Four Years of Local Food

August 4 through 10 is National Farmers Market Week, and there’s no better way to mark the occasion than to stop by the Norfolk Farmers Market.
This summer marks four years for the Norfolk market. Held on the town common each Saturday from June through September, the market is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting. Parking is available at the library.
The market was started in June of 2016 at the Norfolk Grange and has grown each year. According to Zach Ziegler, the market’s coordinator, interest in the market has increased.
“People just know about it now,” he said. “Before, people were surprised Norfolk had a farmers market. But now people think about it and plan to visit. So I feel like we have really tapped into the local community. We’re on people’s minds now, and that’s awesome.”
According to Ziegler, four major vendors have been part of the market from the very beginning. “They are the heart of the market,” he said.
Ziegler’s own farm, Ziegler’s Market Garden in Norfolk, sells its organically grown vegetables, while Elmhurst Farm, also in Norfolk, sells locally raised beef, pork, and chicken, plus eggs. Fairmount Fruit Farm in Franklin brings vegetables and fruits from its orchards to the market, and Confectionary Creations in North Attleboro sells homemade food products, including jams, pickles, relishes, and salsas.
In addition, each week there are different vendors selling a variety of products, including handmade soaps, health and wellness products, and artisan-made goods, all produced in Norfolk or a short distance away.
Each season, a couple of musical acts perform at the market, along with dancers from a local studio. The goal, said Ziegler, is to foster a place of social gathering and community activity, in addition to providing access to fresh, local food.
“I’ve gotten to know my neighbors,” he said. “It’s really fun to get to know people in town and I’ve built a lot of relationships that way. It’s been nice.”
A primary goal of the market has been to provide fresh food for all income levels, said Ziegler, noting that the vendors participate in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and Healthy Incentives Project (HIP).
The rainy spring hasn’t had much of an impact on the local vendors’ offerings, according to Ziegler. Smaller farms don’t use large-scale machinery, so farmers are able to access the fields fairly easily, despite challenging weather conditions.
“The produce has actually been pretty good,” he said. “I’ve been happy with it and we have lots of stuff coming in now, which is the height of the season.”
Ziegler started working at White Barn Farm in Wrentham while in high school, and says he caught the farming bug from Chris and Christy Kantlehner, White Barn’s owners. He went on to study at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMass Amherst, graduating two years ago. He helped start the Norfolk farmers market while still in college.
Ziegler hopes the community will come out and visit the market to support area growers and get some fresh foods, all while helping the local economy.
“The way I look at it, when you spend $5 at a farmers market, the farmer will take that $5 and spend it at another local business,” he said. “And that money will just circulate in our community as opposed to going to a corporate headquarters.”
Still, economics aside, perhaps the best reason to visit a farmers market is the quality of the goods, noted Ziegler. Unless residents grow it themselves, the produce can’t get any fresher.
“I really love when I get home on a Saturday afternoon after market. I’m able to cook a burger with meat from Elmhurst farm and top it with pickles from my friend Karen at Confectionary Creations,” he said. “At the end of the day, we’re really just a small grassroots market hoping to make big changes in the way people get their food.”
The Norfolk Farmers Market is still accepting new vendors. Community groups are welcome to participate in the market, too. No fee is charged for groups hoping to promote their organization or upcoming event. For more information, email [email protected].
Follow the market on Facebook for the latest news, including weather closures and recipes.