Cape & Islands Farmers Markets
At the Orleans market, it’s not unusual to find a line snaking down the aisle of vendors as people wait their turn to select from just opened crates of beefy tomatoes or verdant chard still damp from the morning dew.
Scents unroll like carpets as each tailgate opens, and boxes, crates, bags and bushels are arranged for the best viewing. Hand-lettered signs list the fruits and vegetables of the day: broccoli, carrots, salad cucumbers, pickling cukes, cherry tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, yellow cherry tomatoes, acorn squash, yellow squash, Italian squash, zucchini, green peppers, sweet peppers, hot peppers, red onions, pearl onions, spring onions, shallots, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, sweet corn, yellow corn, Indian corn and corn stalks.
Fruits are spread in a riot of colors and fragrances-lush strawberries, wild blueberries, highbush blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, apples, peaches, pears, and as autumn approaches, pumpkins and cranberries.
The bounty of choices is almost too much for Richard, 11, of Connecticut as he tries to pick salad makings at the Cape Cod Organic Farm stand at the Mid-Cape Farmers Market in Hyannis. His father watches, grinning, as his son studies the selection of greens. “This one,” he finally decides, pointing to the Swiss chard. Manager Sara Friary reaches for the bucket. “No! This!” Richard yelps, pointing to the mesclun spring mix. Unperturbed, Friary replaces the chard and reaches for the spring mix.
“We’re here on vacation,” the father says to Friary as she weighs a handful of carrots. He nods to his son. “Richard loves to cook when we’re on vacation, so we let him make all the decisions.” Richard nods soberly.
The Cape Cod Organic stand was started eight years ago by Sara Friary’s father, Tim Friary of Barnstable, as part of his farm’s operation. His is one of the select farms that have gone through certifications as an organic farm, an important factor to many customers, including chefs from some of the Cape’s finest restaurants, says Sara Friary.
But farmers markets are not limited to produce vendors. Shoppers can find baked goods, soaps, herbs, potted plants, honey and preserves, like the jams and jellies offered by Cape Cod Cranberry Harvest. Co-owners Tina Labossiere and Debbie Greiner of Harwich take turns minding their stand at the mid-Cape market. They’ve been selling their preserves at farmers markets, fairs and craft shows for the past eight years, says Labossiere.
“This (the farmers market) has a great variety. It’s a nice mix of products and people,” she says. “We really like selling here because it’s great PR and people like meeting the people who make what they are buying.” That personal contact also allows her to suggest ways to use the eclectic variety of flavors, such as cranberry pepper, cranberry orange and white cranberry pepper.