The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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Planting a Farmer’s Market… One Neighborhood at a Time

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PHOTOS BY Donna Mueller Photography

Amidst a brisk March wind, vendors at the Down-to-Earth Farmer’s Market in Ossining greet regulars by name, showcase new products and make tailored recommendations. One of the few Farmer’s Markets open outdoors year-round, rain or shine, the rapport between customers and vendors is apparent.

Miriam Haas, the market’s founder, walks around, shopping and chatting with people. In the late 1980s,, Haas and a group of women ran a food co-op but wished there was fresh produce more locally available.

After researching local farms and working with the Ossining Chamber of Commerce, the first Farmer’s Market was finally launched. In 1991, on a small patch of lawn in the downtown area in Ossining; two farmers set out their wares and the Down-to-Earth Farmer’s Market opened for business!

The second year there were three vendors, and by year five, Hass received an award from the Chamber of Commerce for bringing people and economic development to the downtown area.

Once their own local market was thriving, Hass began to bring farmer’s markets to other nearby towns such as Pleasantville, Hastings, Piermont, Tarrytown and Bronxville, to name a few. Soon ever more towns began reaching out to Haas to help them start their own markets.

“Community markets revitalize downtown areas. People meet and discuss recipes. It’s a very friendly environment,” Haas says. This is evident as she smiles, nods hellos and waves to people while we chat.

Soon communities from outside Westchester County reached out to her and she helped found three markets in Manhattan: Hudson Yards, Chelsea and Morningside Park as well as two each in Brooklyn and Queens. In total she has founded around 14 farmer’s markets. “I guess I’m like the Johnny Appleseed of farmer’s markets,” she jokes.

Dakotah Russo, Director of Marketing for the Down-to-Earth Farmer’s Market, notes that more recently the growth of farmer’s markets trend nationwide has slowed. “There was a time when everyone wanted one in their town,” she notes. “Many towns now have one and the need is not as great.” Still, the markets that are already out there do very well. “Our vendors respond to what people around here want. Different towns want different products. It’s not a bazaar. It is tailored to what people are buying”, Russo reports.

Beauty of Outdoors

Being outdoors year-round is a big draw as people maintain their shopping routines without driving to a different location. They tried holding the market indoors at one point, but vendors preferred to be outside despite variable weather. It is easy for people to pull up and shop.

During the winter months they still have vegetables, pasteurized meats and fish among other other staples, such as pickle and bread stands. There is often live music in the winter as well. During the summer months, harvests are bigger and the vendor mix expands with upwards of twenty vendors.

The market’s summer season officially kicks off May 11th. The hours are 8:30-1:00. There are café tables, live music or a DJ, and the atmosphere is festive. After 28 years, the Down-to-Earth Market continues to grow and thrive. For information and recipes, please visit their website: downtoearthmarkets.com

What’s New This Season at Local Farmers Markets

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A cocoa/cauliflower brownie from the SweetHearth Bake Shop, a new gluten-free vendor at the Chappaqua Farmers Market

Now that the weather is finally more like a velvet glove than an iron fist, many residents of the Castles and beyond truly look forward to enjoying nature’s benevolence at one of our area’s farmers markets.

At press time, local market directors spoke to us about a variety of new offerings planned to expand and improve upon what’s available this year.

Chappaqua Farmers Market, Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the train station. Pascale Le Draoule, market director, said there will be even more of a focus on certified organic growers this year. “We actually had five produce vendors and one of our conventional produce vendors was not doing very well and decided to leave. We saw that as a very strong message,” La Draoule said. New vendors include Sun Sprout Farm, a certified organic grower from New York’s black dirt country and Caradonna Farms, an orchard with “a dizzying array of fruits.”

Shoppers can also look forward to Dacha Fermented Veggies and SweetHearth Bake Shop, “a new gluten-free baker who does very interesting things, using cauliflower and local fruits and vegetables. She’s very creative and everything she makes is beautiful.” The Carbon Chocolate Workshop will also be new to the market, offering organic chocolate, and Temima’s Bakery from Pound Ridge also. “There will be a lot more gluten-free at the market this year, a lot more fruit, more certified organic,” Rosseau said. “We always have cool activities for kids.” Also expect cooking demos on-site.

Children watch an entertainer perform at the Pleasantville Farmers Market
PHOTO BY CHAD DAVID KRAUS PHOTOGRAPHY

Ossining Farmers Market, Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the parking lot at Spring and Main. Community members will have more prepared food options this year at Ossining’s market, Dacotah Rosseau, marketing and communications manager, said, and more space to enjoy them too in an expanded, umbrella-shaded seating area. “People can buy a meal to take home or eat right here,” Rosseau said.

Sunset View Farm, a nose-to-tail operation, will offer grilled meats and rotisserie chickens.  “We’ve got a really neat bakery out of New York City,” Rosseau added. Called Kouklet, the microbakery will offer sweet and savory Brazilian pastries. There will also be a new olive oil company, BulI, that sells estate-grown unfiltered extra virgin olive oil from Italy. The market also usually features music and occasionally hosts kids’ activities.

Produce sold at Muscoot Farms Sunday market

Pleasantville Farmers Market, Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Memorial Plaza next to the train station (closed for Pleasantville Day, Saturday, May 19). New this year in early June is Morgiewicz Produce, a fourth-generation family farm from Goshen that will offer Asian greens, calaloo, kohlrabi, lettuces and more. There are more than 65 events planned, from music to magic to talks and a book signing. Stuart Vance, vice-chair of Foodchester, which runs the market, said: “Shoppers appreciate the market’s entertaining, positive vibe.”

If Saturday slips away without an uplifting morning trip to the market, the Muscoot Farmers Market at 51 Route 100 in Katonah, located on the Albert B. Delbello Muscoot Farm, is open on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. starting May 14. Any kids in tow will love the chance to see the historic farm’s many animals, and currently 30 vendors are showcased on the market’s website.

Shoppers at the Ossining Famers Market

Chappaqua Station: A New Farm to Town Café

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Story and Photo By Karen Talbot

chapp station

Taking advantage of great architecture and its historical setting, this is a brand new casual café owned by husband and wife, Peter and Erin Chase and Chef Alan Ashkinaze. Chappaqua Station honors regional farmers, trade fair cooperatives and a sustainable approach to agricultural and dining. The restaurant believes “food, art and education are powerful mediums that connect and unify a community.” Chappaqua Station wants to be the gathering place for people living locally to gather and dine. The menu changes every week as Peter and Erin visit the local Farmers Market and purchase fresh produce for the week’s offerings. It is open every day except Sunday, from 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Some popular breakfast choices are homemade cranberry muffins, a farm fresh egg sandwich and omelettes made with fresh vegetables from the Farmers Market. The lunch and dinner menus are the same, featuring some favorites: flatbreads such as the fig marmalade, Maytag blue cheese, almonds and arugula or a salad with curry roasted cauliflower with raisins, pine nuts, capers and peppers. For a heartier entrée, try the Tuna Takaki {seared rare} with a sesame–ginger vinaigrette served with your choice of one of their ten healthy and creative salads. Customers can order food, then sit down at a table and be served. Chappaqua Station is all about using local fresh ingredients.

Some unique things about this eatery: every two months a local artist will be featured and his or her artwork will adorn the walls. Currently Francesco Mastalia’s intriguing black and white photographs are on display. local distilleries from the Hudson Valley as well as from Long Island and Brooklyn are used here. House-made syrups are used to make all of the sodas…such as a peppermint–spiced soda that will be available for the Holidays. And jazz artists from New York, will play most every Saturday night. A featured Holiday cocktail will be Rudolph, consisting of: cranberry infused white whiskey, ginger syrup, lemon juice, a dash of bitters and Blanc de Blanc. The Chappaqua Garden Club will also be decorating Chappaqua Station festively for the Holidays.

1 Station Plaza, Chappaqua
914-861-8001
chappaquastation.com

Karen Talbot is a Westchester-based personal shopper and restaurant reviewer. The love of cooking runs in her family! Karen’s son Alex and his wife Aki Kamozawa started a food blog “Ideas in Food” in early 2000, and they have just opened “Curiosity Donuts” in the Stockton Market in Stockton, New Jersey.

Chappaqua Farmers Market

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Photo by Carolyn Simpson
Photo by Carolyn Simpson

Chappaqua Farmers Market celebrates its 5th Season with shoppers from all over Westchester discovering our gem of a market. CFM is committed to bringing locally raised and produced foods to the community, creating a connection between shoppers and small­ scale food producers in the Lower Hudson Valley. Every Saturday morning, CFM brings a sophisticated vendor mix, Provencal vibe, stress-­free parking to the shady, promenade location right in front of the historic Chappaqua Train Station.

Vendors and farmers are located within approximately a 200-­mile radius of CFM, to lessen negative environmental impact while ensuring fresh products. The market offers farm-­fresh produce, meats, poultry, fish, dairy, bread and prepared foods, accompanied by live music, children’s activities, cooking demos, and philanthropy events. CFM relishes the opportunity to act as a de facto “town square” by offering a venue for community groups, entertainment, and serendipitous meetings, and by drawing residents and visitors to downtown Chappaqua.