SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Farmers Market has been open since June 1.
It operates at the Springfield Free Public Library, 66 Mountain Ave. The hours of operation are from 1 to 5 p.m. The market will be running through October, offering a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables from Alstede Farms, artisan goods, and pickles from Pickle Licious. There are food trucks, too.
Ricky Rios, a worker for Alstede Farms, said, “People love strawberries.”
Other featured produce included fresh popcorn, tart cherries, fresh ginger, zucchini, onions, garlic, bell peppers, radishes, garlic scapes, homegrown lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, mushrooms, celery and sweet potatoes.
There are also home-baked pies.
Scott Odorizzi, retail operations manager of Alstede Farms, located in Chester, said they’ve been at the Springfield Farmers Market for six years.
He said, “My favorites are strawberries… Garlic scapes mixed with pasta.”
Rose Calimano, of Springfield, said, “It’s fresh. Mostly organic. It’s a convenience being so close to the library.”
Hoffman Bread is a vendor based out of Long Island City. They are an artisanal wholesale and farmers’ market bakery that supplies Long Island City locals and sells their baked goods at various outdoor markets.
Worker Jayden Rios said their sourdough bread is a big seller. They also have fruit Danish and different types of croissants. They’ve been vendors at the Springfield Farmers Market for two years. He said that the market was one of the few that’s open on Mondays. They go all over to Philadelphia, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Pickle Licious is a family-run business. Luis Fermin purchased the business from Robyn Brown Samra, who began the business in 1997, opening her first store with her brother, Jay, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Pickle Licious offers a wide variety of old-world style pickles, along with an assortment of olives and condiments.
Some of their highlighted items include a sugar-free relish with a sauerkraut mustard and a vinegar base; new pickles, which are the stage before “half sour”; and Flaming Dill, a spicy dill-based pickle. They also carry fermented times.
For more information on the Springfield Farmers Market, visit: https://springfield-nj.us/farmersmarket/.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
