T-burg Farmers Market celebrates 20 years

The Trumansburg Farmers Market reopens May 4 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Village Park on the corner of routes 227 and 96. The market will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this season.

“My partner, Beth, and I were looking for a small town to move to when we relocated back east,” Market Board Vice President Bart Gragg said. “One of the many places we stopped was Trumansburg. The beauty and sense of community in the area was very attractive to us. One of the tipping points was when friends Tom and Julie Prisloe took us to the last farmers market of the season. We were sold!”

The Trumansburg Farmers Market began with support from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, the Ithaca Farmers Market and Trumansburg village administration. At that time, it was run by former Market Director Lucy Garrison-Clauson.

The impetus for the Trumansburg market, as well as other similar rural markets in the area, was to create farmers markets in underserved communities and to provide a youth consignment stand at each of the markets.

One of the primary goals of Garrison-Clauson was organizing the consignment stand, run by a group of Trumansburg teens hired through Cornell Cooperative Extension as part of a “first job” program.

The consignment stand sold vegetables from a variety of farmers. The teens learned about produce, nutrition and the farming aspect of the market, as well as customer service skills and tracking sales while running the stand. The Trumansburg market had a modest eight to 10 vendors its first year.

“Although I have been the market director for three years, two of those were COVID years, so I’m still relatively new,” current Market Manager Natalie Baris said. “I’m proud with what I have accomplished in regards to offering more options and a wider variety of vendors, food offerings and live music this year.”

This year, the market will have a lineup of 30 bands to provide entertainment while customers shop, dine or just sit and sip the local wines and beers offered. The market will have an expanded food truck experience to offer, including vegan and vegetarian options.

“We are really excited about joining this year,” Asempe Kitchen owner Kuukua Yomekpe said. “My partner, Sherron, has been my rock, and we have two Trumansburg friends who have helped me get ready for the market.”

This year’s market has more than 40 vendors providing produce, eggs, cheeses, meat, bedding plants, baked goods, various beverages, honey, maple syrup, body care products, cut flowers, artisan goods and prepared foods. All of the offerings are grown or made by the vendors.

“Last year was our first year as a mushroom and microgreen vendor at the Trumansburg Farmers Market,” Julie Rindfleisch, owner of Mush Love Greens, said. “We have always been big proponents of growing our own food and canning and preserving what we grow. New York winters are tough, and finding any local greens is hard. I was also deeply interested in alternative sources of protein, and mushrooms were a great fit.”

Rindfleisch described some ways she helped others during the pandemic.

“When the pandemic hit and all the meat cases in stores were empty, we found we could help fill the nutritional gap for people in the Finger Lakes region,” she said. “We received such a warm and supportive reception by the Trumansburg community that we were exhilarated to sign up again this year.”

This year’s eclectic collection of vendors will feature market regulars such as Sommarstuga Gardens, owned by Darlene and Don Schlather, along with newcomer Eden Flower Farms, owned by Sarah Murray.

“Eden Flower Farms is thrilled to bring fresh, seasonal, locally grown, specialty cut flowers to the farmers market in its 20-year anniversary,” Murray said. “I can’t wait to share my love of flowers with my fellow community members and spread joy every Wednesday evening!”

The Farmers Market has booked musicians who are known and loved throughout the Finger Lakes and beyond for its full 26-week season. The artists represent a wide range of genres from blues, traditional and original folk, Celtic, Appalachian, Quebecois, Middle Eastern, pop and rock to jazz, swing, Latino and Cajun.

“What has always impressed me about Trumansburg market is the very real community energy and how the whole community worked together to build it,” local musician Richie Stearns said. “I have played at it many times before and will this year too. I can’t believe it’s been 20 years! The market always has local bands that are filled with fun-loving people. I played the last market of the season last year. All of the kids that were there wanted to play my instruments, so I eventually just let them. They ended up getting on stage and singing, dancing and jumping around.”

Stearns encouraged residents to come out to the market, saying, “The Trumansburg Market really brings everyone together in a cool way. It’s one of the things about the Trumansburg Farmers Market that makes me feel proud.”

Information about the Trumansburg Farmers Market can be found on their website at tburgfarmersmarket.com and on their Facebook page at facebook.com/TrumansburgFarmersMarket/.

Inquiries can be sent to Baris at tfm.mktmgr@gmail.com.

Trumansburg Connection appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.