When those six farmers garnered the City's blessing and set up for business in an empty
parking lot in downtown Staunton way back in 1993, they were showing amazing
foresight.
Who would have thought that by 2015 there would be 8,476 farmers’
markets in the US?
And, who would have thought that our little market in our
little town would be one of the pioneers of the food movement that has taken
the country by storm?
Farmers’ Markets have become THE way to get fresh farm
products, THE way to “Know your Farmer, Know your Food”, THE way to support the
local agricultural economy…and Staunton is leading the way. The Staunton Market has served as a model for
a number of Markets in other locations. I love that I can be a part of this
trend to help folks get to know more about the food they eat and the people who
produce it. In addition to local food, the market encourages local talent and
hosts various musical and entertainment groups throughout the season.
With all the emphasis today on local food and the desire to trace food from farm to fork…the
Farmers’ Market proves to be the very best model for getting that freshness to
the public. One of the basic tenets of our Market is to restore that connection
between farmer and consumer. The very rules of the market state: The Staunton
Farmers’ Market was founded on the concepts of local food production, promotion
of family farming and direct marketing of farm products while providing the
community access to the best our producers have to offer in a family-friendly
atmosphere.
Perhaps the most important thing to know about the Staunton
Market is that it is a PRODUCER ONLY Market.
This means that everything offered for sale at the Market has been
produced by the vendor selling it. There is no buying of produce from other
sources and re-selling it. In addition, there is a requirement that all vendors
produce within a 75-mile radius of the Market. This assures you, the customer,
that everything is truly LOCAL.
Did you know that it is estimated that the average American
meal travels approximately 1500 miles prior to consumption? Some items travel
even further. For example, the majority of lamb sold in this country has
traveled 10,000 miles to the grocery.
That is definitely NOT the case with anything from the Staunton Farmers’
Market. And, I am confident that customers can indeed tell the difference. You
simply cannot get the sort of fresh quality from the grocery store, no matter
what the label may say.
By shopping the Market, you get truly local food, often
picked within hours of sale, directly from the grower who is fully vested in
assuring that you have a satisfactory shopping experience. It truly is a win-win proposition. And speaking
personally, this interaction can lead to long-term friendships and year-round
business opportunities.
After 18 seasons as a Market vendor, I can attest to the
fact that growing farm products and selling them directly to the public is a
great way to make a living. As a vendor, I do indeed have the customers’ best
interests at heart in every choice I make when it comes to the crops we grow,
in part because these folks are my friends and neighbors. And, I have made it
my mission to become educated about the issues surrounding food and its
production. That education is a vital part of being a market vendor.
However, quite honestly, it was never our intention to
become farmers’ market vendors. When we moved to the Valley in 1996, it was
with a very different vision for our lives. But, when our plans were
irrevocably changed in early 1997, we found ourselves re-locating to a small
piece of land in Middlebrook and in desperate need of re-inventing our lives.
Looking to provide a stable environment for our children and food for our own
table, we took advantage of the opportunity to utilize our past experience with
growing our own food and expand into small-scale agriculture. Then, acting on
the advice of friends who were already market vendors, we joined the Market in
1998. From that very first week when we sold out, making a whopping $66.50, we
felt we had found our true calling.
We have seen dramatic changes in the Market, the City and
the clientele over the past 18 seasons.
Years ago, it was difficult, if not
impossible to move some of the more unusual items at the Market. More than once
I heard someone mutter, “ain’t seen nothin’ like THAT before!” Today, we find
that often our customers and local chefs are looking for new and exotic items
and have interesting ideas as to how to prepare them. The numbers of shoppers at the Market has
grown exponentially.
Over the years, the Staunton Market has brought a great deal
of revenue to the City, making over $450,000 last year alone, while providing
the very best local produce to the townspeople…and making it possible for folks
like us to make a living doing what we love. The folks who come downtown to
shop at the Market bring revenue to the other businesses as well. I do believe
that the vibrant downtown atmosphere is due in part to the Staunton Farmers’
Market.
In an effort to make the fresh produce offerings of the
market available to more folks, the Staunton Farmers Market became participants
in the SNAP program in 2014. There are
also a number of vendors who participate in the WIC and Senior Nutrition
programs during the summer months in an effort to get produce to those children
and seniors who may not otherwise have opportunity to eat fresh and local.
In
2015, Trinity Episcopal began a gleaning program to utilize excess farm
products in their hot lunch program. This allows even more folks to get fresh,
local produce on a somewhat regular basis. Read about that here.
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| pupusas at the Market |
The Market offers the mainstays of produce, meat, eggs and
baked goods. There are a variety of jellies, mushrooms and cheeses. You can get
a piping hot pupusa or a sandwich made from locally-grown beef or pork. You can
find healthy foods and sweet indulgences. Twice a month, a fresh fish vendor
comes up from Bedford. There are hand-crafted soaps and healing lotions, fresh
flowers and bedding plants, just to mention a few things. And, then there is the live entertainment and the meeting of friends...
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| music |
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| live performances |
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| more music |
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Personally, I think that any Farmers’ Market, but our
Staunton Market in particular, is the very best way to purchase fresh, local
food. Not only do you, as the shopper, have a chance to meet the producer, you
also get to pick exactly what items you would like to purchase. You have the
option of shopping with different growers for different products. There’s also
a pretty good chance that the vendor will give you recipe ideas and insights on
storage. There is a sense of family and community at the Market that you won’t
find elsewhere.
This is relationship marketing and farm to fork food sourcing
in the truest sense.
…and it's a pretty good way to spend a Saturday morning!
