Spring lamb, rhubarb and the return of our Glean on Me baskets...

Well, we did it...we made it through another winter market season outdoors. Looking out at the sea of market tents on the plaza a couple of weeks ago, it was hard to imagine that we ever held our winter market indoors in the Community Center. It was difficult shoehorning everyone in there, to be sure. Some of our smaller vendors were relegated to the hallway! Even more difficult was trying to make that intentionally generic space look cozy and farm-y, though we tried. While it was fun sharing the space that is used for senior zumba, village elections and 8th grade formals, we clearly needed to bust a move. One of the speakers at my daughter's graduation this past weekend reflected on the silver linings of the pandemic. Indeed, Covid 19 pushed us outdoors in the dead of winter, and to the commuter lot so we could spread out and spread out we did.

I prefer to think of it as spreading our wings. As a result, we grew. And grew. And grew. 

And so here we are at over 50 vendors each week, the winter market looking no different than the summer market in vendor count. Of course, the summer produce is what makes all the difference, visually.

And it has been trickling in. 

Lettuces, radishes, rhubarb and strawberries are turning up for the party this Saturday in small amounts. Come June 3rd, when we kick off our 25th summer season, the bins will be brimming of course. We’ve often been asked why we don’t open the market weekly earlier in the year. 

Since our market’s inception we’ve strongly believed that the market should open when the fields–not greenhouses–are flush because as amazing as it to have top-notch spirits, hand-crafted caramels and smoked duck breast at the  market (yes, Larchmont Charcuterie will have it this week) we are a “farmer’s market.” Apostrophe very intentionally placed.

Two very important announcements: this week we are bringing back our Glean on Me baskets which were moved to a virtual shelf during the pandemic. The concept is simple: we have giant baskets at the market tent for you to place your fresh food donations for the food pantry. You buy a bag of spinach or apples for yourself and one for the basket. In years past, we've let shoppers decide what to put in the basket. But this made equal distribution to the 40 families who rely on the food pantry challenging.

So, this year, we are going to make specific and seasonal requests for the donations so that each family receives the same items. For the first Glean on Me collection, we are focusing on potatoes and onions. 

Secondly, we do have an opening time of 9:30 in the winter and 8:30 in the summer (starting June 3rd). Please respect these opening times. Our vendors require a certain amount of time to set up their booths and if a line starts forming before they have a chance to finish setting up, they never get a chance to catch their breath for the rest of the day. They have asked us to enforce this policy of no early bird shopping. Also, we often have cars and trucks on the market plaza that we need to move out before shoppers can come in. This is for your safety. Thank you!

Wil-Hi Fam is here with their gorgeous cuts of lamb. Try this classic spring lamb with rosemary or lamb burgers with an asparagus snap pea slaw. I might add some feta cheese from Painted Goat. 

Please welcome new vendor Simply Masala, selling complete spice kits so you can create your own classic Indian dishes at home like Aloo Gobi, Saag Paneer, Sabzi, Chana Masala, and more. Buy your spinach at Sun Sprout Farm and give these a go this week for an easy weeknight dinner. Grab some rhubarb from the Orchards of Concklin to make this easy peasy crisp.

The knife sharpener returns this week as does Rose Swan and her stunning pottery.

Charlotte of Charlotte’s Home Kitchen will also be here with her gluten and dairy-free cakes she laces with organically-grown flowers from her Rockland County garden. 

We can’t wait to see you at the market–at 9:30!