Apples from Apex Orchards
This past Saturday the first Somerville Winters Farmers’ Market kicked off at the Armory on Highland Ave. Local food blogger Teresa Elsey (@teresaelsey) of Farm Share Stories was on the scene to get the scoop:
The first sign I was getting close to the Somerville Winter Farmers’ Market? The people with kale-stuffed reusable tote bags walking the opposite direction on Highland Ave.
The options when I got there didn’t disappoint: a full lineup of vendors selling bread and fish and honey and chocolate and wine. But the only real line — the line wrapping nearly halfway around the entire space — was for Enterprise Farms, one of the few actual vegetable vendors, and the only one displaying fresh leafy greens in the middle of January. (ED Note: Enterprise is a locally owned farm but I think that the veggies came from small farms along the east coast where Enterprise has relationships). (The next longest line was for Winter Moon Farm, which was showing bouquets of beets, enormous parsnips, beautifully arranged rainbow carrots, wildly colored watermelon radishes, and all the rooty, earthy, roastable tastes of winter.) Way to show your good taste, Somervillans!
What’s harder to put into words, though, was the scene. First, the immediate camaraderie among people willing to get up on a Saturday morning, brave the weather and limited parking, and wait patiently in a long line … to buy vegetables. Then the friends recognizing one another, the discussions about what exactly “celeriac” is. The children — half-eaten local apples in hand — running and playing in the loft. The wine tasters observing from the stage. The late January sun peeking into the fortress-like space. I’ve seen it said that people have ten times more conversations at farmers markets than they do at grocery stores — which the scattered comfy couches here made credible. And judging from the crowd, the winter farmers market is already the Saturday morning it-destination of Somerville foodies.
And it was impossible not to engage with the community’s excitement. Besides my produce, I picked up a schedule of Armory events, a Mass Farmers Markets magnet, a flyer for a community supported apiculture program, a beautifully designed “Sage & Blue Hubbard Squash Risotto” recipe card (which inspired our dinner), a sample of Taza Chocolate, and a taste of Zoll Cellars wine.
And that, my friends, is my best explanation of why I walked two miles through the snow to wait in line for twenty minutes to buy a bag of sweet potatoes. I wanted kale, too, but didn’t see any. Way to rock, Somerville, buying all the kale by 11:30am — see you all next week!
The Somerville Winter Farmers’ Market will take place on Saturdays from 10 am – 2pm through March 26th at the Center for the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Avenue in Somerville.
