation at the market, completed in 2001, is a factor in the spot’s growth, Vitale adds that as other changes have been  made, the growth has continued. “In the last three to four years there has been more interest in locally grown food, and more interest among people to know where their produce came from. But the most important is that consumers can have contact with the grower.

“People are really interested in dealing directly with who grows their food. At the grocery store, you don’t have any clue, really, who grew it. They put pictures up of farmers, but that doesn’t mean they grew that produce for sale. The local issue right now is very important.”

In fact, in 2009, cable TV’s Food Channel ranked the top 10 food trends and “living la vida locavore” scored at No. 4. In 2007, “locavore” was the word of the year as designated by the Oxford American Dictionary, according to—what else?—locavore.com, based in—where else?—San Francisco.

But Syracuse can take just as much ownership of this issue as the trendy City by the Bay if only because of our surrounding fertile farmland and hundreds of farmers. “The num-ber of vendors here continues to grow every year,” notes Vitale. “A few years ago we didn’t have the two tents; last year was the first year for those. As long as we can continue to keep growing, we will. The issue, though, is you have to grow the number of customers at the same time. If we have more and more vendors with the same pie of customers, the vendors’ piece of the pie keeps getting small. So we try to grow the vendors in proportion.”

Overall, the Regional Market offers 460 stalls to its vendors, who don’t all grow food; bakers, crafters, cheese makers, and flower and plant growers are all welcome as well. On average, 250 vendors set up shop there, and some vendors take up more than one stall. The Regional Market is open year-round Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vitale is inviting vendors to set up during the Sunday flea market as well.

“In addition to the food, we are trying to provide more reasons for people to come out,” says Vitale. “We installed a demo kitchen, and by July 1 we’ll be using it every week, providing free samples of food made with local produce and products. This year we changed the EBT {food stamp} and credit/debit card system to make it easier for customers and vendors to use them.

“With the price of gas and going to events, it’s expensive. But a family can come to the market on a Saturday and choose how much money to spend. The parking is free, the shuttles are free, we have places to sit, picnic tables, a Wi-Fi hot spot, and a new driveway off Hiawatha Boulevard so it’s easier to get in and out.”