Tired of grocery store tomatoes that look perfect but taste like cardboard? Or expensive ears of corn that taste like animal-feed? Welcome to the West Windsor Farmer’s Market — a fresh food-addict’s heaven. Established in June of last year, the market is now open for its second year of business — Saturday mornings through October.
At this time of the year, still early in the growing season, residents can obtain seasonal produce like strawberries, collard greens, lettuce, leeks, and asparagus, as well as organic chicken and beef from Simply Grazing in Hopewell. For the green thumb-challenged, there are bedding and hanging plants.
While both of their daughters practiced soccer, long time West Windsor residents Farrell Delman, president of the Tobacco Merchants Association on Clarksville Road, and Beth Feehan, started discussing the state of food in the state of New Jersey. Delman told Feehan, who had graduated from the French Culinary Institute, that she had to meet his wife, Mireille, because she was French and she too was concerned about food.
Mireille Delman had previously run her own textile business in New York City, where she served as an agent for 20 years to different fashion studios in Germany, England, and Italy. And she was also interested in food and nutrition. She is now a certified yoga teacher, and a holistic nutritionist.
“For years I’ve been talking about having a farmer’s market, because of the lack of community, and the quality of school lunches,” says Delman, who has three children, one who graduated from Rutgers, a college junior in Montreal, and a high school student at High School South. “People here don’t care about what they eat. But French people are interested in the quality of food. Eating fresh is very important to me.”
Feehan, whose husband Bill and three children have lived in West Windsor for seven years, thinks that “people in this area need to be reminded that farming is a local seasonal venture. You’re not going to get the same quality at the grocery store that you can get at a local vegetable stand.”
And thus the West Windsor Farmer’s Market was born. But getting the whole market up and running was no piece of cake. “There was more bureaucracy involved than anything else,” admits Feehan.
Everything from making sure the non-profit organization they founded had liability insurance, to ensuring all the vendors had health permits, to getting the space donated by the parking authority, and renting port ‘o potties, took Delman and Feehan 16 months to pull together.
‘We knew we wanted no fewer than eight farmers,” says Feehan, “because it creates a happening and feeling of bounty.” To find local farmers to solicit about selling their produce, they consulted the NJ Department of Agriculture, and perused phone books and online listings. “The first year we had nine vendors; this year we have ten. We lost one from last year because of a family move, and then gained two new ones.”
Vendors are still needed to provide homemade pickles, herbs, honey, baked goods like croissants and brioche, and other breakfast items.
After incorporating as a non-profit organization, the board of directors, which includes Delman, Feehan, Sue Stember, Bonnie Blader, and Theresa Best, were able to hire a market manager this year, Rebecca Vares-Ebert, to run the market every Saturday.
The location next to the West Windsor train station was chosen because of Mayor Hsueh’s vision of creating a transit village at that site. “It had great parking,” said Feehan, “and trees. Plus, it was on a hill, so no matter what the customer’s vantage point, sthey were not faced with a flat, hot-gravel baking sheet.”
On Saturday, June 18, the market will be the site of the second annual West Windsor Farmer’s Heritage Day, honoring the town’s farming past.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., children will be treated to a balloon maker and folk singer starting around 9:30 a.m. A magic show will occur around 11 a.m. An a cappella group from High School South will perform, and the West Windsor Bike and Pedestrian task force will hold the Pedals for Progress Bike Drive on the premises.
Those who attend will enjoy southern-style barbecue from CT Barbecue, grilled sandwiches from the Argentine Grill, and Indian food from the Ganges restaurant.
After all of that food, stop by the booth of Kathy Piuggi, a nutritionist who will visit the market once a month, to hear recommendations for fighting childhood obesity.
After the market’s first successful year, Feehan hosted an end of the harvest celebration at her home where 80 people, including volunteers, vendors, farmers, customers, and neighbors danced the night away and relished the success of the first harvest.
In the future, Feehan would like to see the market become a destination to eat breakfast and lunch on the weekends. “It’s a great place to hang out,” says Feehan, “as opposed to the grocery store where you shop solo. Here, you see people in a carefree, social setting as opposed to at a soccer game or just passing on the street. Customers come up to me and say, ‘I’ve seen people here that I haven’t seen in three years.’ This is a place where people have more leisure time because they’re not running off to work.”
In July the market will feature cooking demonstrations as well as a cheese vendor. “Our hope is to increase supplies and demand at the same time,” says Feehan. “We are scheduling more activities, but we need the people to come. It’s a lot of work for the vendors and a commitment. Many of them get up at 5:30 a.m. to be here to set up in time, and that includes packing the night before. We could certainly use more volunteers to help with marketing, even if it’s just putting up flyers in their offices.”
All the hard work has had its rewards, says Feehan. “I feel more a part of this community than ever before. The market creates the feeling of a place where people gather, centered around the food.
“It’s a labor of love, not a money-making venture. It requires volunteers who will continue with the amount of same passion. One of our volunteers painted the port ‘o potty last year to look like an old-fashioned outhouse. The vendor saved it for us and we have it back this year. All the stuff that we do for free — if you put yourself into it, it’s really enjoyable. I love it.”
— Fran Ianacone
Community Farmers’ Market, Vaughn Drive, Princeton Junction Train Station, 609-577-5113. Free.9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Anyone wanting to join the market volunteers should call Feehan at 609-577-5113, or visit westwindsorfarmersmarket.org.
