PrintJersey Dispatch: Collingswood Farmers' Market
The disease of EBS is a terrible one. Endemic to farmers' markets all over the Garden State, it hits particularly hard at the Collingswood Farmers' Market where it runs roughshod over an otherwise great group of farmers in a lovely suburban town. For those of you who don´t know, EBS or Excessive Bakery Syndrome is a condition where market stalls that are supposed to be occupied by growers offering local produce are instead held by bakeries. It is an ailment that runs rampant and unchecked in New Jersey´s farmers' markets. While not as frightening as stalls held by large banks, real estate agents, or classic rock radio stations (all of which show up on occasion at "Jersey Fresh" markets elsewhere), bakeries aren´t farmers.
This is kind of sad because Collingswood—in Camden County—is far enough south to attract a whole different group of growers than those we typically see closer to New York City. On the other hand, a bunch of farmers from Burlington, Salem, and Gloucester Counties is a pretty good reason to visit a farmers' market, no matter what the other vendors are offering. And if you eat (as I did) a couple of doughnuts, a couple of pretzels, and a whoopie pie or two while you choose your locally grown greens, it´s not the end of the world.
Why are these farmers from the "deep south" so different? Well, they grow the classics; beefsteak tomatoes, sweet corn, salad greens, zucchini (with the flowers!), eggplants and fresh herbs. You can go to these farmers and imagine great versions of your favorite dishes just by looking at their produce.
At Collingswood last Saturday, four vendors stood out:
Flavim & Sons from Vineland was the first stand I spotted with zucchini flowers. I almost never see these in New Jersey markets and my heart skipped a beat. The peppers and lettuces were great looking too.
William Schober Sons struck a perfect balance between fresh and packaged with a wide variety of vegetables and fruits along with jars of jams and preserves. Yes some of them were the ubiquitous Baumann´s from Lancaster County, but still, a worthwhile stop.
DanLynn Farms slogan was "we only sell what we grow." On the day I visited, this certified organic producer was the only vendor with heirloom tomatoes. They also offer kettle corn at their stand. This struck me as a perfect South Jersey combo; an elegant heirloom tomato and a sack of corn.
Formissano Farms from Buena had such a wide variety of produce that it was almost like a quality greengrocer. His herbs and herb plants were healthy and lush and the mushrooms he sells (all from Kennett Square, PA) were about the best I´ve seen. Other items like parsnips and dandelions just don´t seem to show up at markets often enough.
I came away with very different feelings than I normally have at New Jersey tailgate markets. There is a liveliness at Collingswood I rarely feel elsewhere and with a larger variety of ingredients available, it seems more useful to the serious cook. And you could even buy a pie for dessert.
After I left, I drove up route 130 for a while and noted the changing landscape; a Turkish bakery, a Latino megastore, and an African shop, all within a few miles. Is this stretch becoming the next route 27?
About the author: Brian Yarvin is an educator, photographer, and author of three cookbooks; Farms and Foods of the Garden State, Cucina Piemontese, and A World of Dumplings. He lives in New Jersey, and every week will share with us another food discovery from the "sixth borough" of New York City.
The Collingswood Farmer´s Market
Under the train tracks between Collings and Irvin Avenues, Collingswood, New Jersey (map)
Saturdays from 8:00AM to Noon, May to November
collingswoodmarket.com
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3 Comments:
I want to thank you very much for what I consider a very thoughtful and observant article. However, as Director of this market, I must point out some things you might not be aware of concerning your EBS diagnosis.
Yes, we do have a whole lot of bakery! We have Springdale Farms, who operates a bakery to boost the viability of maintaining their working FARM and uses their own produce in items such as zucchini bread, tomato cheese pie, and more. Another bread bakery bakes local harvests, such as strawberries, into featured seasonal items. The two other independent family bakeries we feature call Collingswood home. It gives me great pleasure to offer them a venue that increases their market presence (no pun intended) when they can easily be lost to a region full of mass-producing, supermarket bakeries.
By complaining about the excessive bakeries we host, you may have just positively advertised that we have a lot of good stuff! Thanks.
To call non-farmers an ailment is a matter of opinion. I don't hear such a sentiment coming from regular shoppers, who are the foundation of our market's economy, or the farmers at the Market.
Thank you for highlighting four of our many growers, excellent picks. I love them too! I must point out we host at least a dozen additional agricultural participants (produce farms, orchards, beekeepers, flower farms, a dairy/meat farm, and nurseries) during a season. Please come again.
Betsy Cook, Director
Collingswood Farmers' Market.
Farmgirl08108 at 5:45PM on 10/30/08
Betsy:
When farmer's markets began to reappear in the Garden State, a big deal was made about how they were just that; farmer's markets.
Today, the success of farmer's markets is well-known. They often draw huge crowds of serious shoppers. The question I've been asking in both my talks and this post is "should farmer's markets be for something other than what's grown on farms?"
By far and away, the largest group of non-farm vendors at New Jersey markets are bakers. Would a crowd like the one I saw at Collingswood attend a "baker's market" without farmers?
Why not just name the markets honestly?
Couldn't your market be called the "Collingswood Food Market" instead?
I believe that the distinction is a serious and important one. We in New Jersey have no shortage of shops that offer baked goods of very high quality. However, I often find myself driving thirty minutes or more to find local, in-season, fruits and vegetables. This is why I want to see farmers at "farmer's markets." More than that, I want to see farmer's markets that are for farmer's, first and foremost.
BrianYarvin at 3:09PM on 10/31/08
I know this is an older post, but I was looking for some info on the Collingswood Farmers' Market and ran across this. As someone who frequents the market weekly when it's open (and mourns its absence when it's not), I have no problem with the bakeries represented at the market. It's very convenient to be able to buy my produce, meat and bread for the week all in one place and take home a few treats for my boys. No complaints here.
rshreeves at 4:11PM on 04/01/09