Winter Farmers’ Market opens for special pre-Thanksgiving shopping

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Farmington Winter Market will be on on Wednesday, Nov. 25, so shoppers can prepare for Thanksgiving.
Farmington Winter Market will be on on Wednesday, Nov. 25, so shoppers can prepare for Thanksgiving.

WEST FARMINGTON – As Thanksgiving approaches, the Farmington Grange on Bridge Street will open its doors to the Farmington Winter Market in preparation for the big meal. Shoppers will find a variety of produce and goods from local farmers, cheesemakers, craftspeople and bakers to bring to the holiday table.

While the market is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., from November to April, the Winter Market will hold a special opening on Wednesday, Nov. 25 for last minute holiday shopping.

This year’s opening day was “the best winter market day ever,” said market manager, Bonnie Clark. The market is quickly becoming known for the variety of vendors and products gathered from all over western Maine.

Among them is Alpacaville, a small family farm nestled in Phillips, in the high peaks region of western Maine. Jeff and Maureen Seaberg offer a variety of alpaca products including socks, gloves, hats and scarves, as well as fiber direct from the alpacas and rabbits for your spinning needs.

Beehive Bakery, run by Margaret and Jonathan Collinson in Farmington, markets fresh bread, and a wide variety of jams and jellies made of fruit from their own orchard and garden.

Amy Rowbottom’s Crooked Face Creamery is known for their handcrafted fresh and aged cheeses, including Aged Gouda-Style Cheese, Plain and Herbed Ricotta, as well as grass fed Angus beef raised on organic pastures right at their farm in Norridgewock.

Diamond Corner B&B and Bakery, owned by Lew-Ellyn Hughes, in the village of Stratton specializes in homemade pies. Hughes also bakes and accepts orders for molasses cookies, buckles, cobblers, and more. For the special Thanksgiving Wednesday market, she will bring traditional pumpkin pies made with locally grown, organic pumpkin from Island Farm, and several apple pies including her famous Apple Crisp Pie.

Jim James and Ellen Foster, owners of Island Farm, Avon, run a grass-fed beef operation selling custom cuts. They also bring organically grown vegetables in season as well as storage crops for the winter months including carrots, cooking pumpkins, turnips, rutabagas, Brussels sprouts and greens.

King & I Angus, run by Dennis and Sara Wilk of Industry, is the only USDA 100 percent Black Angus Farm in the state of Maine. The meat that the Wilks bring to market is all from the herd on their farm. They also produce a variety of baked goods in their commercial kitchen that are made from new and family recipes, as well as prepared meals made with their ground beef.

Marjorie Cormier’s “My Pie” is a small home baking business in Chesterville, specializing in homemade pies with a buttery, handmade, flaky pie crust and local fillings. Choices include apple, wild blueberry, raspberry, strawberry rhubarb, pumpkin and Shaker lemon and she offers free samples at the market every week.

Deborah Chadbourne, of Rasmussen Farm, Freeman Township, offers an assortment of vegetables, greens, herbs and seedlings. Chadbourne is also the manager of www.westernmainemarket.com, the Farmington-based online market, which features a wide variety of products from more than 20 local producers, including baked goods, coffee & tea, dairy, eggs, herbs, meat, prepared & preserved foods, veggies, and personal care products.

Erica Emery, of Rustic Roots Farm, Farmington, brings vegetables including carrots, potatoes, winter squash, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and greens. Emery, with Janice Crandall and Tabatha Emery, also sells the kettle corn of their Sweet Life Kettle Corn Company, which makes the indoor market smell like the county fair.

Jabari Jones, the owner and baker behind Tallulah’s Baking, brings sourdough breads made from scratch and baked in the Grange’s own commercial kitchen. Jones has a special menu of loaves and rolls for Thanksgiving that are good for spreads, stuffing, or post-holiday sandwiches, and is taking pre-paid orders that can be picked up at the Thanksgiving Wednesday market.

Whitehill Farm, Amy LeBlanc’s family owned small certified organic farm in East Wilton, specializes in garden seedlings in the spring and veggies in season including tomatoes, peppers, garlic, Asian greens, and leeks. LeBlanc’s full line of jam and jellies, culinary herb products, chutneys, pickles and pestos are available year-round.

In addition to farmers, bakers and cheesemakers, the Farmington Market also hosts artisan designers like Weld-based Webb Valley Rocking Chairs. Woodworker Kenneth H. Vining’s rustic artisan rocking chairs come in cedar finished with tung oil for the natural look, and pine or poplar painted in a variety of colors. Also offered are hand painted rustic slab wood signs by Judith Zink and Kit Lundwal in a variety of themes.

The Farmington Winter Market runs every Saturday through April, except for the weekends after Thanksgiving and Christmas. The market will be open on the Wednesdays before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Parking is available on Bridge Street.

– Submitted by Jabari S. Jones

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1 Comment

  1. It doesn’t get any better than this!
    And I hear there will be music at this Wednesday’s market

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