Barryville Greenmarket Foundation expands market with new series

BARRYVILLE, NY — This year, folks can get even more than the fabulous locally produced goods already available at the Barryville Farmers Market. The 2011 weekly market has expanded to offer additional vendors and an ongoing educational and demonstration series entitled, “Farmers Teach,” presented by the Barryville Greenmarket Foundation with funding from the Pratt-Heins Foundation.

The Barryville Greenmarket Foundation is a 501-c3 organization focused on educational work around local food issues. The programs, which will include educational talks, cooking demonstrations and performances, will take place at 11 a.m. on select market dates (see page 18).

“Our main goal is to educate the community on the importance of local farming and buying local to help support and sustain our local food system,” said Mark Veeder, co-founder of the foundation.

“We want everyone to have the opportunity to eat local healthy food,” said Greg Swartz, of Willow Wisp Organic Farm, who, along with his wife Tannis Kowalchuk, is serving as market manager. “We’ll provide some of the education that goes along with growing and preparing local foods to empower people to grow some of their own food and supplement that with stuff from the farmers market. The more educated our customer base is, the better the farmers market will do.”

The market will also feature community performances, including NACL Theatre’s family play, “The Little Farm Show,” an original musical theatre performance for all ages about farming. The performance is both informative and entertaining, with original music, comedy and a spirited sense of fun.

“They really hit the ‘all ages’ aspect well,” said Swartz. “The kids in the audiences I’ve observed are rolling on the ground and totally engaged and the adults are laughing at the subtle jokes about our modern addiction to fossil fuels.”

To enhance the social aspect of the market, an outdoor seating area has also been added where shoppers can gather.

The market is located in the scenic river hamlet of Barryville, behind the River Market on Route 97, and runs every Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., through October 8th, rain or shine. Visit www.barryvillefarmersmarket.com for more information.