Farmer's Market Welcomes the Sunshine

I visited Maplewood’s Farmer’s market on Monday, June 6, as vendors prepared their stands for the afternoon’s sale. It was the third week the Maplewood Farmer’s Market was out. Sales of fresh produce, baked goods and other foodstuffs had been good this season.

But this day marked a pleasant change for the group.

“So far, everything’s been great, actually,” Michael Strevel, who was manning the counter for Hoboken Farms, said. “Except for the 22 straight days of rain, it was amazing.”

The sun was shining and no clouds were in the sky, making for an ideal day for the market. It was about an hour before the market’s 2 p.m. start time, and prospective customers were already gathering around the tables the market’s workers were laying out food onto.

Dale Davis, the manager of Stony Hill Gardens, said the sweet corn and tomatoes had so far been the biggest sellers of the season. But it was the first week they had put out blueberries and peaches, and he expected people to pick them up by the bushel.

But fresh produce wasn’t the only briskly selling item. Strevel touted his stand’s mozzarella cheese, saying he was confident it was the best in the country. Next to him, Adam Zenou laid out pickles, olives, sweet pickles and other brined foods for the Dr. Pickle stand. Zenou said the recession hadn’t impacted his merchandise’s ability to move.

“People line up for this stuff,” he said. “They’re the best.”

The Farmer's Market is open every Monday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., June to September at the Indiana Street Municipal Parking Lot off of Springfield Avenue.