A Tale of Two Markets
May 29, 2008

Mark your calendars, cooks, the season for fresh produce has finally arrived! Right here in Williston we are blessed with the opportunity to purchase local foods every day of the week. Beginning Saturday, May 31, 2008 the Second Annual Williston Farmers’ Market will kick off 9 am¾1 pm at the town green with a wonderful selection of new and returning vendors. Local farmers, artisanal food makers, and Vermont crafters will sell the fruits of their labors, chat with folks about their products, and share tips and recipes. Even the musical talent is homegrown: Williston native Stephanie Kessler, an awesome indie folk rocker, will perform live on Saturday. Christina Mead is heading the effort again this year and she can be reached at christinamead@verizon.net for more details. (The New England Federal Credit Market will not be held this year.)

For the rest of the week I’ll be shopping at Adams’ Farm Market located at the corner of Old Stage Road and Mountain View Road. Scott Adams, along with sister Kim Adams Antonioli, is the second generation to run this gem of a market. Partnering with 15 Vermont farms, they provide super fresh produce all summer long. I love their mini-CSA approach: by purchasing a $30 produce card I receive a 20% discount on all produce this year. This means I get to select the quantity I need and the variety I want among their naturally grown herbs, lettuces, squashes, peas, beans, tomatoes, berries, and root veggies. I can also grab fresh breads from The Red Hen and La Strada bakeries; Booth Brothers gallon jugs of milk sold at their cost; cut flowers, local cheeses and ice cream, fresh fruits, and even a Vermont crafted hostess gift.  

I was picking up some flowers and herbs for potting the other day in the lush Adams greenhouses. Truly, I have never seen such a glorious selection of annuals and herbs. I ran into local Green Thumb Kay Reynolds who is working at Adams’ this summer. She told me the secret to their beautiful selection: Kim’s intense devotion to the growing process, gentle watering, and scrupulous daily maintenance of the plants. What more could one ask for in a market right around the corner?

Another calendar event to note: June 10, 2008 at 5:00 pm at Ira Allen Chapel, UVM noted food writer and environmental activist Michael Pollan will give a free talk about the locavore movement which he helped to stimulate with books such as The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. A Bennington college graduate, Pollan is a Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley. See you there!

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008