Weekly Farmers' Market at Haines Park

A handful of Rhode Island farmers and bakers set up their stands at  every Wednesday afternoon with the allure of fresh produce, homemade pastries and locally caught fish.

Last week, local residents casually strolled up the dirt path to the clearing, some with children, others with empty bags in hand, to the temporary home for the Riverside/Barrington area farmers market.  

One of the vendors manning her table was Marie Pray of Oakdale Farms. Pray's farm has three locations: Rehoboth, Seekonk and Rumford. Most of Pray's food is organic. She has a goal of making everything she offers organic, but the process "takes time." Still, she touts the benefits of buying local.

"It's picked first thing in the morning, and everything is fresh, and it tastes better," she said.

As for buying things at a grocery store versus from one's own community, Pray was not shy about laying out the differences.

"You may even pay more money at Stop & Shop," she said. "Maybe it's because they have more overhead. But we grow it, so we can get a little less for it."

Oakdale Farms has a certified kitchen where workers make their own jam, as well. Ruby-red glass jars sparkled to the left of the register where Pray accepted cash and compliments from community members.

Also setting up shop for the afternoon was Steve's Seafood, H Monroe, Palmieri's Bakery & Cafe and Nettie's Kettle Corn.

Joe Clemente, owner of Nettie's, seemed to perfectly embody the spirit of small business owner committed to serving his neighbors. Clemente and his girlfriend began making kettle corn on the side as a way to make money. It soon turned into a full-time venture.

"We were at an event a few years back and saw someone selling kettle corn," Clemente said. "I saw how much money he was making and said, 'Hey, I could do that!'."

Up until now, Nettie's has been a mobile business, selling at farmers' markets and community events. Business owners plans to move into a facility to make their flavored kettle corn at a higher volume.

Organized by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's (RI DEM's) Division of Agriculture, the Haines Memorial State Park farmers market, along with many others around the state, have been in full swing for a number of years. Many parks and public areas being used as the sites for popular farmers markets.

On hand was RI DEM Division of Agriculture employee Mary Ross, who talked about why the department got involved with farmers markets.

"We want to [inform] people in our state as to why farming is so important," Ross said. "We inspect the farms, we make sure that they're using the right procedures and that they're not using any chemicals. We reach out [to the farms], and we also take applications from independent farmers."

Ross said that he has been working at RI DEM for about six years, but that the department's involvement with organizing farmers markets has been going strong long before his arrival.

Ross also said that RI DEM has a voucher program for seniors at $15 a book, which are given out at senior centers.

The season ends Oct. 31, which gives people plenty of time to take advantage of the vendors who set up shop at Haines Park.