by Elizabeth Henderson
Even with predictions of a colder winter than usual, the creative efforts of local farmers will make it possible for us to buy locally grown fresh and stored food. The Public Market and the Brighton Farmers Market stay open year-round. In November the Brighton market moves from the parking lot at the high school (1150 Winton Road) to an indoor space (1435 Westfall Road). A few exceptionally skilled farmers, like Schenk Homestead in Naples, have figured out how to grow greens year-round using hoop houses.
At the Public Market, you need to look sharp to find the local food. Though resale vendors predominate with produce from wherever, there are many area farms like Mason’s in Williamson, a major supplier of organic greens for Wegman’s with hundreds of acres of IPM fruit, Lagoner Farms in Williamson, Moss Family Farm, one of the few African-American-owned farms in our area, and Small World Foods that sells fermented foods made from local ingredients and also carries vegetables and mushrooms from other farms. Bolton Farms sells hydroponic produce, not as tasty as soil-grown, but fresh in the dead of winter. For meat eaters, there are some small local meat producers – Clearview sells beef and some produce, Heiden Valley Farm and Fisher Hill Farm have chicken and eggs, Seven Bridges sells beef, pork and chicken. I always stop to see what Alexander, a lone African-American homesteader, has to offer – unusual greens he grows himself and wild-crafted foods like ramps or sassafras that never make it to stores.