As you likely have noticed if you keep up with local news, there’s been a lot of buzz in the region recently about all sorts of new options springing up to supply us with healthy food—including new grocery stores as well as various home or workplace delivery services for farm-grown items. For those of us who like to cook and eat, or for whom food is a hobby, each new venue or service is fun to consider and explore. Anything that helps people eat fresher, locally grown food is a good thing, as far as I’m concerned. 

Yet, while there’s a lot to like about each of these new retailers and services, the market still holds a special appeal that’s hard to beat. For me, part of the attraction has to do with the relaxed mindset and sense of joyful discovery that I take along when I go to the market, and the peacefulness I take away from it—along with the local bounty in my shopping totes. With products organized by farm or vendor, instead of by like items, there’s a built-in invitation to wander at the market, which is quite refreshing in our over-systematized lives. 

The friendly and entertaining environment of the Farmers’ Market is another plus. When I go to the grocery store, I usually push a cart briskly through the aisles—stopping to read labels to cull out the bad stuff, and comparing prices between large and small sizes (both tiresome chores)—with all of this done as quickly as possible so I can get on to the next stop on my list of errands. 

At the market, everything is more leisurely. Friends from the community stop to chat, and conversations with the farmers and producers at the market yield unexpected discoveries: eggs with green shells, the first pink peonies of spring, or a new type of salad green or specialty cheese. 

I’ve received fantastic advice and information from farmers, and learned from various community groups about their special projects. My children and I have stopped to watch and listen to musicians: fiddle players, harpists, singers, and more.  

So, if you haven’t ever shopped at Saratoga Farmers’ Market, or haven’t been there in a while, give it a try.  Just because it’s been around for a while doesn’t mean you won’t find new things there; the farmers and other vendors are constantly innovating and experimenting. 

NOTE: There are just three more indoor markets left this season at Division Street School, on each of the remaining Saturdays in April (hours 9 a.m. -1 p.m.).  Then, on Wednesday, May 1st, the market moves back to its outdoor home at High Rock Park, with hours of Wednesdays, 3-6 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. -1 p.m.  More information about the market is at http://www.saratogafarmersmarket.org.