By: Ferreby and Steve Sinclair
The new Farmers’ Market that takes place every Thursday at Dockside appears to be a big hit. A couple of residents, along with Ron McCall who runs our Retail Wine Program on the same day, thought it would be a great idea to bring a little bit of “shopping convenience” to AP, and that’s how it all started.
We reached out to Todd Newsome of Heritage Family Farms, and he graciously agreed to provide us with a variety of locally grown and fresh-outsourced produce. All items are of restaurant quality and are all-natural farmed (no pesticides or herbicides). For those of you who attend the market on a regular basis, you know Todd is a delight to shop with, and his mantra is to please the customer. (Oh, just like the good old days!)
Todd has helped us bring some diversity to our market, with vendors selling a wide variety of agricultural products like fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs, honey, baked goods, herbs, peanuts, and flowers, along with freshly grilled chicken to go. If you love treating yourself to fresh, seasonal produce and a variety of specialty items, then coming to the farmers market is a no-brainer.
Attending our farmers’ market is a good way to mingle with friends and residents of our community, sharing recipes and tips on how to handle and cook your fresh goods. Some of our folks also said it is the perfect place to find a variety of new kinds of fruits and veggies that they had not tried before.
If the market continues to be a big hit, we are hoping to expand the fun and add some music and additional vendors (arts and crafts, etc.)