A visit to the Claremont Farmers Market

By ARTHUR VIDRO
Special to the Eagle Times
CLAREMONT — There have been several changes between the Claremont Farmers’ Market of years past and the market this year.

The biggest changes are the days and times. After about a decade’s worth of Thursday afternoon (and into early evening) markets on the green in front of the public library, the market now runs on Saturdays (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at the green right next to the Santagate Bridge that spans the Sugar River, just below the Visitors’ Center.)

The reasons for displaying or purchasing or browsing, though, remain unchanged.

Most of the vendors hawking their wares last Saturday, on an overcast day with scattered showers, are new to the Claremont Farmers’ Market. And many of the patrons are new too.

One market veteran is Julie Maki, an employee of Crazy H Farm in Claremont. Her booth was offering strawberries, kale, beets, chives, lettuce, and flowers. Crazy H also displays its goods at the Lebanon and Newport markets.

Maki wished more people would show up for the Claremont market, and speculated that the rain might be keeping some people away.

Her take on the change in customers: “I think people who came on Thursdays were people just getting out of work. On Saturdays, it’s more families showing up.”

She herself prefers the weekend time slot, because she can plan the weekend around it.

One customer, Della Dunne, eagerly dug into a box of strawberries her husband Philo had just purchased.

“There’s no comparing store-bought to fresh,” said Dunne. “These strawberries are stunning. Just stunning.”

“Just picked this morning,” Maki said.

“And cheaper than at the supermarket,” Philo noted.

That is one reason folks go to farmers’ markets. The quality of the produce, especially the freshly harvested items, is superior to produce that gets picked at an earlier-than-ideal time, which occurs to ensure no spoilage will take place while the food travels from California, Florida, or South America. And goods that don’t have to travel thousands of miles tend to sell for lower prices than goods that have expensive shipping costs.

Hilltop Farm Beef also offers merchandise that differs a bit from what is typically found in a supermarket.  Hilltop emphasizes that its cattle are grass-fed, pasture-raised, and that the company manages its land use with organic principles.

Ruth’s Mustard of Charlestown was giving away some of its special-recipe mustard. Customers could dip pretzels into a bowl of the mustard to sample a taste before deciding whether to purchase.  Ruth is no longer alive, explained Kathy Gifford, but her recipe lives on. “Ruth was my grandmother. This is a product my cousin’s company puts out.” A photo of Ruth is on every jar of mustard.

Kathy shows up about once a month at the Claremont market, so isn’t in the best position to judge, but so far, she said, “I’ve been very, very pleased” with the Saturday turnouts.

More than 30 vendors take part in the market, with about 13 showing up on an average Saturday, said Debbie Tardiff, the coordinator for the Claremont Farmers’ Market.

Another new wrinkle this year is the availability of Granite State Market Match coupons for free produce. As Tardiff explained it, if you have an EBT card (administered by the federal food stamps program), then you can swipe that card at the market to get free matching grants, up to $10 per week, to be used exclusively on vegetables and fruits.

She admitted the change from Thursdays to Saturdays has altered the roster of which vendors take part. However, she said she is “really pleased” with the Saturday lineups, and “we’re getting more and more foot traffic.”

“I do like fresh-grown,” said Ruth Dextraze of Claremont. She frequented the Thursday markets in the past and was down on Saturday for her first time. “For me, Saturdays are better, and the time is better for me, too.”

A family of four was making its rounds through the booths, and making some purchases. “This is our first time,” said Kelly Levi.  “We just moved here from Massachusetts.” She and husband Alan were accompanied by children Owen, 7, and Eva, 3.

It’s not just farmers and cattlemen selling their merchandise. Bearse Bakery shows up every week with a popular display of tempting breads and pies and other delectables — even though its store on Pleasant Street is open at the very same time. Owner Patience Bearse tended to the farmers’ market booth. So who is operating the store? “One of my employees and my sister,” said Bearse. The farmers’ market expands the store’s reach, letting people know about the bakery who might not otherwise go there. “Since we started [displaying at the farmers’ market], our bread and pie sales [at the store] have doubled.”

The Stitch Niche was selling dog leashes and other accessories, even as two dogs had a mini-reunion. Though now from different families, the dogs are brother and sister and were delighted to see each other.

It’s still early in the season, but the new venue, though not drawing huge crowds, is doing decently.