Frontenac Farmers Market winds down for 2017 season

Craig Bakay | Oct 26, 2017

This weekend (Oct. 28) will be the final Saturday outdoor venue of 2017 for the Frontenac Farmers Market in Verona. (They do plan a Christmas market in December indoors at Prince Charles Public School.)

Self-described market manager/gofer/treasurer/visionary Debbie Harris said they are “planning a couple of special things” for the final market while pointing out that at this time of the year root vegetables and a great variety of apples are at their best. As well fresh baking and mushrooms will also be available.
“We still have garlic and grass-fed beef too,” she said.

This will be Harris’s final market in the head honcho spot, as Laura Simmons will be sworn in as “August personage and supreme commander” for 2018.
“It’s actually taking four people to replace me,” Harris joked. “It’s been interesting but we need new blood.”
“Debbie’s going to be a hard act to follow,” said Simmons.

Both the incoming and outgoing managers agreed that they’d like to see the market expand.

“We’re always looking for new farmers,” Simmons said, adding that in order to add more craftspeople, they have to add more farmers because of the rules for Farmers Markets requiring a larger percentage of farmers.
“Hopefully it will continue to grow,” Harris said. “The County is pushing for more local foods and it would be nice to get some support from that angle.
“But we’ll continue to provide good food.”

“We have a large following from the summer residents,” Simmons said. “We’d like to expand support from year-round residents.”