National Farmers’ Market Week proclaimed

Local farmers help to stimulate economy
By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — The Houlton Community Market is just one of approximately 6,000 farmers’ markets operating across the country and being recognized by United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack who proclaimed August 1-7 as National Farmers’ Market Week. This year marks the 11th annual National Farmers’ Market Week. When it started there were fewer than 3,000 farmers’ markets according to the USDA.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
SWEET SALES — Floyd Boyett joined the farmers’ market in Houlton for the first time this year to sell his homemade jams, jellies, pickles and honey. With his setup under a canopy he said he likes the location in Market Square. “People drive by and they can see everything.”
    Christine O’Donnell, market master in Houlton, said the location in Market Square helps bring business into the downtown area on Saturdays and offers extra income to small producers who grow big gardens and can sell their produce at the market. “That money is actually staying in town and going back into our economy right here in town.”
    O’Donnell said equally important is getting fresh locally grown produce to residents. “They actually enjoy coming in and looking at what the vendors have and they are really happy to have it in town.”
    “The market has already offered and will have beans, peas, potatoes, lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach, cucumbers, squash, zucchini and more,” said O’Donnell.
Good growing season
    The early season, with less snowfall and extra sunshine has meant good yields for farmers in the area. “This year has been very good for me. I have just had to do more watering because we haven’t had as much rain,” said O’Donnell who mentioned some of her crops. “In April I started in my greenhouse planting tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. I also started planting potatoes in the ground at the end of April.” She added that local farmers are pretty happy with the growing season this year even though they could use some extra rain.
Other farmers have good yields
    Lynn Oliver and her husband Joel own Treeland Farm in Hodgdon. They have a produce stand on the Calais Rd. “Fresh produce tastes better because it’s picked daily unlike local grocery stores. And, buying locally helps the local farmers.” Beet greens, she said, are almost done. “Everything was very early this year because of the weather. On June 25 we started picking peas, potatoes, beet greens and broccoli.” Still to be harvested at Treeland Farm are cucumbers, tomatoes, corn and squash. Lynn Oliver said “this has been a good year because of the sunshine.” But, she agrees on the need for rain.
    The blueberry picking at Sunnyside Farms in Linneus ended just as National Farmers’ Market Week was about to begin. “We are already done. The berries were very, very good. We had a very big and a very good yield of high-bush cultivated blueberries,” said Joseph Desrosiers, who owns the business with his wife Clare. He said with the early summer and spring, it got warmer quicker and his blueberry bushes were picked clean last Friday. He, too, agrees on the significance of buying from local farmers. “It’s very important because when the people purchase from local farms, every dollar they spend gets spent back again into the local community.”
    The Houlton Community Market is open Saturdays until October. One-year memberships are $25. The trial for one Saturday is $10. For more information, contact the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce at 532-4216.