Baldwin launches its own farmers market
A long-held dream for Baldwin residents was marked on Saturday: The borough’s firstever farmers market opened.
The market, held on alternate Saturdays at 41 Macek Drive, features a variety of local farmers and artisans, including produce from H3ART Farms, a small farm in St. Clair focused on cultivating heirloom and rare varieties of produce. The roster for the inaugural market included a local artist, Rene Schultz, and her embroidery works, and Gyro Guys, a halal food truck. Marketgoers also can enjoy live music while perusing the stalls.
“This is the answer that people in this geographical area have been hoping for for a long time,” says Denise Maiden, a member of Baldwin Borough Council who has devoted herself to organizing the market. Though neighboring boroughs have farmers markets, Ms. Maiden says they are difficult to reach without a car, making them inaccessible to some Baldwin residents.
“It’s going to make a big difference to have something right here, where people can do one quick bus trip, or actually walk in a lot of cases,” she says.
Accessibility is a priority for Ms. Maiden. In addition to being located near public transportation, the farmers market is also dedicated to affordability. It’s been accepted into the Fresh Access program, an initiative by Just Harvest, a nonprofit dedicated to combating food insecurity. Fresh Access tries to make healthy local produce more widely available by allowing shoppers to pay with food stamps; shoppers also receive an additional $2 in Food Bucks to purchase more produce for every $5 they spend in food stamps.
Launched in 2013, Fresh Access now operates at 15 farmers markets across Allegheny County. Baldwin’s is the latest addition.
Joy Stanilka, owner and operator of H3ART Farms and a market organizer, emphasized the role farmers markets can play in increasing access to healthy food. “It’s bringing in more locally nutrient-dense food to those areas, as another way of being able to provide to them and help give that offering where it does not currently exist,” she says.
Whereas grocery store produce is often harvested far in advance and transported across the country, Ms. Stanilka says farmers market vendors can harvest the same morning and drive just a short distance, making their wares both fresher and more ecofriendly. Last Saturday, Ms. Stanilka’s booth offered a panoply of rare produce, including rainbow tatsoi (a green) and Scarlet Ohno turnips, as well as seedlings for shoppers to start their own gardens.
“I’m really excited to be out in the community, showing them what we’re doing, and getting the chance to talk with the people that are coming to the market about the different offerings that we have,” she says.
For Ms. Maiden, the launch is a success nearly two years in the making. A retiree and longtime Baldwin resident, she tried to get the market off the ground last summer but faced unexpected obstacles. In the earlier days of the pandemic, she says residents were more reluctant to attend a community event that could draw crowds. Also, potential vendors were stretched too thin to apply for a new venture.
After the market failed to launch last year, Ms. Maiden says she “took a nosedive.” But this year, with residents warming up to community gatherings and vendors being more receptive, it’s finally possible. “I’m starting to learn that you have to be a little patient for things to come that haven’t been here before.”
While passing out promotional flyers about the market a few weeks ago, Ms. Maiden was “really surprised and pleased” to see people’s interest in the market. “To see their eyes light up was a lot of fun,” she recalls.
The farmers market is just one of many initiatives meant to revitalize the Baldwin community. Along with the other members of the borough’s Community Events Advisory Committee, Ms. Maiden has helped bring back Community Day, a boroughwide festival with food and fireworks, and is in the process of planning a local summer camp.
“For a long time, people just accepted that [community initiatives] weren’t happening here, and now they’re not,” she says. “Now that they see the wheels are turning, I get a lot of different ideas and requests from people, and it’s great. People are alive and excited.”
The inaugural market had a relatively modest footprint of about six booths, but Ms. Maiden hopes to expand to more than 10 by the end of the summer. As for longterm plans, she wants to “finagle” a larger location in the future.
“I dream big. I try to make it all work,” Ms. Maiden says. “Why not?”
Baldwin Farmers Market: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every other Saturday through Sept. 17; 41 Macek Drive, close to Prospect Park Apartments.