Haddonfield Farmer's Market

Learning how to food shop with the seasons is a great way to keep in touch with nature and a great way to help your children learn a green way of living. It is a truly wonderful experience to be able to provide our community with a place to support local entrepreneurial farmers and food providers.

You have an opportunity to eat the bounty of the seasons, enjoy fresh healthy food that is rich in flavor and nutrients. Sure, you can buy tomatoes and oranges in December, but trucking those fruits and vegetables from far-away places involves transportation and time. As we strive for a greener world you should know that the overseas and land transportation issues exhaust massive amounts of fossil fuels (plus you pay for these costs) and the time travel allows for the deterioration of food quality and flavor.

There is nothing more rewarding that eating freshly picked fruits and vegetables and more importantly meeting the great people who labor every day to provide you with these fresh foods on Saturday morning. We are a true Farmer's Market (not a flea market) -- no fleas and this year lots of new frills. Come out and support us. Stop by our tent and let's talk about food!

Eating healthier has become a behemoth industry as we are bombarded by celebrity chefs, better living lifestyle magazines and shows, and even epicurean tourism.  Let’s define a few things;

1. Organic farming refers to the non use of chemical/synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified growth enhancers which become ingestible in the fruits and vegetables we consume.  Organic meats and dairy refer to animals that graze on organically grown grain feeds that are natural to their diet rather than ruminated animal byproducts and also include no growth hormones or antibiotics.  The irony in this process is that the government has made the organic certification process so labor intensive and costly to the local farmer many remain under another name “sustainable farming”.  You can visit the Organic Trade Association website www.ota.com to learn more about organics.
2. Sustainable farming maintains many of the standards of organic farming with a strong focus on natural stewardship of your farm.  Working along with nature, these farmers find ways to combat pests with beneficial insects, using natural manure fertilizers that promote healthier soils, proper irrigation, and crop rotation. Many local framers today practice sustainability and the government is working on an alternate certification process that is less costly that Organic certifications.  You can visit this website for more information, University of California Davis www.sarep.ucdavis.edu or this website Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education www.sare.org.
3. Biodynamic farming is a more holistic, almost spiritual approach which applies sustainable agriculture techniques and natural cycles, treating the farm as a living organism.  You are guided by astrological signs and the cycle of the moon to plant and harvest and prepare compost recipes, sometimes buried underground, to remedy soil maladies.  This practice of respecting the farm as a life cycle was first defined and promoted in 1924 by Rudolf Steiner in Germany and today is practiced by many farmers, especially vineyards around the world.    Visit this website for more information Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Assoc. www.biodynamics.com/biodynamics.html.

On the more romantic side of all of this, we are returning to a lifestyle of not so long ago.  Understanding all of this complicated information can all be reduced to one transformation, we are returning to a lifestyle.  In many places around the world, people wake up to their local markets where they peruse to find their daily provisions.  You eat what is seasonal and fresh.  Your holidays and celebrations often are highlighted by the annual harvest of certain foods.  A spring chicken is the most favorable seasonal time of year to enjoy fresh poultry.  You get to celebrate that lifestyle every Saturday.  To learn more about how to support an international movement that promotes living that lifestyle everyday visit the international Slow Food website at http://slowfood.com to learn more.  We look forward to seeing our friends soon!