This summer, as the Harvard Farmers Market heads into its 10th season, board members are celebrating the market’s success with an appropriate memento—a cookbook. The board is asking the community to submit recipes. Family recipes, farm-fresh recipes, and old favorites— are all welcome, as are stories and anecdotes about the recipes. The cookbook will be available at the market by opening day, Aug. 13. A 10th anniversary themed T-shirt and packs of posters from the past 10 years will also be for sale at this year’s market.
In addition to residents’ submissions, the cookbook will contain recipes from past market newsletters and a recipe from Bromfield’s Chef Paul for what he calls “Harvard’s favorite soup,” leek and potato. The board members are also looking for advertising support for the cookbook from local businesses, as well as paid messages of congratulations from residents. Board member Roxana Trabulsi said in an interview that if the board can raise enough advertising revenue, it will send the cookbook to every house in Harvard. Recipes for the cookbook will be accepted into July at hfmcookbook@gmail.com.
While the market will look pretty much the same this year, there have been some changes behind the scenes. Two of the three founders, Jen Sundeen and Rochelle Greayer, are leaving the board to pursue other ventures. Sundeen is currently in Africa working with her newly organized nonprofit, The Lalla Project, dedicated to putting a stop to the global epidemic of exploitation and abuse of girls and women. Greayer is the editor of PITH + VIGOR, an online magazine and print newspaper for garden lovers, and she is also working on several book projects. Both women expressed pride in what the market has become, as well as gratitude to the community for its support, and they will continue to serve the market in advisory roles.
New to the market this year is market manager Rae Webb. Webb grew up on a farm in Maine, and she and her partner have owned a farm in Bolton for two years, where they raise vegetables, fruits, chickens, and goats. Webb said she took the manager job because she loves farming and community building, and she sees the market as the perfect marriage of those two interests. Webb will be responsible for market operations, including setup and tear-down each week, and said she is looking forward to meeting Harvard residents gathering on Saturday mornings to support local farmers and fresh, nutritious food.
The Farmers Market will open for the season on August 13 and run Saturdays through October. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Expanded community outreach
New board member Nancy Atwood will be running two of the market’s popular community outreach programs, Farm to Friend and Soup for Seniors. Farm to Friend distributes produce donated by vendors and the community to Harvard seniors and to Transitions at Devens, a shelter for homeless families. Last season, more than 1,300 pounds of produce was collected and distributed. The Soup for Seniors program delivers Chef Paul’s soups from October to the end of May to seniors who sign up through the Council on Aging. The program is partially funded by a grant and partially by resident donations. The market hopes to be able to expand that program this year.
Seed library in third year
Board member Davida Bagatelle has taken over the management of the seed library program, which was started in 2014. The seed library is located in the Harvard Public Library, and residents are encouraged to “borrow” packets of heirloom organic seeds, plant them, enjoy the results, and return the seeds produced by their plants to the seed library for patrons to borrow the following year. According to Bagatelle, the program now has 24 members, but not everyone who participates “officially joins” the program by filling out the paperwork.
This year, Bagatelle said, the seed library has been stocked with heirloom and open-pollinated seeds from the Hudson Valley Seed Library, founded by Ken Green, a librarian who started the first public-library seed library. While some patrons have donated their own seeds, Bagatelle is planning an event in the fall to teach people how to save their seeds, and she hopes that more seeds will be donated for next year. There is a Harvard Seed Library group on Nextdoor Harvard for those who are interested, and seeds are still available at the library.
Wanted: Backyard farmers, volunteers
Founder and board member Lisa Frackiewicz, who manages the vendor side of the market, said that while she is always on the lookout for new vendors to add to the mix, she is hoping to increase participation by backyard farmers this year. Sellers can participate just once or many times. “We encourage folks not in the business of farming to share their backyard bounty—a basket of tomatoes, a few bottles of maple syrup or honey, or some eggs from their chickens,” she said. Backyard farmers interested in signing up for one or more market weeks should contact her at lisa.frack@gmail.com.
The board is also looking for volunteers on all levels. On market days, volunteers are needed for setup and tear-down and to drive Farm to Friend donations to recipients. Trabulsi said that residents can help out for even just one Saturday morning. Volunteers are also needed in other areas, such as creating and supporting new outreach programs, sourcing vendors, and marketing. Residents interested in volunteering for the market can contact board member Shannon Kelley at skelley@thepaperstore.com.
The 2016 Harvard Farmers Market runs from Aug. 13 through Oct. 29 (except for Columbus Day weekend), from 9 a.m. to noon in the front parking lot of Hildreth Elementary School. More information is available at www.harvardfarmersmarket.org.
