Trip to the Haddonfield Farmers Market
This past Saturday I went to the Haddonfield Farmers Market instead of the Collingswood market because it was Mayfair in Collingswood and I wanted to avoid the crowds and the parking hassles. The crowd at the Haddonfield market was light, perhaps because of the holiday weekend. I don’t go there enough to know what the crowd is usually like.
My opinion of the Haddonfield market increased dramatically with this visit. When I visited last year, I found the prices to be significantly higher than those at Collingswood and I found it difficult to speak to the vendors. This year, while the prices still are higher, I found all but one of the vendors very approachable and I got some good information.
Here are a few of the things that caught my attention at the Haddonfield Farmers Market:
Savoie Organic Farm – local and organic – love it. Located in Williamstown.
Natural Meadows Farm – (they don’t seem to have a website). grass fed beef and natural eggs. I bought organic two New York Strip steaks from this vendor that weren’t his own – he was selling them for another farmer. We grilled them last night – one as is; one done in a marinade. I wanted to see what the flavor would be like unmarinaded. They were really great steaks.
Old School Heirlooms – I spent a while talking with the two guys at this table. They had some vegetable and herb plants to sell, and they gave me a little advice on why my basil seems to be in limbo (it’s been cold; maybe too much water). They were selling what I believe to be organically grown (but not USDA organic certified) salad greens in plastic blister packs because they said that people seem more willing to buy them when they are packaged that way. They will, however, take the blister packs back and reuse them. Their website says they specialize in rare varieties (of tomatoes) and herbs so I may take another trip to Haddonfield in mid-summer to check out their tomato offerings.
While Collingswood is going to remain my primary market, I’m glad I revisited Haddonfield. I now feel comfortable recommending it to others, and I will be much more likely to run there on a Saturday morning that’s extra busy to pick up a few things than I was before.
