Collingswood Farmers' Market
General Information  |  Restaurant Week

2011 Opening Day is May 7!
Open Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon May through November
www.collingswoodmarket.com

American Farmland Trust (AFT) along with hundreds of voters crowned the Collingswood Farmers Market as one of America’s three favorite farmers markets. The award is the culmination of AFT’s summer long “America’s Favorite Farmers Markets” contest and represents the integral role that the Collingswood Farmers Market plays in its community and the avid support demonstrated by the dedicated customers it has generated through its 10 years of operations.

In its inaugural year, the AFT contest registered just shy of 30,000 votes in support of local farmers markets across the nation and featured 857 participating farmers markets.  The Collingswood Farmerss Market registered 1,030 of these votes and swept the ‘Small’ category of markets featuring 30 or fewer vendors. Along with the Collingswood Farmers Market, Davis Farmers Market in California took home the large market prize and Williamsburg Farmers Market in Virginia, the medium. Each of the winning markets will receive a free No Farms No Food ® tote bag giveaway for their customers.  Farmers markets represent one of the great ways that consumers can support their local farmers, farmland, communities, and regional economy.

By partnering with farmers markets, American Farmland Trust is encouraging consumers to consider the importance of farmland and to support local farmers. Put succinctly, there is no local food without local farmland.

TEN YEARS OLD. The Market is old enough to claim a history. It began as an all-volunteer-powered project of Proud Neighbors of Collingswood, launched by the group's then-president Pam Ciervo, at a time when South Jersey farmers were reluctant to give the community market concept a try. 

Today, the Market is a project of the Borough of Collingswood. Many of the original farmers from that first season are still bringing weekly harvests. The Collingswood Farmers' Market has has grown into an established part of the social fabric of the community. People come to walk, meet their neighbors, and socialize while they shop for their weekly produce and more.  

The sooner you can get produce after it's harvested, the better its freshness, nutrition and flavor. The quality of the produce is superior and the atmosphere is wonderful! The successful weekly Market is also an important link in the local food chain. By providing a venue for selling directly to the consumer, the business of farming is strengthened for the small family-owned farms that are characteristic of our region. 

Collingswood Farmers' Market's participating farmers value the opportunity to interact with the people who eat the food they grow. Their presence in our community emphasizes the role New Jersey farming plays in preservation of our landscapes, lifestyles, nutrition, and our local food supply.

We are pleased to announce a first annual MARKET/RESTAURANT EVENT that will have more local Collingswood restaurants creating menus with produce from Market farms. Special thanks to Lydia Cipriani of the Tortilla Press, who is developing the concept with the Market. As the season progresses, look for announcements about this event.

Facebook is fun, but can it feed you? Maybe. The Market is using its new FACEBOOK GROUP to launch contests for Marketgoers. The group name is "Collingwood Farmers' Market" and all are encouraged to post favorite food quotes, photographs of the Market and more for the chance of winning Market gift certificates for the best content. All Facebook-using fans of the Market are encouraged to support the Market by becoming a "friend." (Thanks!)

The Market website will launch a digital ARCHIVE OF RECIPES that have been featured in past Market emails. For those who might not know, the Market sends out a lively weekly email that greets Market fans with a weather forecast, in-season produce news and more. Recipes are often the most favorite content and many people have wished for an online collection. The archive should be on the website by early May.

See the Market ad in the May issue of the Town Crier.Visit www.collingswoodmarket.com for more information

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Farm Fresh Collingswood Restaurant Week - July 18 - 22 2011

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