Historic Lewes Farmers Market celebrates 10 years of being fresh

It’s hard to believe it has been this many years, but we are happy to say that the Historic Lewes Farmers Market is celebrating our 10th anniversary at our first market of the season May 9 at the Lewes Historical Society. We think fondly back to that first market season when we had just over 16 vendors.

We were so proud to get that first market open (even if we did sell out of everything by 9:30 a.m.) The overwhelming response to the market from our community filled our hearts and helped us rededicate ourselves to the effort of building the first producer-only market in Delaware.

We thank you, our patrons, the mayor, city council, our volunteers and the community of Lewes, for your dedication, commitment, and support for the past 10 years.

We invite everyone to join us at the market at 8 a.m., Saturday, May 9, to celebrate ten years of promoting local produce and community.

The Historic Lewes Farmers Market is a 501(c)3 nonprofit created to help grow sustainable agriculture on Delmarva.

For 10 years, we have worked to do this through a number of programs, including our producer-only market that in 10 years has welcomed 285,000 shoppers who have spent $3,950,000 enjoying Delmarva’s bounty from 71 farmer/vendors.

Our successful market feeds our economy very directly. Most of that money is recycled back into our local community.

As you know, the HLFM features at least one and often two demonstrations at most markets featuring local chefs demonstrating recipes using local food; farmers from the market talking about their production methods; Master Gardeners and children’s programs. We have partnered with the Lewes Public Library, and the children’s librarian leads a story hour each Saturday at the LHS.

This last summer alone 1,100 children attended and learned something about taking care of our limited resources and eating healthy and locally. This year’s lineup of demonstrators looks to be the best yet, and if you want to know before Saturday what the demonstrations will be and at what time, please email historiclewesfarmersmarket@ comcast. net and give us your email.

You’ll get our weekly newsletter featuring produce highlights for the month and information on demonstrations.

We continue to celebrate our favorite fruit each year at the Annual Tomato Festival in August. Many of you who volunteer at the HLFM have helped make this a better festival event each year with inspired thinking and a lot of labor (including cutting up lots of tomatoes). Last year we attracted just under 4,000 people to this event, and sales were over $47,000 that Saturday alone.

It takes a lot of volunteers to manage the festival and other market days, and it is heartening that the HLFM continues to attract over 200 volunteers to work at the market every year. This outstanding volunteer service allowed the HLFM to be awarded the Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2012.

Each year, the HLFM continues to give scholarships to small farmers in Delmarva to attend sustainable agriculture conferences. We have given farmers scholarships to attend conferences such as Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture Farming for the Future Conference, the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference, the Future Harvest CASA Conference, and the Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention. We have donated $25,700 in scholarships and grants that have enabled farmers to gain new skills and knowledge at these conferences.

One of our proudest achievements came in 2013 when the HLFM introduced SNAP at the market. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is the government program that helps low-income people and families buy the food they need for good health. The HLFM processes SNAP so that SNAP customers can have access to the local, fresh food at the market. This year, the HLFM is increasing matching Bonus Bucks tokens to $20 to SNAP customers at the market. In 2013, the HLFM processed more SNAP dollars than all farmers markets combined in Delaware.

And in 2014, we doubled that figure.

I think, however, what is really special about our market is the feeling of community. Over the past 10 years we have seen our farming partners at the market get engaged and married.

Several babies have been born, and we have seen at least one of those babies now old enough to be in kindergarten. And sadly, one vendor friend has died after a long illness. We have held our free bicycle drawing every year, and we have seen the delight and excitement when someone wins.

Many, many folks have come to the Tomato Festival and wondered aloud at how great a tomato can taste, and marveled at how many varieties there are. A young man proposed marriage at the market one year, and she said yes. We had a bad dog fight. A farmer’s guinea hen got loose and we had to capture him with the neighbor’s help.

We found lots of lost children … and keys. We weathered rain storms, really hot summer days, and a couple of nor’easters.

But without your support over the past 10 years, all of this and more would not have happened. We appreciate you for your great ideas, hard work, and dedication to the Historic Lewes Farmers Market. We thank you for making the time to come to the market on Saturdays. We really hope that you will join us at the market on opening day, May 9. We’ll be there from 8 a.m. to noon just like the past 10 years of Saturdays.

At the market you’ll find not only the best local fruits, flowers, vegetables, cheeses, meats, eggs, and more, but also friends you know and new ones to make.

Helaine Harris is president of the Historic Lewes Farmers Market