A sure sign of summer in this suburb is our successful Montclair Farmers’ Market, which kicks off its eighteenth season on Saturday, June 5, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Walnut Train Station parking lot. The market runs all summer, and through the fall into November.

All five of our familiar farmers – Tree-Licious Orchards, Sunden Farms, Vacchiano’s, Matarazzo’s, and Farmer John (the organic grower) – return to Montclair this season with their fresh produce, often picked within 24 hours. In addition, the market boasts several delicious food artisans, such as our local organic Bread Company (on Walnut Street), a cheese maker, a fishmonger, a beekeeper with hone and wax candles, a specialty condiments purveyor, a pesto maker, and a pickler.

Close To You

The market has become a popular Saturday morning meeting place for hundreds of residents, visitors, families and friends who enjoy not only the healthful, tasty food, but also a tangible sense of community due to the presence of the farmers, neighbors, chef-prepared food tastings, non-profit info/display tables, and non-stop music. Being able to speak directly to the person who actually cultivated the fields, planted the seeds, and harvested the crops in order to grow and sell you the food you will prepare for your own table is a lost commodity in America, but it lives on at Montclair’s Farmers’ Market.

Food for Thought
The many health benefits of eating more plant-based foods, especially fresh locally-grown produce, are prescribed everywhere. Shopping at farmers’ markets also supports family farmers, preserves farmland in the Garden State, and keeps food dollars in our regional economy. And, it is more environmentally sustainable, because foods which travel shorter distances from field to table usually need less pesticides to grow, fewer preservatives for supermarket shelf-life, and require much less energy for transportation and refrigeration.

Growing your own food at home is always the best option for all who can do so. The next best thing is buying fresh delicious produce grown locally by family farmers. For further information, please contact Montclair Farmers’ Market Committee Chair Steve Schuckman at 973-228-2466 or Township Environmental Affairs Coordinator Gray Russell at 973-509-5721.

We’ll see you at the market!