GREENFIELD — With winter farmers markets held regularly in Greenfield, Hadley, Northampton, Springfield and Holyoke, it’s possible to eat local all winter long.
Winter markets bring clear benefits to local farms. Winter sales have allowed some farms to expand production and increase their overall income, and stretching sales throughout the winter months eases the financial pressures that farms face in the spring, when expenses pile up in preparation for the main growing season. Year-round sales also mean year-round employment, offering better jobs to staff and making it more possible for farms to retain skilled employees.
Before a group of volunteers organized the first one-day Winter Fare market in Greenfield in 2008, there was very little local produce available during the winter months. Most vegetable farms didn’t have the infrastructure needed to grow, store and sell their produce throughout the year, including greenhouses for hardy winter greens, storage facilities for root vegetables and squash, space for washing and packing produce in freezing weather, and insulated vehicles for transporting cold-sensitive produce.
Most of the produce available at winter markets is grown during the summer and fall, which requires farms to dedicate land and staff time during the busiest time of year. These are costly investments, which means it’s inherently risky for a small local business to opt in. Many local farms have decided not to take that risk (or to give up the more restful time that winter otherwise brings). For those that have, reliable winter markets are vital to making those commitments pay off.
Winter markets are, themselves, more costly to run than summer markets. It’s expensive to rent indoor space, and it has been challenging for the winter markets to find spaces that are large enough to accommodate them, centrally located to draw customers, and affordable. Market managers must ensure that there are enough vendors paying fees to cover these higher overhead costs, but also be cautious not to spread customer dollars among too many vendors — otherwise farmers won’t be able to justify the cost of participating.
Another challenge for winter markets is that, as Americans have become less and less connected to our food sources over the last couple of generations, the rhythms of the seasons are less visible in our diets. Foods that were fleeting seasonal treats for our great-grandparents, like strawberries and fresh sweet corn, are now shipped around the world every day of the year and are unremarkable for their ubiquity.
Even so, I believe that many of us can still feel that seasonal pull toward fresh produce: toward crisp green salads and asparagus when the land wakes up in the spring, toward bursting sweet peaches and tomatoes during the swell of summer, and toward the warmth and comfort of rich stews and roasts during the depths of winter.
The monthly Greenfield Winter Farmers Market returns to the Discovery School at Four Corners on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Another winter market will be held during the same time on Saturday, March 7.
Claire Morenon is communications manager at CISA, a South Deerfield based nonprofit best known for its “Be A Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown” campaign.