Michaels Farmers Market’s 2016 season will kick off on Saturday, April 16, from 8:30 to 11:30 AM. The market, which offers the best of local products from the Chesapeake Bay region, is held weekly in the public parking lot between Talbot and Fremont Streets. The 2016 season features a host of new and returning farmers and producers, an active roster of chef demonstrations and live music.
Many popular farmers will return this season. Among new producers in 2016 is Old World Breads of Lewes, Delaware, which sells artisanal breads, pastries, and prepared foods (https://www.oldworldbreads.com/product-list.html). Piazza Italian Market of Easton will join with local foods to take home or eat for breakfast. Stonehouse Farms of Trappe will offer pastured chicken, eggs, and local pork, and Blue Heron Coffee of St. Michaels will be on hand with locally roasted coffee beans and coffee each Saturday morning. Spirit Grower of Wittman will have an interesting line-up of pesticide-free produce this season, including their popular heirloom sweet potatoes.
This will be the 18th season of operation for the open-air, local foods market, but for the first time, the St. Michaels market is partnering with St. Michaels Community Center (SMCC) for a “Grow Bay Hundred” initiative. By working together, the market and community center will expand awareness of and accessibility to regional foods and promote increased community engagement. To mark the collaboration, SMCC will host the reopening of the St. Michaels Community Garden in tandem with the market opening.
Helping spearhead the new partnership is Abigail Rose of Oxford. Coming aboard as market manager following a six-year stint as innkeeper for the Combsberry Inn, Abby brings a versatile skill set to the post, including cooking, gardening, marketing, soap making, and an infectious enthusiasm for local food. She says, “The ambiance and community of the market is exciting and fun. These producers work hard to bring the best and freshest products. I am so pleased to be market manager and look forward to seeing both familiar and new faces this season.”
Abby and others have been working to ensure a revitalized market for the 2016 season. “We wanted to offer everything customers expect from a vibrant farmers market,” notes Abby, “and we’ve achieved our goal. We’re expecting a fantastic selection of locally produced foods, chef demos, music, food preparation and preservation workshops, and related partner programming.”
The market’s opening day will provide a snapshot of the coming season, with guitarist and vocalist, Rick Forrest, entertaining shoppers with a selection of acoustic, bluesy tunes. At 9:00 AM, chef Tony Breeze will give a cooking demonstration. Tony, who recently retired as executive chef of Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, now runs the local Seasons Cooking School at Glen Eagle Lodge in Bozman. Market shoppers can look forward to sampling a spring recipe on opening day and to a strong line-up of visiting chefs throughout the market season, including Jordan Lloyd of Bartlett Pear Inn on April 23rd.
The St. Michaels Market is open rain or shine, from April to October. Through its producer-only markets and community programs, Freshfarm Markets – a non-profit organization – works to educate the public about food and environmental issues, and to provide vital economic opportunities for local farmers.
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