Crowded aisles, kids crying in shopping carts because their parents didn’t buy them the right cereal and long checkout lines.
I’m talking about grocery shopping. No one really likes it, but, unfortunately, it’s necessary. If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time in the produce aisle searching for good-looking fruits and veggies, often with little success.
Finally, I had enough. I needed to look elsewhere. The Adams-Ricci Farmers Market provided a wonderful, close-in alternative, a small market consisting of about 12 vendors that sets up every Thursday in the parking lot across from Adams-Ricci Community Park in East Pennsboro Township just outside Enola.
My experience couldn’t have been more different than the supermarket. As I arrived, live music was playing, and there was no crowd rushing me through as I slowly wandered around deciding which stand to check out first.
With a quick scan, I saw everything from fresh baked goods to ice cream to produce to wine. As I walked up to the first stand, a woman with a warm, welcoming smile greeted me. Despite the powerful winds, Brenda Baumgardner stood proud with her fresh produce and her daughter’s baked goods and granola.
Baumgardner and her husband have been gardening for 30 years. They live in the Dillsburg area and started small by bringing their produce into work for their coworkers. After some research, the two began selling at local farmers markets. This is their first year at Adams-Ricci, and, Baumgardner said, it’s been a learning experience for her.
“Since the market is open later than the other ones we to go to, I pick things right before I leave and try not to bring too much so it stays fresh,” she said.
Baumgardner loves meeting new people and often talks to shoppers about the importance of supporting local agriculture. Whether you simply like fresh produce because it tastes better, or you’re on a restricted diet, she’s there ready to help you out.
For Seppi Garrett, the birth of his children got him thinking about growing organically and supporting local farmers.
“Growing as much of our own food as possible and purchasing the rest from local farmers who are tending their own soil is probably the biggest form of activism we can make,” he said.
Garrett works for Three Springs Fruit Farm, a sixth-generation, diverse farm and orchard in Adams County. The orchard uses “integrated pest management,” which means that farmers study environmental conditions to determine what is causing pests such as insects, animals and fungi. This method “decreases their dependency on chemical sprays and holds them to be more creative and use natural approaches to pest management,” Garrett said.
Jennifer Casey of Enola and her two kids were visiting the market for the second time this year. She said she first heard about the market via Facebook. For them, farmers markets are a way to explore and to continue to show support for local agriculture.
“I love bringing my kids here and encouraging them to try new things they’ve never tried before,” she said. “My kids have definitely learned to eat better, and I think it’s important that others learn the importance of eating fresh, as well.”
The concept behind the market is easy—to “provide access to fresh, local food choices and support local farmers,” said Tara Altland, market manager. Known as Farmers on Walnut until it relocated to Adams-Ricci Park in 2015, the market is producer-only, and all sources are located within 50 miles of the market.
The market’s hours are bit untraditional—every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.—but that seems to work for shoppers.
“The hours allow those who work during the day to stop by on their way home from work and grab dinner,” Altland said.
Walking around the market and getting to know the vendors made my shopping experience special. Everyone was ready to answer questions about their products or talk about the importance of supporting area farmers.
“When it comes to local produce, you just can’t beat it,” Baumgardner said.
Adams-Ricci Farmers Market is located 100 E. Penn Dr., Enola. It is open every Thursday, 3 to 7 p.m., until Oct. 27. To learn more, visit www.adamsriccifarmersmarket.org.
