CNY Regional Market Update

Radishes, lettuces, spring onions and scallions, and soon--strawberries--are all ripe right for picking right about now but if you want to get the organic versions at the Saturday Central New York Regional Market you will have limited options.

Things have changed quite a bit since my post on how to shop the Regional Market last August.  Don't panic--Wendy Gornick is still there selling her pasture-raised meats--but the produce options have been drastically reduced signaling the difficulty of sustaining small, organic farms.

Stones Throw Farm, based in Nedrow, is still in their spot at the end of the shed closest to the baseball stadium--and thank goodness because right now, they are the only folks selling organic veggies (and compost) at the market.  If I'm wrong on this someone PLEASE correct me. 

Wake Robin Farm is there selling yogurt and, for a limited time, milk but true to what they said last year, they are no longer in the market for produce.

Sacred Seed has not been at the market yet this spring but they may be coming to the new Lexington Market on Thursday afternoon/evenings--that market opens on June 21.

Salvere Farm is only doing community supported agriculture (CSA) shares and will not be at the Regional Market.

I'm trying not to be worried about what this means for those who want to seek out local and organic produce.  While I rejoice in what seems to be an increased interest in CSA shares, I'm trying not to worry about the fact that just as the interest in eating local and organic is rising the number of options available to us at the Regional Market is decreasing.

Conversations with local farmers and the closing of Green Rabbit Farm in Madison attest to the difficulty of growing and selling produce and doing better than just staying afloat.  But I fear that with fewer options folks will simply go back to the major supermarkets and purchase the tomatoes and peaches flown or trucked in from California.

There is clearly a larger issue here but maybe it is simply a matter of getting over the paradox of choice where having too many options overwhelms instead of comforts.  It is still possible to go to the Regional Market and get everything you need for a local and sustainable meal--meat, dairy products, wine, breads and produce.  I guess I thought I'd be telling a different story this year about how the number of organic vegetable growers had doubled to about ten--not dwindled to one.  Again, if I'm misinformed here I'd be grateful to be corrected.

Bottom line--support our local growers, especially the organic ones.  It is a really tough business and our patronage really makes a difference.

Comments

[Brenna]

I agree, I go almost each week and last week I was sad to notice just how few local farms were present. It was even a little difficult to search them out from among the many more stalls selling bulk imported produce. Even though I'll only be in Syracuse a few more months, I try to eat as local and as seasonably as possible. There really aren't that many places left that have the capabaility to sustain local farms, so where they are they should be supported!