City's Farmers' Market Set to Begin its Third Season

In an introduction to a book on America and agriculture, journalist Michael Pollan, the closest thing to a superstar a genre like agricultural writing will probably ever get, wrote tangentially that "... farmers' markets are popping up like mushrooms."

On June 6, from 7 a.m. until noon, one of these many markets will be stationed in Village Square in Glen Cove, just behind the Glen Cove Public Library. It will be the first one of a series that will take place there every Sunday until Nov. 21.

The list of vendors includes Rick's Baked Goods, Gajeski Produce, Guyank Brand and Martha's Seafood as well as a couple who will be selling smoothies made from fresh fruit. Only products that they "bake, make, grow or catch" are allowed, according to the adage of the Long Island Growers Market, the organization that is coordinating the market along with Glen Cove's Downtown Business Improvement District (BID). No wholesalers are allowed.

Ethel Terry, who is the coordinator and founder of LI Growers, explained that wholesalers are left out in order to help farmers and producers retain more of the profit from their goods. LI Growers is a large network that has been in operation for about 15 years, representing 40 farms and producers across Long Island at 12 locations.

Brian Gajeski, whose booth will be stocked with radish, lettuce, greens, and strawberries on Sunday, said that his income comes mainly from the farmers markets he attends. He said he travels from his farm in Riverhead to 21 different locations in order to make his living.

Kenya Chasten, Vice President of Guyank Brands, which produces condiments such as hot chili sauces, jellies, and jams, cited contracts with wholesalers as part of her company's business model. She described farmers' markets as places where consumers can purchase "healthy, wholesome and natural foods that promote good health" and that are "not found sitting on supermarket shelves indefinitely."

This will be the farmers' market's third year in the city. Francine Koehler, the director of the BID, which has invested more than $4,500 in it to date, had advocated for its installment for about five years before getting the green light from the city in 2008.

The BID is a not-for-profit agency whose mission is to, among other things, "work towards meeting the needs of local businesses in the continued effort to revitalize Glen Cove's downtown," according to its Web site.

"It seemed like another vehicle to get people to come downtown ... during off times," Koehler  said. "It is also important to support our local farmers. The market gives us the opportunity to bring fresh, local produce and goods to our community and to the senior population in particular."

The benefit to seniors Koehler referred to is the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), which provides a $20 voucher backed by federal and state funds distributed by the NY State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYS-DAM). The department also runs a similar voucher program for children of mothers with low-income.

In Pollan's introduction, the depiction of the climate for growth of the independent farmers' market, offhand as it was, stresses a much more specific trend.  

According to a 2006 survey by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the number of farmers' markets in the country soared from 2,863, to 4,093 during 2000 to 2005. It appears that proprietors and participants of farmers' markets do not view them merely as sentimental indulgences that pay for themselves, but as commercial stations necessary to revitalizing local economic systems.

For more information, call Terry at (631) 323-3653. If you're interested in becoming a vendor, contact the BID at (516) 759-6970 or mary@glencovedowntown.org.

Share your thoughts about farmers' markets below. Patch wants to hear from you.