The Saugerties Farmers’ Market opens its 21st season

The early morning rain on Saturday, May 28 gave way to bright sunshine for the opening day of the Saugerties Farmers’ Market.

The market featured several new vendors and a new manager, Tayne Wood. Wood is not a farmer or farm worker, she said, but “my best friend has a farm and I help out there sometimes.” Her regular job is as a purchasing assistant at Nasco Health Care, a manufacturer of specialized dummies for health care, such as the ones used in training people in CPR. Wood said she likes the detail work and working with people the market offers.

On Saturday, the market featured 29 vendors — the maximum is 42, but many vendors whose farms feature specialties that are harvested later in the season don’t come to the earliest markets. Many non-farmers sell at the market: you can buy jewelry from Karen’s Candle and Gift Co, pottery from Sky Stone Studios and alcoholic beverages from several vendors, including Cooper’s Daughter Spirits at Old York Farm. Like your food spicy-hot? Richard “Ram” Rajkumar of Ram’s Valley offers homemade Caribbean hot sauces, along with his specialty fermented garlic. Several vendors offer plants, both vegetables and flowers, for gardeners who want to grow their own food or flower gardens.

Lest you think the market is patronized exclusively by vegetarians, Lynhaven Farm offers goat meat in addition to goat’s milk, cheese and yogurt.

A few tables are provided for market goers to eat the products they buy at the market, including a variety of prepared foods. Mexican food, from tacos to rice and bean plates, is sold at Brave the Flames, one of several sellers of prepared foods. Violet’s Bakery and Bread Alone offered both small portions that could be lunch at the market or larger items to take home. 

Each week, the market features a local chef who offers cooking lessons to the patrons. On Saturday, the market featured Jimmy Tameo, the owner of the former Cafe Tameo, who demonstrated recipes using locally grown food available at the market.

Local musicians Dave Kearney and Elly Wininger performed at the market last weekend. Musicians will play across from the café at the market each week from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Local artist Anita Barbour comes to the market every week with a new art project. It’s a fun, creative and a safe spot for kids while parents shop the market.

A walk around the market, located on the parking lot across form Cahill Elementary School on Main Street is a feast of sights and sounds. With many farmers selling similar lines of food, many find specialties that will attract customers looking for something different. For instance, Josh and Francesca Spiro feature microgreens, along with other vegetables. They emphasize organic farming methods designed to protect the soil and keep it productive and healthy, according to their website.

Now in her fourth year at the Saugerties Market, Tighe Henley of Rock n Raw Edibles offers pesto and cheeses – finished products –rather than right off-the-field farm produce.

Farms may acquire their names in strange ways. For example, Lone Duck farm actually had just one lone duck after a fox did in their flock, said Lisa Motzer. Since then, the farm has acquired a new flock; their white duck eggs were on display alongside their brown chicken eggs.

The market will be open throughout the summer, every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For additional information, email contact@saugertiesfarmersmarket.com or visit http://saugertiesfarmersmarket.com/.