WE HAVE 9 LOCAL FARMERS AT OUR MARKET!

National Farmers Market Week is August 2-8, 2015. In celebration, the Pennington Farmers Market invites the community to come out on Saturday, August 8 to meet its friendly farmers, selling a broad range of local products ranging from grass fed beef, to cheese and yogurt, to sunflowers, sweet corn, seasonal fruit and certified organic vegetables. Bubbly Jen’s Farm recently joined the line-up offering fermented products such as pickles, salsas, and raw sauerkraut. Live music is a weekly feature, this week featuring the Blue Jersey Band.

The market takes place Saturdays from mid-May through Halloween, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 101 Route 31 North, in front of Rosedale Mills. Eighteen vendors offer crafts, clothing, soaps, healthful snacks, drinks, and sandwiches, desserts, Terra Momo breads and Camella sauces, fresh roasted and brewed coffee, and Maria’s Sacred Teas. On the last Saturday of the month, the Market accepts recyclables including #5 plastics, VHS tapes and CDs/ DVDs, and Styrofoam egg cartons.

Farmers markets are more than just an outlet for fresh produce and friendly farmers. According to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics, these grassroots venues have increased in number by over 60% since 2009 to nearly 8,500 today. These markets preserve farmland, stimulate local economies, increase access to fresh nutritious food, improve community health, and promote sustainability. For example, growers selling locally create 13 full-time farm operator jobs per $1 million in revenue earned while those that do not sell locally only create three.

“Farmers markets play a vital role in forming healthy, local food systems,” says Jen Cheek, Executive Director of the Farmers Market Coalition. “By providing the opportunity for farmers to connect directly with consumers, markets serve as education centers. Vendors are teaching customers about agriculture, sharing recipes, and exposing them to new foods. Markets are making people and communities stronger and healthier.”