The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Fresh produce yearround
HAMILTON, N.Y. >> The farmers market is a place to find fresh, local foods and greens — even in the dead of winter.
At Parry’s in Hamilton, local residents were treated to the monthly indoor farmers market and a chance to buy fresh, local food grown right in Central New York.
For Tome Stone Jr. of Stone Brothers Farmand Greenhouse, he’s happy to help meet the demand for good, local food.
“I think people are expecting fresh, local food year round,” Stone said. “People want to buy local, so if we can produce it locally and economically, why not?”
Stone was among 10 other establishments in the Central New York area attending the Saturday market.
Besides storage vegetables, such as potatoes and squashes, Stone offered fresh carrots, rad-
ishes, spinach, kale, lettuce, arugula and more.
The Stone Brothers Farm and Greenhouse does a little bit of everything; from dairy and beef to their garden center and greenhouse. Stone has been coming to Parry’s for the indoor farmers market for around five years and says business is good.
“The greens sell very well around this time,” Stone said. “I pretty much sell out at every market I go to.”
Among other indoor farmers markets, Stone said he goes to Poolville, Spruce Bridge in Nelson, and he will be going to the American Legion in Cazenovia next weekend.
Faith Hendricks, of Norwich, has been running Witty Batam’s Organics for eight years, has been part of the farmers market for five years, and offers all kinds of green vegetables and herbs, alongside grass-fed and grass-finished meat.
“The difference is you can have grain-finished, where animals are bulked up within the last three months with grain,” Hendricks said. “It’ll be to get them to a good weight, but we finish them with grass.”
Among her cuts of meat for sale, Hendricks offered lamb, chicken, duck, guinea fowl, goose, rabbit and mulefoot pork— something Hendricks describes as the “Kobe beef of pork.”
“It’s a rare heritage breed,” Hendericks said. “It’s listed on the Livestock Breeds Conservancy list as critical. There’s less than 200 of them registered annually as opposed to other heritage breeds, which might be in the millions. One of their best qualities is their heavy pink hue and rich marbling.”
It takes a little longer to raise mulefoot pork, which are super hardy and have the temperament of large dogs, Hendericks said. And right there at Parry’s, Hendericks had cuts of mulefoot for sale.
“One of the important parts of these farmers markets is that it supports the local farmers, even during the winter,” Hendericks said. “And it provides fresh, local produce and meats that have been raised during the year.”
Hendericks uses an indoor greenhouse to grown a large variety of herbs and micro-greens and offered them alongside her wide selection of meat.
Among customers visiting Parry’s was Debbie Mickle, who came all the way from Syracuse. It was her first time visiting the market after seeing it in the newspaper and decided to take a visit.
“The fresh kale was a surprise, but it shouldn’t be,” Mickle said. “I grow my own lettuce at home in a hydroponic system.”
Local farmers markets like these, Mickle said, are a great way to support farmers, especially during the harder winter months and comes with an added bonus.
“Fresh is always better, there’s a huge difference,” Mickle said. “It’s fresher and less processed than what you’d find at a huge chain store. It’s worth the trip.”
Parry’s indoor farmers market runs the second Saturday of each month through April, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is a free market for seasonal vendors. For more information, contact Gwenn at Parry’s, 315824-0002 or gwenn@parryshamilton.com. Parry’s is located at 100 Utica St., Hamilton.