One of six new vendors at the Summit Farmers Market is Julie Kohn, of Patricia and Paul Artisans of Fine Oils and Balsamics, which sells products from Chile, Spain and Australia.
SUMMIT, NJ — The Summit Farmers’ Market has six new vendors this year — some of whom are bound to be favorites with the gluten-free and vegan crowds.
The market opened for the spring, summer and fall seasons on April 23, and will be open every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. until Nov. 19 at Park and Shop Lot No. 2 at the corner of DeForest Avenue and Maple Street. Most of last year’s vendors are also returning.
Patricia and Paul Artisans of Fine Oils and Balsamics sells olive oil and balsamic vinegars from Spain, Chile and Australia. The Tuscan herb olive oil is a popular product. They also have gift sets — perfect for upcoming holidays such as Mother’s Day.
“The traditional balsamic is aged 18 years,” Julie Kohn of Patricia and Paul Artisans of Fine Oils and Balsamics told LocalSource in an April 30 interview.
“We’ve gotten great reception here at the Summit Farmers’ Market. We were on the waiting list for four years and we love hearing our customers share how they use our products.”
Anna Lee Herbs sells everything herbal teas to bath salts. Each product is made with fresh herbs grown by owner Anna Hackman. Her best-selling tea is Everyday Mojo, which includes alfalfa and blackberry. Her teas taste great both hot and cold.
“The Everyday Mojo tea promotes vitality,” Hackman told LocalSource in an April 30 interview. “We also sell hydra salts for the skin, bath salts and salt made with an old-time herbal blend called lovage. It’s a mix between parsley and celery. The hydra salts are made from the water side of essential oils and are hydrating for the face. We sell different ones for various skin types. My products aren’t commercially grown so they retain their strong smell. It’s different when you grow your own herbs because you know what tastes right. It’s a different perspective. I’m a master gardener and I’m very passionate about what I do. I love to teach people to harvest culinary herbs and get people to grow.”
Live, Love Granola sells vegan and paleo snacks that are dairy-, soy- and gluten-free with no refined sugars and low in carbohydrates. The owner, Joanne Mauriello, creates her own recipes for granola and granola bars.
“I keep trying to make my recipes healthier and cleaner,” she told LocalSource in an interview on April 30. “I start off with a basic recipe and then start mixing different combinations. My newest varieties are almond blueberry and apple raisin. The most popular is probably the pecan cherry. My recipes change depending on the season. For example I use pumpkin in the fall. The coconut cacao granola bar is a favorite of mine.”
Squirrel & The Bee is a grainless bake shop that sells both gluten- and dairy-free products, and also supports low carb and paleo diets.
“We use homemade almond and coconut milk in our products,” owner Michelle Retik told LocalSource in an interview on April 30. “We also use raw honey and our products are almond flour-based. Our best-selling products are blueberry muffins, breakfast sandwiches, cookies, brownies and gluten-free bagels and rolls. We cater to health-conscious customers. We also bake cakes, and our carrot cake is the best-selling cake — it’s delicious.”
How to judge their success so early in the season? Hummus Boss owner James Matar already had a long line of customers waiting to try his products.