Yearning for summer? Dreaming of produce picked fresh from the fields? Need a little comfort?
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture has been growing in the valley for 20 years, and to kick off its milestone anniversary celebration, it’s presenting Winter Fare, a celebration of the winter bounty, this week in collaboration with regular winter farmers’ markets across the region.
After a 2008 debut in Greenfield, “Winter Fare created a demand,” said Philip S. Korman, executive director of the organization. “Farmers did incredibly well at that event.”
The Greenfield model was copied in Northampton in 2010 with about 2,000 shoppers in about four hours, he said, and as more and more people realized they could “eat local” in the winter, demand continued to grow for winter farmers’ markets.
According to the state Department of Agricultural Resources, there are 39 ongoing winter markets across the commonwealth. In 2009, when the first ones were recorded, there were six. The number rose to 18 in 2010 and to 35 last year.
Several events will celebrate year-round local eating and the anniversary of CISA. They include upcoming markets on Feb. 2 at Amherst Regional Middle School from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at Greenfield High School from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The markets accept SNAP benefits, and in honor of Winter Fare, CISA will be matching the first $10 of all SNAP purchases.
In addition to purchasing local foods, shoppers can attend educational workshops at each market. Topics include simple cheese-making and canning, growing grains and herbal medicine. Workshop leaders are area residents who use these skills at home. The workshops are free and do not require pre-registration.
In addition, there will be a farmers’ panel discussion, “Looking Forward, Looking Back Changing Agriculture in the Pioneer Valley,” on Jan. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Northampton Center for the Arts. The focus will be on what the local food movement means for farmers in the Pioneer Valley.
Farmers Michael Docter, of Winter Moon Farm, Nate L’Etoile, of Four Star Farms, and Carolyn Wheeler, of Wheel-View Farm, will share their stories and talk about how their businesses have changed over the years, and what they see as the biggest opportunities and challenges facing them in the years to come. This panel discussion and the reception to follow are free and open to the public.
The Winter Fare markets and other events are opportunities for communities to gather around food and farming, Korman said. “The farmers are growing and harvesting for us and will be selling. We have to show up,” he said.
This will be the fourth year for the Springfield winter market offered on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. It’s a way for people buy the locally-raised and grown food they value, and “that’s something a lot of people are plugged in to,” Belle-Rita Novak, market manager, has said. “It tastes better…and you can find out what’s put in your food. A lot of people are more interested in what goes into your body.”
Because some farmers have built greenhouses, they can bring to market produce like greens, spinach, carrots and radishes. “It’s just terrific,” Novak said.
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