Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NEWINGTON, Conn. (AP) — It's all homegrown and handmade at the Newington Farmers Market.
That's what Market Master Val Ginn imagined when she dreamed up the idea of having a market in town, and her dream has come true.
"People used to tell me, 'In Newington? Nah, it won't work,'" she said. "But after seven years, it has."
The 2015 season began last week with a total of 13 vendors. They set up in Constitution Square downtown from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday or 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Visitors can find everything from jams, baked goods and cheeses to fresh produce, all-natural cosmetics, clothing, crafts and more.
A former town councilor and liaison for the town's economic development commission, Ginn was asked to explore ways to attract more people to the center of Newington.
"I thought, every town around us has a farmers market. Why should we have our residents go elsewhere when we can draw them into our center? I felt that it was important and the town needed it," she said.
Although she is now a resident of Wethersfield, Ginn still sees a lot of familiar faces in Newington, where she lived for 30 years. Many of the market's vendors have participated for several seasons, including Mike and Elaine Kurasinski.
The couple serves healthy American comfort food out of their Rocky Hill-based food truck, Jammed 4 Thyme. They offer these same dishes at the market, only prepared and packaged to go.
"Elaine makes the most delicious lunches," Ginn said.
Another regular is John Shenstone from Shenstone Gardens in South Glastonbury. His selection of fresh produce will change throughout the season as fruits and vegetables are harvested. The first week there were tomatoes, broccoli and squash.
"We do about 15 different vegetable varieties all summer," Shenstone said.
Pick up dessert at Maria Peplau's booth, where her self-described "Kitchen Krafts" include pumpkin bread, pies, cakes and other goodies.
"I get everything organic when I can," said Peplau, who lives in East Hampton.
Bradley Domkowski and Ashley Best, a young couple from Middletown, are new to the market this year. They offer lotions and soaps made from the milk of their goats at Miner Hills Farms.
"We have five dairy goats and 11 in total," Best said.
Wethersfield resident Christian Amatore sells "Eggcellent" seasoning, salt-free spice blends designed to complement eggs and other dishes. He created the seasoning line to work with his own active, health-conscious lifestyle.
"When you're eating healthy and trying to cook right, you need a better way to get flavor back into products," Amatore said.
Eating and living well is what the market is all about, according to Ginn.
"If you go to the grocery store, you're not going to find something as fresh as you will at the market," she explained.
In order to encourage farmers to participate, she doesn't charge rent for spots.
"My belief is that we're all trying to make a dollar here, so why add an additional burden?" she said. "Farmers are a dying breed; we've got to keep them proactive."
Interested vendors can contact Ginn throughout the market season. The only requirement is a certificate of insurance from the town. She is hoping to attract more farmers and a florist, in particular.
Local chefs are encouraged to visit on the latter end of market hours to pick up any remaining fresh produce, which farmers often discard before leaving.
"They try not to leave with anything and will offer it to them at a discounted price," Ginn said.
___
Information from: New Britain Herald, http://www.newbritainherald.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
