Sussex County Farmers Market

As Sussex County’s only indoor Farmers Market, our mission is to provide local fresh seasonal fruits, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, meat, fiber and wine, Jersey Grown and Jersey Fresh value added products to our community.  In doing so we are supporting Sussex County farmers and the agricultural industry that makes New Jersey the Garden State.  The Sussex County Farmers Market is located near the entrance to the Sussex County Fairgrounds and is open the 2nd Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from June through October. The Market is sponsored by the Sussex County Board of Agriculture and SB One Bank.

Thank You for buying locally grown food from Sussex County farmers!

Sussex County has a number of farmers’ markets. The Sussex County Agricultural Development Board maintains a list at http://sussexcountyfarmersmarket.com/. Many farmers’ markets feature entertainment and other extras.

 

When you buy local, you not only get great-tasting, exceptionally fresh, flavorful food, you:

  • Support your farming neighbors. We all want to keep farming alive and support endangered family farms in our area, and buying local is the best way to do it! Even if you’re not from the area, take pride in knowing that your purchase supports small family farmers and agriculture in the region.
  • Safeguard your family’s health. When you buy food from local farmers you trust, you know your food from farm to table, and you can visit the farm to see how the food is grown or raised.
  • Support your community. Your money stays in town where it benefits everyone and builds a stronger local economy.
  • Protect the local and global environment. Locally speaking, small-scale farming helps keep the land we all care about open and green, while conserving, and often enhancing, natural resources. Local food also doesn’t have to travel far. This significantly reduces fossil fuel usage, emissions, and packaging materials–issues of global proportions.
  • Get to enjoy a social, family-oriented experience. Buying local connects you with people in your community and provides an enjoyable, social shopping experience. When you buy local, you get to know the story of your food and the people who grew it.

So, BUY FRESH, BUY LOCAL and fill your plate with seasonal, locally grown food!

 

Make Farmers’ Market Visit a Family Affair

It’s the perfect time to take the family for a visit to one of the county’s farmers’ markets. 101 Simple Pleasures to Boost Happiness lists visiting a farmers’ market at #34. With a little bit of effort it can be an educational experience for your family as well.

EXPLORE AND EXPERIMENT

Point out the way the fruits and vegetables are displayed. Have the children tell you the different colors. Ask the farmers how to prepare produce that is unknown to you. Ask your children what produce appeals to them visually.

TEACH your children about fresh fare

This is different than picking produce at the supermarket. Look for the best of each. Heirloom varieties produce tomatoes that aren’t red and potatoes that aren’t brown. Point out how locally grown food helps save gas, supports neighbors and improves nutrition, quality and taste.

COUNT UP SOME FUN

Help your children understand how to handle and count money. Let them pay for items and count the change.

ENJOY the experience

The colors, smells and variety of produce are a simple appeal to the senses. Many markets have snacks and music. Make a memory with your family.


With the rise of local markets, both rural and urban, there is an increase in the number of children’s books on this topic. Much of the artwork is photographs of actual produce from markets. Rah, Rah, Radishes! A Vegetable Chant and Go, Go, Grapes! A Fruit Chant by April Pulley Sayre have simple texts and colorful photos from the South Bend Farmers’ Market. Nikki McClure’s To Market, To Market combines fiction and fact in a mother and child’s trip through the market, checking items off their list. It tells a story, but also gives the facts behind the production of each product.
 

Other books featuring markets are:

  • Farmers’ Market Day by Shanda Trent and Jane Dippold
  • Farmers’ Market by Paul Brett Johnson
  • At the Farmers’ Market with Kids: Recipes and Projects for Little Hands by Leslie Jonath
  • Farmers’ Market: Families Working Together by Marcie R. Rendon and Cheryl Walsh Bellville
  • A Day At the Market by Sara Anderson

 


The Farmer's Market
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