A Special Market

Doylestown Farmers Market is special because of it’s locallysourced, sustainable food and products and it is the oldest continually operating Farmers market in the county

By Chrysa Smith

April 15th is the date Doylestown Area residents have been waiting for. The annual Doylestown Farmers Market opens for the season. And it couldn’t come soon enough. Located on Hamilton Street, right behind the municipal parking lot, its fresh produce and dairy, street music and baked goods, are a welcome reprieve from the long days spent inside, not to mention produce that’s seen its share of highway mile markers.

Farmers markets have grown substantially. In fact, many towns with an active population that support their local farms have one. So, what makes Doylestown’s stand out? For one, it’s managed by the Bucks County Foodshed Alliance; an organization dedicated to providing those in the region with locally-sourced, sustainable food and products. They took over management of the market (and the Wrightstown Farmers Market) from the Buckingham Civic Association. Seems only natural. Secondly, it’s the oldest continually operating Farmers market in

Bucks County. But perhaps on a more personal level, those who run the market are engaged. According to Kelly Unger, Director of the Foodshed Alliance and owner of the Rooster & Carrot cooking school, market-goers are asked each season what else they’d like to see at the market, and vendors are regularly monitored so needs are met. And on a wider platform, the market is proud to say it has served as an incubator, launching area businesses beyond local borders and even into brick and mortar stores.

Alex Dadio is the market’s manager. With a degree in Horticulture, she’s fully immersed in the cultivation of plants, but when wearing her Farmers Market hat, she does market planning—and dealing with vendors—and organizing children’s activities—and writing articles for the market’s newsletter. She believes there is an emotional side to the market. “It’s about building community and relationships—connecting with what you eat and buy,” she says. It brings well over a thousand people each week into the center of town, where they’ll likely spend additional time in the variety of shops and restaurants there. According to Alex, “It’s furthering economic development.” And it was clear to me that she and Kelly pretty well run the show. And that is no small task.

Beginning on January 1st, potential vendors can begin submitting their applications for the upcoming market. “We try to give preference to our long-time vendors,” Alex says, with approvals usually coming within a week or two. With newer vendors, the process takes a bit longer. No doubt there is verification that the products are appropriate for the market, that there is a commitment and that it is all local.

Perhaps the longest-running vendor is Trauger’s Farm Market. Alex says they’ve been around for well over 40 years—actually since a market existed. Back in its earliest days, Laura Helfrich, one of the owners says, “My mother was carrying me when they first went to the market, and we’ve been going ever since.” Laura remembers that it was on the outskirts of town at the time, and regardless of location, has continually helped them expand their reach from their 60 acre farm up on the river in Kintnersville. They’re now in their 9th generation. “It’s definitely helped business and has been a great community event. Lots of customers have become friends,” she adds. As Laura chuckled, she said you can find them there in all sorts of weather— she’s seen it all. And marketgoers will get to sample it all as they present the last of their winter crops and the new—from lettuce and kale to herbs and even homemade popcorn.

Nord Bread is another long-term market resident. Located on Swamp Road, Nord Bread bakes sourdough-based breads using non-GMO ingredients and no commercial yeast. Bianca Saracini along with her husband Danny Perez are regular vendors. She says how important the market is to them, “It’s our connection to the community. It’s the tie that binds us to other vendors with whom we share like-minded ideas about sustainability, food grown and created with a high level of integrity, and a comradery that has formed because we all understand how much work goes into what we do. And if we don’t have the support of the community, we can’t sustain our own lives.”

Alex is in her fourth year as manager. “I was working for a vendor selling mush- rooms,” she says. After about two years, when the mushroom grower decided to close his business, Alex noticed a chalk board sign with a posting for a market manager. She applied, got the job and has since watch the market grow and change. “I’m at the market every Saturday from about 6 to 2,” Alex noted. She gets there when the vendors are setting up, making sure all is well, posting on Facebook and Instagram, talking with shoppers, watching vendors take down their tents and doesn’t leave until the last vendor has packed. You might call it a labor of love.

“We have about 1500 customers on a busy day,” says Kelly. Counts are done every 30 minutes and include the serious shoppers on a mission, the minglers who come with their coffee and chat it up with the neighbors, as well as the weekly folks who restock their pantries. “Product wise,” Kelly says, “we cover everything from produce to coffee, olive oil and even cleaning products.” There are probably five or so new vendors this year, including two pierogi vendors, the Lambertville Bake House and a hummus company, with still others being finalized. With about 40 spaces, the market is home to weekly and bi-weekly vendors, with the key buzzword being sustainability. For example, “FD Market brings sustainable kitchen fillable products (like soap and detergent). You bring your container, and they refill,” Kelly says. A host of rotating musicians, mixologists and children’s craft activities make it a well-rounded event for virtually everyone.

For over 30 weeks, this weekly event repeats, sometimes with the most familiar faces, sometimes a newly-made friend. All the while knowing that even when November rolls around, the work is not done. The addition of a winter market means that December through February are once again busy, leaving Kelly and Alex about a month to gear up and do it all over again.

The market is open every Saturday, mid-April through November, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Located on Hamilton Street, between Oakland and Court, vendors take a variety of payment options, including those who honor SNAP. For more information, visit www.doylestownfarmersmarket.bucks foodshed.org.