This article first appeared in the June/July 2015 issue of Organic Hudson Valley.

The Hudson Farmer’s Market was originally set up to fill a void in the area that was due to the absence of a grocery store in downtown Hudson. Today, there is still a void of places to buy healthy, high-quality, affordable food in Hudson and the market continues to fill that need with produce and products from small, local farms and vendors.

The farmer’s market runs from May to November, ending right before Thanksgiving. As associated indoor market then runs from December through the opening of the outdoor market in May, with the exception of February when both are closed, providing access to high quality food during the interim months.

The market has a large number of vegetable vendors, including organic growers. There are also some conventional growers, as well as those who fit somewhere in between. “The market has everything from locally produced maple syrup and maple syrup products, locally produced honey, there’s even wool products, wool crafts, and yarn is available,” Amy Brown, a market organizer, said. “It also has cheese galore, yoghurt, sauerkrauts and hand crafted food, jams, jellies, baked goods and gluten free baked goods, herbal products and herbal treatments, hand creams and soap.” The Hudson Farmer’s Market has even more than that, definitely enough variety to make you hungry, and a more complete list can be found on their web site. The market is a full family experience with activities for children and music, as well as a community guest tent that is filled almost every week. Brown also encourages everyone to bring their dogs as well.

“One of the best things about this particular farmers market is it was so small when it first got started and they made a real effort to give the small guys a start,” Brown said. The market includes young, new farmers as well as multi-generational farmers. “The market is local family farms feeding local families.”

The market does face a few challenges. There is a logistical problem due to the square footage constraints of the parking lot where the market is held. “We’re stuck in what becomes a very lively parking lot on Saturday mornings,” Brown said. “At this point, there’s only about one available spot. We try to fill it with very high quality, committed vendors. The one thing we can’t ever seem to fill is straight up dairy. All the dairy farms in the region and we can’t seem to get someone to come with milk. We will hunt down dairy but it never seems to work.”

Several farmers who participate in the farmer’s market also run a CSA program, which is a subscription service at a farm level. Customers buy a subscription for the season. Traditionally the CSA runs from April until September and each week subscribers get a pick up of the produce that is available that week.

“We’re always committed to letting the customer choose,” Brown said. And to that end, this year they are celebrating the year of the customer. “The farmer’s market, as successful as it is, is not just a collection of vendors, but also a collection of customers. We see the same people every week, bringing their bags and buying from almost every stand and it is them that have made us successful, giving these small farmers a shot.”

People visit the market from all over, even as far away as Albany. “The Hudson Farmer’s Market is really special,” Brown said. “When you walk by you see the food that’s being put up on the table is done with heart. It’s the essence of what a farmer’s market is supposed to be like. You’re talking to a farmer who cares about what they’re growing. It’s a beautiful way to spend a Saturday morning.”

The passion carries over to the vendors, such as the bakers, as well. “You won’t find people more passionate about what they’re doing,” Brown said.
In her own experience, not just as a farmer, but also as a customer, Brown has learned about seasonality and how to live that way. “You find things that grow together taste good together and have that synergy,” Brown said. “Every week there is something different available. There are only about two weeks a year when you can get apricots, so if you miss those weeks, you miss the apricots. Every season has its special item.”

It is that tasty surprise that keeps customers coming back to the Hudson Farmer’s Market every weekend. According to Brown, last year was the year of the strawberry. But this year? “You never know. Every year is different.”