The Margate Community Farm Market opened last Thursday June 26th at 9AM to a crowd of individuals eager to witness and be part of the 1st such event in recent Margate history (apparently, back in the 30’s or 40’s there was a market in the space where Barrels Restaurant stands today).

June Martin, our market manager, and I spent weeks planning the event; visiting other markets, speaking with farmers, vendors, volunteers, chefs and city officials.

By the day of the market we were ready and our willing and able volunteers’ helped us to set up the parking lot quickly and welcome the awaiting crowd. The mood of the crowd was upbeat. People were chatting with their neighbors, speaking with farmers, kids playing and even well behaved dogs were welcome! (That excluded two big black dogs who will remain anonymous).

So now that the first market day has come and gone, it is time to reflect on what we created and see where we can make improvement in the weeks to come.

There are, of course, some logistical improvements to make and the work on them will be ongoing.

Another is that even though I did tell the farmers to bring plenty- many ran out of items early. I think that can be and will be easily remedied this week now that they have a barometer of the crowd.

I would say the overall response from the crowd was positive.

There was a comment that came up with many that I spoke with – which I don’t take to be a negative. It actually reinforces the need for this type of market in a community. The comment was “I thought there would be more fruits and vegetables.”

This gets right to the heart of the matter. We, myself included, are all so used to shopping the supermarket where every variety of fruit and vegetable is available. Somewhere in the world just about every type of fruit or vegetable is growing and being shipped to our door. I am not going to debate the merits or drawbacks of that. I only point it out to compare it to a truly local market. If you really want to know what purchasing and eating local is about- our 1st day at market was a lesson. The wonderful corn, tomatoes, abundant summer squash and peaches we are known for are not yet being harvested in South Jersey. What was at the market; beautiful radishes, varieties of cauliflower, greens, cucumbers, blueberries and raspberries to name just a few are what is fresh, local and in season. In fact, most everything that could be purchased at the market was picked by the farmer who sold it to you the very day before the market!

Pretty Cool- I think.

So in summary; I so appreciate the feedback and ask; please be patient, we are all learning …jersey corn and tomatoes will be here soon and in the meantime maybe try something different; purple cauliflower (Jahs’ Creations), purple and green Amarath (Muths’ Farm) or some lemon cucumbers (Spinellas’ Farms).

See you at the market
Cookie