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Community Corner

Parsippany Farmers Market: Open for the Season

Shoppers reveled in the glories of the Garden State on Friday

What better way to welcome in the first week of summer than with the start of Parsippany’s Farmers Market Friday? Despite the drizzle, a slow, but steady stream of shoppers walked briskly into the tents.

Located in the Town Hall parking lot, this year features an expanded array of vendors offering farm fresh produce, locally made pickles, baked goods and items from a New Jersey alpaca farm.

Pickle Licious is new to the event, hailing from Teaneck.  Those looking for Kosher certified products can find them here. Barrels full of of locally made pickles were available, including sour, spicy as well as plain (but delicious) dill.  Free samples are available for taste testing.  In addition, a variety of olives, pickled products (like giardiniera), as well as sauces and dips were for sale.

Shopper Rita Ben-Asher, resident and secretary within the Parsippany school district , noted enthusiastically that she was enjoying purchasing “some very fresh food."

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"I like that there are more vendors than last year," Ben-Asher said.  "I just bought some sour pickles and Mediterranean olives.  These are great for sharing with company.”

The other newcomer to the market is Hickory Ridge Alpaca Farm from Blairstown, offering a unique assortment of goods made from alpaca fleece including winter hats, ladies sweaters, scarves and a collection of stuffed animals.  

Most interesting is the alpaca yarn, which is spun from their own animals.  The yarn can be purchased in a rich brown or deep black shade.  Owner Chip Mabey has a photo book of his alpacas on-hand and can point out the yarn’s previous wearer (and, if pictures are not enough, his live alpacas can be seen at the Denville Farmer’s Market, on Bloomfield Avenue, on Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

Alstede Farms of Chester has a large tent with plenty of farm fresh produce available for sale.  Along with an impressive tower of blueberries, luscious red and yellow tomatoes and bright green bouquets of romaine lettuce, the vendor also offers freshly made apple cider doughnuts.

Parsippany resident Diane Liang was shopping with her daughters, Abigail and Meghan.

“The fruit and vegetables here are much fresher than at the grocery stores," she said. "I like to support local farmers.”

Stony Hill Farm Market, also of Chester, was the final merchant, offering a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables.  The market had very knowledgeable staff on hand who explained their Integrated Pest Management (IPM) style of farming, which uses an in-person monitoring system that looks for actual signs of pests, avoiding routine use of pesticides.

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In addition, Stony Hill noted its commitment to sustainable growth, which allows fair pay to workers, reasonably priced products for customers, crop rotation and environmental protection through green practices such as containing run-off via grass shields.

Perusing her goods, shopper Karen Rowe, with daughter Carolyn in tow, said, “I like freshly grown products.  It’s good for my daughter to see local farm products--maybe one day she’ll eat a vegetable!”

The Parsippany Farmers Market will continue throughout the season on Fridays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. You can “like” them on Facebook here for updates.

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