The Butler Marketplace comes to town with fresh produce and baked goods the second Saturday of each month. Among the vendors are farmers who use local produce to make products. Over the next few weeks, we will highlight some local farmers whose crops and creations are for sale at the marketplace.
- Names: Bob and Joi Small, of West Milford, are the proprietors of The Joi of Pickles. The couple has been making pickles and olives for six years.
- Products: Fresh, homemade pickles, olives and giardiniera, which are mixed sliced vegetables that are pickled.
- What’s Unique: Bob used to sell pickles at the New York Renaissance Faire. He figured, “If they can sell them, I can sell them.” Coincidentally, Joi loves pickles. “They’re my staple,” she said. “Something that you can eat that’s not high in calories and incorporate it into salads. It’s a very congenial vegetable.” The couple began making olives because “we felt that it was a good combination of what people are looking for,” said Joi. A local importer supplies them with the olives. In making the pickles, the Smalls use fresh cucumbers supplied by small farms from around the country.
- Why The Farmers Market: “We love farmers markets,” said Joi. “We love going in where local vendors are coming. It’s a very friendly atmosphere. It’s a very one-on-one atmosphere. You get to know your customers a lot. They come back to see you every week, or, in this case, when it’s during the winter, they’ll come and see you every month, so you know that they love your product, and they know they can come back and get the same product every time they come back.” The Smalls sell pickles and olives at several area farmers markets. They are looking forward to Saturdays this summer, when the Butler Marketplace is scheduled to move outdoors. The Joi of Pickles can also be found at Butler’s Highpoint Brewery. “It’s a local micro brewery right here in Butler,” said Bob. “They have an open house also the second Saturday of every month.”
