Growing Interest In A Farmers Market That Keeps Going After Summer Ends

Carol Smith's cows may give milk year round, but without local farmers markets to sell her cheese at it in the winter months, things can get pretty slow at Smith's Country Cheese.

That's why Smith, who hawks eggs and cheese out of the back of her van at Brookline's Farmers Market each Thursday, would like to see the town open an indoor market for farmers in the winter.

"It would be a shot in the arm, definitely," she said. "It's a slow part of the season."

The idea of an indoor winter market in Brookline is not so far off. Natick, Wayland and North Attleboro all experimented with winter markets for the first time last year, and other communities appear poised to follow.

"The demand is there for the markets and those three were very successful this year," said Ilene Bezahler, a Brookline residents and publisher of Edible Boston. "And when you say successful, for farmers markets it means it was good for the vendors and the growers, and it was good for the public."

Though local-food fans have been talking about the possibility of an indoor market in Brookline for about a year, the idea gained real momentum earlier this spring when Karen Chase, a former Brookline residents who remains involved in the community, began gauging interest among vendors at the summer market.

But Chase said the project hasn't gotten beyond those conversations and she has yet to even work out a location, one of the biggest hurdles to holding a farmers market when temperatures dip toward zero.

"It's clearly in its infancy and has yet to be determined one way or another, at least under my direction," Chase said.

It may already be too late for the coming winter. Christina, who works the Brookline stand for Middle Earth Farm in Amesbury, said most farmers would have had to plant crops earlier in order to have anything available in the winter.

"Basically you have to grow all that stuff now and hold it – and it's difficult," she said. "This farmer is usually ready for a break by then."

Though winter farmers markets can't offer the same selection of produce as their summertime counterparts, they can still provide a venue for vendors selling eggs, cheeses and meats, as well as root vegetables, like carrots and turnips, and vegetables grown in greenhouses, which can include lettuce, spinach and arugula.

Bezahler, who also serves as president of Mass Farmers Markets, said shoppers would be less likely to find peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers or local fruits after the summer market closes down.

"You'll never see those at a winter market," she said. "There's not enough daylight for some of the warmer-weather crops."

Bezahler said winter markets have become more feasible in recent years as farmers diversify their crops and set aside more produce for farmers markets, which have grown dramatically in number. She estimates the number of farmers markets in Massachusetts went from around 167 in 2008 to 200 last year, and could be around 220 or 230 this summer.

"Every town wants their own market and people are starting markets constantly," she said. "So I think that the feeling is if people want to buy locally there are a fair amount of the vendors that would like to keep the continuity with the consumers."

Bezahler said the availability of winter markets could make life easier for farmers like Smith, who often find themselves paying for expenses year round but collecting little revenue in the winter months. The need for off-season revenue is one reason pre-paid programs, like "community-supported agriculture" services, are so popular among farmers.

"The hardest time period for a farm is usually March through almost July," Bezahler said. "There's a huge amount of expense during that time, so having a farmers market that can bring in revenue when you have no revenue coming in is great."

But there are a number of hurdles to overcome before Brookline residents start enjoying farm-fresh food in January. In addition to finding a venue that's both indoors and available during the winter – many existing winter markets use school facilities on weekends – organizers would need to secure enough farmers to stock the market. So far, several vendors have said expressed interest, but no formal agreements have been reached, according to Marge Amster, the commercial area coordinator for the town.

And it's not clear who would take the lead on organizing a market: Arlene Flowers, the coordinator for the summer market for the last 17 years, has said she doesn't want to take on another initiative, and Smith said she's no longer sure she has the time.

"It's been moving forward very slowly," Smith said.