Loading...
Farming is a tough way to make a living in the best of times, but for our upstate farmers, 2009 has been an especially challenging year. The cool, rainy “summer that never came” required extra effort from our already hard-working farmers to coax slow crops to harvest. Sustainable farming requires even extra effort during such a difficult growing season; dumping extra chemicals on crops is the easy way out. You would never know by the abundance on display at the Brighton Farmers’ Market what a tough year it had been on the farms, and we are grateful to these stalwart farmers for their efforts to bring us such a bounty of delicious food, and to do so using sustainable methods. Thanks also to all who continue to support these farmers at the Brighton Farmers’ Market. That support helps assure a strong, enduring local food supply.
Brighton Winter Farmers’ Market Coming Soon!
The last day of the regular season of the Brighton Farmers’ Market is November 1, but that doesn’t mean the end of great food from our local farms and vendors. The Brighton Winter Farmers’ Market will begin on Tuesday, November 10, and will be held every Tuesday through December 22. The market will be held indoors at the Atonement Lutheran Church, 1900 Westfall Road, from 4 to 7 pm. Thanks to all whose support for local, sustainable food has encouraged our farmers to expand their offerings to include an abundance of late season crops.
Lento Harvest Dinner
Chef Art Rogers of Lento Restaurant has been a strong proponent of local food, including as much local product on his menu as possible. Several of the market’s farmers provide food to the restaurant. To celebrate the abundance of these local farms, Chef Rogers is hosting a special Harvest Dinner on October 28, with a special invitation to the Brighton Farmers’ Market community. Join us for a delicious feast (wine included); for more information, including reservation details, visit http://www.lentorestaurant.com/events/.
Proclamation
On Tuesday, October 15, the Monroe County Legislature issued a proclamation honoring the Brighton Farmers’ Market for exceptional service to the community. Congratulations to all whose efforts have contributed to the market, to the wonderful vendors, to all members of the community who have supported the market, and to the leaders of the Town of Brighton.
Ida with pumpkin
Featured Vendors
Our intern Anne is continuing her conversations with the market’s vendors. Here is her latest report:
Gale-Wyn Farm
It’s hard not to notice Gale-Wyn Farm’s display at the market. Their produce is spread out under three tents, and is full of beautiful colors no matter the season. They’re the vendor with the buckets of gladiolas, which have been a beautiful part of the market for months. With fall in full swing, I approached the tents and found all of my favorite fall staples: pie pumpkins, grapes, gourds, and cider. I also found corn, potatoes, beans, squash, lettuce, broccoli, and even pies.
When I asked Sandi of Gale-Wyn Farm what some of the top selling products are, she listed corn, beans, and brussels sprouts. The lesson on the Iroquois’ three sisters (corn, beans, and squash) from fourth grade echoed in my head as she said this, except apparently our market customers are much braver eaters.
When I asked Sandi how Gale-Wyn Farm got started, she told me that it started with land, potatoes, and strawberries ten years ago. Then little by little, they started growing other things, and have continued to expand as customers make suggestions or inquire about the availability of certain products.
The farm is currently between 15 and 20 acres, and although it is not certified organic, certain sustainable practices are utilized. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and mechanical weeding are used to minimize spraying for pest and weed control. Also, planting is done on plastic so that water is concentrated instead of sprayed from above the plants. The goal is to effectively water the crops without wasting water or watering the pesky weeds.
I’ve started to ask the vendors about their favorite products, and it isn’t surprising from the display of fall produce that Sandi likes fall vegetables that are good for cooking. She told me that she doesn’t cook during the summer, so the most enjoyable product for her is the winter squash. If you’ve taken a hiatus from cooking and are now welcoming the stove back into your life, I suggest checking out the Gale-Wyn display, because I suspect you’ll find something delicious in front of you.
Hedonist Artisan Chocolates
So you rode your bike to the market every week, walked the dogs three miles every day, swam, gardened, lifted up the kids to put on your shoulders again and again. Now that it’s fall and the kids are going to bed early or you’ve closed up the pool or it’s just too cold or rainy for that nightly walk, I think it’s time you sit on the back porch and watch the leaves fall from your tree (forgetting for a moment that you will eventually have to rake up all those leaves) and eat a truffle (or if you’re me, three or four).
And the place where you should get this truffle, or any other fine chocolate treat, is Hedonist Artisan Chocolates. The business is located at 674 South Avenue, but is also very conveniently found at our market.
Jennifer, of Hedonist Artisan Chocolates, spoke with me last week at the market. On a table in front of her was a display of all kinds of chocolates. There were boxes of truffles and bags of chocolate bark, drinking chocolate, clusters, and even chocolate covered orange peels. Each little package looked nice enough to give as a gift to someone special for an occasion or “just because.”
When I asked Jennifer how the business got started, she told me that it started because she worked for a chocolatier in graduate school. From the chocolatier, she learned all about fine chocolate, which she explained is very different from the chocolate you get in the candy aisle. When she moved to Rochester after school and realized that there was no place to buy the fine chocolate she liked, she decided to go to chocolate school and open a business. From this decision came the store and kitchen.
Jennifer isn’t the only person who has become a fan of fine chocolate. Her presence at the market has given many people a chance to sample some of the treats and see that there’s chocolate, and then there’s chocolate. There’s Swiss Miss you can buy in the store, but then there’s also drinking chocolate in flavors such as Bittersweet, Cinnamon Chipotle, Lavender Lemongrass, and Yerba Mate. There’s Hershey in the world, sure, but when you want something that’s really going to fulfill that chocolate craving, it’s more likely that a Cranberry-Pecan Fruit Cluster or a White Mint truffle will be a much more fulfilling choice. Jennifer says that every market or group of people has a different favorite, and that so far it seems that the Brighton Farmers’ Market has chosen Ginger Pistachio Bark as its chocolate of choice. I suggest you pick up a little something from Hedonist Artisan Chocolates this Sunday, and when your week begins to get stressful, sit down and eat your chocolate. You deserve it!
