Fayetteville farmers market kicks off winter season

VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – From now until May, a biweekly indoor market gives Fayetteville residents and others the chance to both meet their local farmers and stock up on food through the winter season.
Currently running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month and occasionally the fifth, the Fayetteville Farmers Market CNY has, for now, reverted back to its indoor setting located next door to the L.L. Bean in Towne Center.
Going from stand to stand, shoppers can gather an assortment of farm-grown fruits, fresh vegetables, dairy products, baked goods, meats and more.
If they wish, people can even pick up a large turkey and all the trimmings for their Thanksgiving dinner, or they can put together gift baskets to be given at any point this holiday season.
One expectable purveyor during this wintertime stretch is Eric Alderman of Scratch Bakehouse.
His naturally sourdough-leavened artisanal breads and laminated French pastries are hand-crafted from scratch with the use of fresh, stone-ground brown flour that he picks up weekly.
The locally sourced breads from Alderman’s bakery are all either whole grain or multi-grain. Some have imported Italian olives and polenta infused, and some contain seeds rich in protein.
“As long as you’re going to eat bread, it might as well be nutritious and natural,” Alderman said.
In addition to traditional loaves of bread, Scratch Bakehouse presents a selection of cookies, cinnamon rolls, spanakopita, chocolate croissants and cheese danishes.
Another stand would be occupied by Elly’s Acres Farm, a Jamesville-based operation run by husband and wife John and Martha Lemondes that brings in frozen cuts of locally pasture-raised lamb.
The United States Department of Agriculture-processed meat consists of zero growth hormones or antibiotics, plus it’s “9,000 miles fresher than Australia,” John Lemondes said, meaning that it’s fully local and not a foreign product subsidized by a separate government.
Recognized by the American Lamb Board, the couple’s business also sells winter clothes like wool socks, neck gaiters and fingerless gloves as well as materials like heirloom blankets.
Among the rest of the 15-or-so regulars this winter season, Mountain Grown Farm carries various greens until the spring, Clean Slate Farm offers balsamic vinegars, olive oils and seasoning, and Stone Brothers Farm & Greenhouse has pumpkins for pies and a variety of jams.
The Fayetteville market’s summertime schedule lasting from May through October finds the vendors stationed outside in the Towne Center parking lot between King David’s Restaurant and Bonefish Grill every week from noon to 6 p.m.
Other producers that have set up at the market this year include Ma & Pa’s Kettle Corn and Lemonade, Rainforest Spice Co., Sweetie Pie’s Bakery, Via Napoli Wood Fired Pizza, the WW Longhorn Ranch and Withy Hollow Flower Farm. For a full list of vendors, visit fayettevillefarmersmarketcny.com.