There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of a farmer's market. The market at Bidwell continues to grow each and every year and that is exciting. Did you know that one of the rules at the Bidwell Market is that two thirds of the booths must be farmers? That rule keeps the market from becoming a flea market. Plus, each of the farmers must submit a crop list in order to ensure that the goods and produce are actually being grown on the farm. In some markets, vendors can go out and buy products instead of growing them themselves, but that's not the case at the Bidwell Market.
This weekend marked the second market of the season at Bidwell. I spoke to Karen Vilonen (Market Administrator) and her husband Rick who operate Ben Brook Farm in North Amherst. They told me that there are some exciting additions to this year's line-up. Starting on May 31st, a different local winery will be invited each week to offer taste-tests as well as sell bottles of wine. At the same time, there will be a guest chef from a local restaurant who will search the market for goods before settling down to prepare a meal while attendees look on. Between the addition of wineries and local chefs, the Bidwell Market will certainly become even more interesting.
Other interesting things to note: Talking Leaves will be adding a booth dedicated to books about flowers, produce, markets, etc. There are five new vendors this year, including a bread guy, a sausage stand, and a meat stand. Dan Leonard of the Elmwood Village Association told me that the people who come to the market have come to depend on it for a weekly shopping resource. Thanks to people like Karen And Rick, the market continues to evolve and keep people coming back... even in the rain.