The season for fresh vegetables, flowers and other local products will start in the next week with the opening of the two farmers’ markets in downtown Plymouth.
The farmer’s market at Stephen’s Field opens Thursday, June 18, and the farmers’ market on the 1820 Courthouse lawn opens next Saturday, June 20.
Every Thursday from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Stephen’s Field, off Route 3A just south of Plymouth Center, and every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Courthouse in downtown Plymouth, shoppers can check out the local fare, rain or shine.
Barbara Anglin, market manager at Stephen’s Field, said she’s ready for another season of growing support for the buy-local concept.
“The public just seems really tuned in to buying local food,” she said. “The farmers are really excited because they think more people will be coming out to our farmers’ markets.”
Last year was the first year for the farmers’ market on the Courthouse lawn, and market manager Christine Pratt looks forward to another year. So do the downtown business owners and Saturday shoppers.
“We’re happy to have had a very successful first year, and we’re rolling into the second year with more vendors and new vendors,” Pratt said.
Local farmers contribute the freshest seasonal fruits, vegetables, eggs, herbs, cut flowers and plants to the farmers’ markets. Local food crafters who make goat cheese, gelato, yogurt, jams, sauces, honey, gourmet take home foods, breads, and baked goodies, sell fresh caught lobsters, and offer other handmade sundries such as soaps, herbals, and pottery will also be on hand each week.
Community involvement is also growing, Anglin said. This year, greeters from the Plymouth Council on Aging and other community groups will be on hand to direct shoppers to the tables with the products they are searching for. She said it’s all about creating a local food economy.
Local musicians and storytellers will entertain shoppers every week at both farmers’ markets. Opening day at both locations features performances by local musicians. The full music schedule can be found online at www.plymouthfarmersmarket.org. Both markets will be open through October and offer free and handicapped parking.
New this year is the Plymouth Local Foods Project online ordering program for residents who can’t make it to the farmers’ markets when they are open. Shoppers will be able to go online to www.plymouthfarmersmarket.orgabout a week after the markets open and click on the program logo to shop at the online store Monday afternoons through Tuesday evening.
Online shoppers are able to pay for their orders online, an option not available at either Stephen’s Field or the historic Courthouse. Orders will be available for pickup by 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at Stephen’s Field.
Anglin said the foundation is also being laid for a winter market at an indoor location to be determined. Local farmers who set up shop at the local farmers’ markets and others who don’t have that opportunity can participate.
“We’re trying to find ways for farmers to expand their reach to new customers,” she said.
