Roslindale Farmers’ Market Marks Most Successful Season Ever

The Roslindale Village Main Street Farmers Market has five more weeks before it ends its 27^th season on October 27. This season marks the most successful one yet with a healthy budget and more venders participating than ever before.

With an attendance averaging 2,800-3000 every Saturday and approximately 30 vendors every week, market manager Ben Sommer says it’s one of the best in the metropolitan Boston area. Success produces new ideas and every year the farmers’ market committee consisting of dozens of volunteers considers ways to develop the market, enhance the shopping experience and provide a unique shopping venue for local farmers, food producers and artisans.

This season the farmers’ market committee is entertaining the idea of extending the season. Working with a small group of farmers to add three more Saturdays (Nov. 3, 10 and 17), a "mini-Farmers' Market" is taking shape that will extend the season to the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It will most likely be three farms and a few food venders but no arts or crafts. An extended season will most likely be shorter hours, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. perhaps. More details will be announced as they develop.

Ben Sommer, the market manager has done a fabulous job coordinating the day to day and week-to-week details of the market–ranging from scheduling vendors to working with volunteers to ensure that entertainment, electricity and other logistical needs are met for each market day. Volunteer Glenn Williams has been on-site every week to ensure the bands and performers have that he scheduled had the sound and other logistical needs to provide live music for the pleasure of the shoppers. 

The tradition of providing children’s activities at 10 a.m. and live music at 11 a.m. continued this season. A new children’s activity area was created this year. Located behind the monument at the triangular corner of Adams Park, this new and under-utilized area of the park has emerged as the place for children and their parents to be at 10 a.m. every Saturday.

Theme days this year included Bike Day, in association with Rozzie Bikes, and Dog Day held this past Saturday in conjunction with several local businesses including Roslindale’s favorite pet shop, Pet Cabaret. Volunteer Shawn Sommer coordinated the activities for Dog Day.

Farmers’ market co-chair Jaime Pullen coordinated Tomato Month with four weeks of gathering 70 different recipes from shoppers representing ethnic and cultural dishes using the tomato. One recipe was drawn each week from a raffle and the winners won a $75 gift certificate for dinner at a local restaurant of their choice. Tomato Month also included four weeks of kids contests related to guessing how much an heirloom tomato weighs and how many cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Kids with the closest guess won a prize.

The farmers market held its 3^rd annual Backyard, Barnyard Stomp fundraiser on Sept. 15. It was held at the home of RVMS President Steve Gag and his wife Laura Gang. Each year the event’s attendance increases as does the dollars raised with 215 farmers’ market supporters attending raising $2000. Zili Misik, a local all-women band known best for its world beat music performed at the event.

Fresh in the Village, a fundraising activity consisting of a series of handmade linocut prints of fruits and vegetables with recipe’s by some of Roslindale’s finest restaurant chef’s, shop owners and culinary personalities continued this year at the Roslindale Farmers’ Market.

As the Roslindale Farmers’ Market produce comes into season, the collaborative fundraiser released recipes that highlight fresh and in-season offerings from the market with specialty ingredients from Roslindale Village’s unique and ethnically diverse food purveyors. Fresh in the Village is a volunteer effort that benefits the Charles Sumner Elementary School and Roslindale Village Main Streets. The market cards will be sold at the RVMS booth at the market through Oct. 27^th.

We had the opportunity to talk to some of the farmers as well as some shoppers to learn more about their experience this season at the Roslindale Farmers’ Market. Kate Canney from the Neighborhood Farm is now in her fourth season with the Roslindale Farmers’ Market and she says her participation is an amazing experience. She likes the Roslindale market because it’s so busy, has so many events and provides such a wonderful community gathering place. She participates in other farmers markets in the area (Dedham and Needham) and her groupies, she says, follow her from one market to the next. 

Jason McCartney, the farmers market manager from Brookwood Farm from Canton and Milton, has been very happy with his farm participating in the Roslindale Farmers’ Market. He enjoys the live entertainment aspect and the fact that it’s so close to Roslindale. His farm has brought a larger selection of produce this year which has delighted his shoppers.

Gay Hughes, owner of Gay Grace Teas is in her third year at the market and she has developed a following of repeat customers and enjoys the strong sense of community that is evident every week. Souren Etyemezian owner of Fastachi, a vendor providing roasted nuts and nut butters is new to the Roslindale market this year and enjoys the fact that it’s in a park setting. The market has met his expectations and he plans to be a returning vendor next year.

We asked a few customers at the Roslindale Farmers’ Market about why they come to the market. Jamaica Plain resident Sherry Golden prefers coming to the Roslindale market because the one in her community has long lines at the one farmers stall and she enjoys the music aspect of the Roslindale market. She says she always sees people she knows and comes every week. Despite having a Whole Food Market and the Harvest Co-Op in her community, she still feels that the Roslindale Farmers’ Market is a great resource.

Alissa Jones Nelson and her husband Matt Nelson recently moved to Roslindale on the recommendation of co-workers, having moved to the East Coast from Los Angeles and Denver just nine months ago.  They have come to enjoy the market very much as Matt is a foodie and is a former chef. Alissa enjoys the music, hanging out at the market and shopping at other stores in Roslindale Village.

We caught up with long-time Roslindale residents Laurie Jo Wallace and Michael DeNapoli to find out what draws them to the Roslindale Farmers’ Market. They were quick to note how the market has improved so much over the past few years and how they feel like they are part of a vibrant community, diverse community.

Rick Ward is a member of the Roslindale Village Farmers' Market Committee.

The farmers market is sponsored by Roslindale Village Main Street. For more information, go to www.roslindale.net.