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“We look to finish strong”: Local markets conclude summer season Local farmers markets conclude summary season

By Cooper Boardman

Acorn squashes sit in a basket.
© 2019 Cooper Boardman

HODA: “I GET A KICK, ‘CAUSE I HAVE THESE SIGNS THAT SAY LOCAL HONEY. PEOPLE COME UP TO ME AND SAY, ‘IS THIS LOCAL HONEY.’ NO. I DON’T SAY THAT.

YEAH, IT’S LOCAL. SO IS EVERYTHING AT THE FAYETTEVILLE FARMERS MARKET. AFTER TODAY, THERE ARE ONLY TWO MORE WEEKS OF IT—WHICH MEANS TWO MORE CHANCES TO GET TIM HODA’S LOCAL HONEY. OR TO SEE LACEY CASHMAN—THE MARKET MANAGER AND RESIDENT SQUASH EXPERT.

CASHMAN: “SUPPORT THE LOCAL VENDORS. IT’S A LOT OF HARD WORK TO DO THIS ALL SEASON. WE LIKE TO FINISH STRONG. ON A GOOD NOTE.”

THE SUMMER MARKET IS SET TO END ON OCTOBER 24TH, WHICH MEANS THERE ARE ONLY TWO MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO PICK THINGS UP LIKE ACORN SQUASH OR SWEET PEPPERS. THESE ARE TWO OF CASHMAN’S FAVORITE PICKS FOR THE END OF FALL.

CASHMAN: “POTATOES AND ALL OF OUR WINTER SQUAD. CARROTS, THEY GET A LITTLE SWEETER WITH FROST. AND SO DOES KALE.”

FAYETTEVILLE MARKET IS ONE OF MANY THAT ARE FINISHING UP THEIR FALL SEASONS—BUT CUSTOMERS WHO CAN’T MAKE IT DURING THE NEXT TWO THURSDAYS WILL HAVE ANOTHER SHOT. THE MARKET MOVES INDOORS WITH DIFFERENT VENDORS NEXT MONTH. IT’S A CHANCE TO BUY LOCAL—FROM PEOPLE LIKE HODA, WHO BEGAN HIS PASSION HONEY AT A PLACE LIKE THIS ONE.

HODA: “I STARTED AT A MARKET. AND I SAID ‘YEAH THERE’S A DEMAND FOR LOCAL HONEY.’ I GOT TO A POINT WHERE I WAS DOING FOUR OR FIVE MARKETS. BUT YEAH THERE’S DEFINITELY A DEMAND FOR LOCAL HONEY.”

A DEMAND FOR HONEY, COFFEE, VEGETABLES, AND EVERYTHING ELSE—REPORTING FROM FAYETTEVILLE, COOPER BOARDMAN, NCC NEWS.

A series of sun-splashed tents line the Fayetteville Town Center parking lot—here, like every Thursday, customers walk among the tents, clutching fresh vegetables, locally-ground coffee and more.

Including today, this will happen just three more times this year, because the Fayetteville Farmers Market closes its summer season on October 24.

“Support the local vendors. It’s a lot of hard work to do this all season,” Manager Lacey Cashman said. “We look to finish strong, on a good note.”

Cashman began her time at the market as a farmer with Mountain Grown Farm, because she knew “the customer base would be really great.” After the previous manager retired, she took over—which is a “lot of work,” based on her farming duties.

In its fifth year, the Fayetteville market operates weekly—rain, shine or snow. “We wanted to keep the schedule as long as we can. In order to serve as many customers as we can,” Cashman said.

Vendors include a butcher, spicemaker, baker, florist and different types of farmers. The market even has a beekeeper, Tim Hoda, who began his business based on an interest with honey.

“I started at a market. And I said ‘yeah, there’s a demand for local honey,'” Hoda said.

That grew in to more bees and more customers, all because of his start at a local market.

Overall, the farmers market runs every Thursday from 12 p.m.-6 p.m. between now and October 24. After that concludes, Fayetteville—like many local markets—will move indoors.

“The winter markets are important to the farms because it keeps us going through the wintertime… Our coffee roasters, our bakers, our syrups, and lots of things you need,” Cashman said. “We do more eating in the winter time, so maybe we should have more food.”

Reported by

Cooper Boardman

Boardman, a Westport, Connecticut native, is a broadcast journalism student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He serves on the sports staff for WJPZ-FM student radio, WAER FM radio and as a host for CitrusTV, the university’s student television station. Last summer, he was the play-by-play voice of the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Boardman views

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