Melick's Brings Rural Presence to Bridgewater

Farm markets are usually saved for rural areas off the main drag.

Towns like Bridgewater, which feature a more suburban setting, usually are not the type of place to host a market like .

And yet, the farm decided to expand its business into Bridgewater seven years ago.

It all started with an opportunity the Melick family saw to expand beyond its two Hunterdon County locations.

“A lot of the [original] farm was sold off for development [by the owners], but they kept the farm market because they really liked being involved with agriculture,” said Rebecca Melick, of Melick’s Town Farm. “After their kids went off to college, it wasn’t convenient anymore. Since they bought a lot of things from us already, they said ‘Hey, would you be interested in having a farm market down here,’ and we said yes.”

Since then, the Melicks—farmers in the area for 10 generations after their ancestors came to America from Germany—have enjoyed their Bridgewater location in addition to their Oldwick and Califon farm markets, even though the area has brought about its own unique challenges.

“It’s nice that there are a lot of people who are really close to our stand or a lot of shoppers that are familiar with us,” Melick said. “Some of the challenges are that there are not as many people that are familiar with farm markets and that they do a lot of their shopping exclusively at supermarkets.”

Because of these challenges, Melick’s is bringing some of the features of its original Oldwick location to Bridgewater.

This includes the introduction of the Bridgewater market as a pick-up location for Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions, beginning with the Bridgewater location’s seasonal opening around June 2012.

“People sign up at the beginning of the season for a subscription," Melick said. "For 22 weeks, they get a box of produce in summer and fall."

"I had a lot of interest from people down in the Bridgewater location,” she added. “This year, we’re going to have a pick-up location in Bridgewater. It’s gotten a lot of good reception.”

Melick’s is also participating in the Bridgewater Township Environmental Commission Eco-Blast Fair this Saturday.

“They’re trying to promote local businesses, sustainable businesses and they thought we would be a really good addition,” Melick said. “I just want to go to promote awareness about our farm market, about what we do [in Bridgewater] and in Oldwick for our pick-your-own and the CSA, as well.”

Anyone who visits the Melick’s display on Saturday may also be in for an extra treat.

“It’s not something where I can sell anything, but I’m giving away vegetable plant seedlings and I’ll have a display of fresh asparagus,” Melick said.