In the Netherlands, this is the only time of year when a special treat is available: graskass, or grass cheese. Solid but creamy in texture, mild but rich and complex in flavor, it’s made from the milk of cows fed on “the first grass in spring. It’s the sweetest cheese of the year,” says Tim Ganon of Country & Farm in Accord. Graskass is not commonly available on these shores, but Country & Farm employee Tessa Visser happened to be visiting her native Holland this spring, and brought a whole wheel of it back with her.
Thus it was that visitors to last Sunday’s New Paltz Open Air Market (NPOAM) had a rare opportunity to taste authentic grass cheese and even purchase some to take home. Foodstuffs borne across the ocean are far from typical NPOAM fare, however; the market’s aim is to feature locally grown produce, handmade goods, art, natural body products, baked goods, honey, cheeses, meats, eggs and other products, all sourced within a 40-mile radius of New Paltz. Freshness is a high priority, along with an insistence that the produce on sale be sustainably and organically grown.
This long-running farmers’ market has touched down at many locations over the years, most recently on Church Street. But the restrictions on social proximity enforced by COVID-19 meant that a new site was needed, to allow the booths to be set up farther apart. According to market manager Alannah Henneberry, “2020 was an odd year, but the vendors did really well, because there was such a need for outdoor vendors.” Even more are participating for the summer 2021 season: “almost everyone from last year plus a bunch more,” Henneberry says.
If NPOAM was a success in 2020 despite the pandemic, it should do even better this year, thanks to a new location that is much more visible, as well as roomier than Church Street: the New Paltz Post Office parking lot. It’s hardly possible to drive through town on a Sunday and not notice the stalls set up in two clusters, one alongside the Wells Fargo bank and the other just east of the entrance from Route 299. There’s music issuing from one of the tents as well; last weekend featured singer/songwriter Emily Beck and Gia Walton Ness from Tiny Bubbles Ukulele.
There’s also prepared food, and a dining area with picnic tables set up. The pop-up restaurant will vary from week to week, with Krishna Kitchen offering fresh vegan Indian food last Sunday. Jamaican cuisine, courtesy of a food truck from Kay & Kay Catering, will be on hand next Sunday, June 20. Despite all this activity, Henneberry notes, there’s still enough of the large parking lot left for cars to make access to the market easy.
The NPOAM season started with a bang on June 6. “The opening went really well,” says Henneberry. “The community is really showing us their love. We have a ton more produce this year.” She observes that the number of young farmers and women hosting booths has increased, bolstering the enterprise’s mission to be “a small market that strives for maximum diversity.” And beginning next week, vendors will be able to accept food stamps from SNAP program recipients, making the market more accessible for people experiencing financial hardship.
One new vendor who personifies this trend of broadening outreach is Jayne Henson of the TransGenerational Farm CSA, who was there on Sunday hawking hakuri turnips, garlic scapes and other spring greens. “Growing food is a gene passed down from generation to generation. I’m a third-generation farmer,” Henson says. “I’m also a trans woman. I’m trying to connect LGBTQ people to farming.” A Kansas native, Henson is now based at Arrowwood Farms in Accord, where she manages the growing of hops for the brewery while also running a CSA.
Another nontraditional food-producing demographic now finding representation at NPOAM is neurodivergent people. Riley Mello, the brother of SUNY New Paltz student Sean Mello, was recently diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. While training in a culinary program, Riley found himself struggling with dietary restrictions. So, he came up with a gluten-free, paleo-friendly recipe for granola with only four ingredients: pistachio nuts, coconut, maple syrup and sea salt. Manufacturing and selling it at farmers’ markets soon became an enterprise involving the whole family. Is it breakfast? Is it a snack? It’s tasty, however you choose to categorize it, and passersby were favorably impressed by the samples being handed out at the Mello Munch Granola booth.
Besides bakers, honey producers, jelly-makers and other vendors of edibles, last Sunday’s NPOAM also offered a broad array of non-food products, made by hand locally. Cliffhound sold pet leashes made from repurposed rock-climbing ropes. The surreal, slightly creepy photo art by JSK Collage on display at the House of Mystery booth would appeal to any Welcome to Night Vale listener. Nearby, visitors could browse through a selection of tee-shirts, totebags and notecards decorated with renderings of William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Toni Morrison and other literary icons, hand-painted or silkscreened by Pop Art Authors.
There’s plenty to see and to buy – some standard farm-market fare and some decidedly off the beaten track. You can check it out for yourself at 45 Main Street, every Sunday through December 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Find out about who will be there next at http://newpaltzfarmersmarket.org, www.facebook.com/npopenairmarket or @npopenairmarket on Instagram.
Join the family! 
