Portsmouth Farmers’ Market returns

The overcast sky projected a gray blanket over the Portsmouth City Hall parking lot on Saturday, May 19. But underneath the white canopy of Abby Wiggins’ tent, verdant green leaves and deep red radishes sat in a colorful protest against the dull, rainy sky. In the next tent over, a sea of colorful flowers popped and blazed like a miniature fireworks display. From a few stalls away, the smell of breakfast sandwiches made with fresh eggs wafted through the air. Music from the band Mike & Mike, a guitar and fiddle duo, could be heard from across the parking lot.

Each Saturday through early November, the parking lot on Junkins Avenue plays host to the Portsmouth Farmers’ Market—a hodgepodge of locally grown produce, handmade crafts and prepared foods. It’s also a place to exchange recipes, speak with farmers, learn about seasonal food and enjoy the community atmosphere that floats through the air. The farmers’ market is organized by the Seacoast Growers’ Association, a state-registered nonprofit organization representing more than 40 local businesses. May 19 was SGA’s Earth Day celebration. In addition to the normal offerings of the market, several businesses and organizations working in various fields of sustainability were present. The SGA also holds farmers markets in Durham, Hampton, Kingston, Dover and Exeter. 

All the produce in Wiggins’ stall comes from Wake Robin Farm, a family owned farm in Stratham. Her family has been selling their harvest at the Portsmouth Farmers’ Market for 29 of the market’s 31 years. As a 14th generation farmer, Wiggins is familiar with many of the customers who return each year to support her business. “It’s all about engaging the customer,” Wiggins’ said. “Our best advertising is our customers.”

It’s early in the growing season and most of the produce available is of the green leafy kind. Cucumbers and tomatoes will come next, but they’re still a couple weeks away. Eating what’s in season is just as important as eating locally grown food, according to Brett Fletcher. He and Kellie Burtch are both graduate students in the Department of Natural Resources at the University of New Hampshire. Representing Seacoast Eat Local and Slow Food Seacoast, Fletcher and Burtch stood behind a low table covered with pamphlets, stickers and colorful charts explaining the benefits of eating local food that’s in season.

As part of their graduate studies, Fletcher and Burtch are in the process of creating a cookbook composed of recipes collected from area farmers and local food enthusiasts. On Saturday, they were also collecting haikus and reading out loud as a way to engage people. “Pink Easter baskets / red radishes / spicy salad boc choi,” Fletcher read. Part of their table was dedicated to providing information about the Eat Local Challenge, a monthlong challenge for people to only eat products found within a 100-mile radius of their homes.

Jean Jennings, who set up a stall across from Fletcher and Burtch, said she thought the poor weather would stop people from turning out on Saturday. But the small amount of produce she brought to the market almost sold out on Saturday morning. All that remained were some radishes, green onions and a few bags of mixed greens.

Jennings and her husband lease a farm called Meadow’s Mirth in Stratham. “It’s hard work, but it’s good work,” Jennings said. “It’s great to see people’s happy face when they see our radishes.” Jennings did a four-year apprenticeship on a different farm before starting Meadow’s Mirth, and her mentor from the apprenticeship has a stall 20 feet away.

Food was not the only product offered at Saturday’s market. Simply Green, a Northwood-based bio-diesel company, also had a display. Simply Green distributes fuel derived from soybeans, which costs the same as traditional fossil fuels but does not emit carbon into the atmosphere. Bio-diesel can be used to heat homes or power on-road and off-road vehicles, manager Andrew Kellar said. The fuel makes sense for farmers with gas-powered equipment because it is healthier for the environment, which leads to more wholesome produce. Kellar was excited that SGA invited his company to the market for the Earth Day celebration. “People that are coming to the market are more progressively thinking and like the option of home-grown, soy-based fuel,” he said.  

Shawn Stimpson also uses technology to his advantage. He is the manager of Nelson Farms in Strafford, which employs two 30-by-100-foot greenhouses in order to grow produce year-round. Both structures have waste oil burners, which heat water that is circulated under the soil and comes up around the roots of various plants. The method, known as radiant tubing, is still relatively new, but it allows Stimpson to bring different kinds of produce to the market before many of the other vendors. He planted tomatoes in January and expects them to be ready in late May or early June.

Stimpson and his daughter Natalee stood behind a table draped in multi-color tapestries and covered by several bowls with mixed greens. “The gourmet mesclun mix is our most popular. It has 19 varieties of head lettuce,” Stimpson said. He also had an Asian stir-fry mix, an arugula mix and a spicy mix, all sold at $2 per quarter pound.

As the season progresses, the weather should improve and the diversity of produce available at the market will increase. But a visit to the Portsmouth Farmers Market is about more than just what’s for sale. It’s also about being part of a community and creating a connection between producers and consumers, a connection seldom found in our industrial economy.

Weekday markets in area towns begin the first week of June and run through October. Find out more at www.seacoastgrowers.org.