We’ve been waiting since last fall for this!!! The weekly Farmers Market returns to Barrington for its 11th season this Thursday. So get ready for some freshly popped kettle corn, the balloon man, the lemonade guy and the return of some of your favorite farmers. Plus, prepare to meet some brand new vendors this year. To get into the spirit of the season, I found some of my favorite farmers market photos taken by Barrington photographer, Anthony Tortoriello.
I also caught up with Farmers Market co-chair, Margaret Myren, earlier this week to get the scoop on which vendors are coming back and who will be new to the market this year. You’ll be excited to find out what she had to say…
Margaret says the Brick Oven Pizzas will be back a the market again this year after sitting last season out. It’ll be the original brick oven pizza guy, who’s with Barrington’s Primo Pizza. You can have your little pizza made to order and you’ll find them set up right at the entrance. Also new this year are M. Belle’s fresh fruit pies from Frank’s Karma Cafe in Wauconda. Acacia Organics will be featuring Sol Foods Natural Soaps each week and there’s a Rockford area farm called Carousel Acres that will be selling fresh cut flowers, herbs, potted plants and perennials each week..
Just to get your mouth watering, I thought I’d share the full lineup of farmers market vendors for this year. You’ll find 22 regular vendors featured at the market weekly and their faces will become familiar by the end of the season. Plus, there will be five rotating “guest” vendors who will occupy a spot that you’ll find three or four booths in from the northeast corner of the market. You won’t want to miss the Golden Bear Monarchs Elk Farm from Beloit, Wisconsin. They’ll be selling Elk meat at the market. Now that would be something new and interesting to try at the dinner table!!!
Regular Vendors:
- Acacia Organics – Featuring Sol Foods Natural Soaps
- Carousel Acres – Cut flowers, herbs, potted plants, perennials
- Cedar Creek Crossing – Organic fruits and vegetables, eggs
- The Cheese People – Mostly local, handcrafted cheeses
- Diamond Fresh Seafood
- Elmhurst Farm – Annuals, Shrubs, Small Trees, Cut Flowers, Fruits & Vegetables
- Fraternite Notre Dame French Pastries, Breads & Tarts
- Knoll Farm and Apple Orchard Summer Vegetables, Melons, Berries, Apples
- M. Belle’s Pies – Various handmade fruit pies
- Wayne Miller Farm Michigan Fruit, Jams and Honey
- Olives 4 You – Olives, tapenade, hummus
- The Olive Tap – Specialty olive oil and vinegars
- Primo Pizza – Fresh brick oven pizzas made to order
- Randy’s Lemonade – Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade
- S & D Honey – Honey, Honey Products, Candies, Jelly, and Knives Sharpened
- Smokin’ T’s BBQ – BBQ pork, chicken and ribs, sides, drinks and desserts
- Staff of Life – Kettle Corn, Cookies, Organic Eggs, Chicken, Beef and Pork
- Sweet Whimsy Bakery – Desserts, croissants, artisan breads
- Twin Garden Farms – Mirai sweet corn, summer vegetables
Rotating Vendors:
- Garden Sparkle – Glassware repurposed into flowers, bird baths, and sculptures
- Golden Bear Monarchs Elk Farm – Elk meat, snack sticks and jerky, pheasant, grass fed beef, elk velvet antler
- Gramp’s Gourmet Foods Inc. Sweet and dill pickles, pickled beets, hot mustard and more
- Pasta by Sue Homemade Pastas, Sauces, and Soups
- Whimsical Acres – Yarns, fleece, felted artwork, sugar scrubs, herbal sachets, concrete steppers, cut flowers, greens, goatmilk soap
The market runs from 2:00-7:00 p.m. every Thursday beginning tomorrow, June 16, and ending October 20, 2011. Weekly “Cruise Nights” will also happen from 6:30 to 9 p.m. every Thursday night in downtown Barrington. You’ll find the Farmers Market in the Village parking lot at the corner of Main (Lake Cook Road) and South Cook Street in Barrington and Cruise Nights are held on Cook Street and in the Harris Bank parking lot. For Cruise Night details, check out our recent post called Get Your Motor Running for Weekly Cruise Nights.
And here are some insider tips on the Farmers Market: Randy the lemonade guy is awesome! I’m told people love Dick Vander of Elmhurst Farm because he’ll take extra time to talk gardening and give you tips on growing. Staff of Life Farm’s kettle corn is a huge hit and it’s made on-site. And be sure to look for the guy from S & D Honey who sharpens knives. I can’t remember his name, but he brings his knife sharpening machine each week. If you bring your kitchen knives to the market, he’ll have your blades beaming before you head for home. Plus, the balloon man will be back this year, keeping kids happy while you shop.
I also wrote several posts about the market’s vendors last season, which you’ll find at the following links:
- 78. Farmers Market 4-1-1
- 106. Get Cheesy with The Cheese People
- 148. Savor the Flavors with Farmer Wayne Miller
Market co-chair, Margaret Myren, gets really excited about the return of the Farmers Market. “I think it’s a wonderful thing to do for a community and an important thing to do to support family farmers and people trying to make a living by growing nourishing food. Plus, your kids will learn that carrots don’t come from little plastic bags, they come with greens attached. You can learn so much more by talking to farmers about the food they grow. I support farmers in any way that I can.” Margaret also says they could use some volunteer help this year. If you’d like to contribute to the community cause, it’s an easy and it’s fun. They could use a hand with setup, tear down and picking new vendors. They only have meetings three times a year and they’ll only need help for two or three markets. You’ll find more information about becoming a volunteer by clicking HERE and you’ll find all of the market details at BarringtonFarmersMarket.org.
In the meantime, take a look at this short (and slightly dorky) video I created back when there was still snow on the ground here in Barrington. The first day of summer is coming up next week and all of the signs of the season are finally here!
Love Summer
Me, too!