farmersmarket365

It’s the end of October, the outdoor market is closing and we will be inside for a few months.  The harvest is in and despite chilly days the faithful come and fill their bags with all the colors of fall.  I am taking a break this week from food, to reflect on a gift that the market hands to us, community.  Recently a few vendors asked me if I had seen Jackie, a woman who faithfully came to the market and did not leave until she talked with us all.  She would get her coffee, if she were late we would set aside bags of spinach and when she wasn’t there she was missed.  It turns out she is fine but had to move to a senior community, we were glad she was safe and ok, but sad to think we might not get to see her again.  So I got to thinking of the many other people who I see on a regular basis and what they give to the community.

Marathon woman: She arrives each week, bags in her hands but also holding not one but two canes.  She slowly makes her way across the field in order to get her apples, sometimes peaches and her vegetables.  No matter how crowded the stalls are she finds a way to get to the items she wants and puts them in her bags. Though very capable, we all reach out to her to help load her bags and when they are just a bit too heavy, we offer to bring them to the car.  Last week with bags full, a woman who was also buying apples offered to help her.  People watching out for others.

Market ambassadors: There is a couple who come every Saturday pretty much as soon as we open and spend a good amount of time shopping and talking with others.  I call them the ambassadors because while enjoying coffee, they don’t hesitate to engage with others.  When at a stall they might offer suggestions of what to buy, and most importantly they just love checking in with all of us.  Sometimes they shop by themselves and when he is finished and she isn’t, he just waits patiently.  The head south for the winter but we always know when the summer market begins because they come back.

The Gentle Giant: I met him some years ago as he bought some jams from me and shared how he was going to pair them with cheeses at a wine tasting.  After that I noticed that he comes to market and hangs out with his coffee and other items for the week.  Unfortunately, his wife was sick with cancer for some time and recently passes away; each of us who knew of his journey reached out and I am hoping that being at the marked helped him through a very tough time.

Casper: Very friendly but not a ghost. He doesn’t always come to the market when he does we have a special greeting and there is always time to hear some of his stories and or adventures.  It might be about a soup he made, or a story about his granddaughter.  It turns out that he really likes a few different markets and is well known; I can mention his name to people at the other markets and the response is usually “Casper, sure I know him”.

The families: One family I kind of feel like an adopted grandma.  I met the boys when they were maybe 6 or 10 and now they are in college. Another family would arrive with the children in a red wagon.  Mom would pull them around to each stand and shop, but she got the children involved. She would take the cherry tomatoes and have them give them a taste- just try it and see what you think. The children don’t fit in that wagon any more but do come to the market but now they are choosing what they want.  My newest family, in the past year has grown by one.  Big brother makes use of all the games and opportunities that a big open field gives a little boy.

The market is more than a gathering of vendors, it is a place for people to come and connect, to share stories and be part of a community.