Fall Produce Display

By Michele McKinley

Cary, N.C.  With a chill in the air the Western Wake Farmers’ Market (WWFM) ended the 2009 season on Saturday November 21. Market Manager Kim Hunter rang the closing bell.  The workers, organizers, vendors and entertainers enjoyed a short celebration of the inaugural year’s success.

What had begun as a seedling of an idea among a group of Cary moms grew into a community venue for friends and families every Saturday since May.  The WWFM, which featured more than 32 vendors from within 125 miles of the marketplace, served not only as a focal point for local foods but local musicians with a lot of talent and experts who shared information about the benefits of eating locally.  This new market is part of a nationwide increase in farmers’ markets this year.  In October, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the number of farmers’ markets in the United States increased 13 percent from a year earlier. 

“More and more, people want to be connected to their food sources,” said Juliann Zoetmulder, president of the market’s board. “The success of our first-year market shows that this matters to people.  And we’re so glad that our vendors took a leap of faith to start this market so that all of us in Western Wake County could get to know our farmers, support them and eat healthy foods.” 

A number of factors are likely contributors to the growing demand for markets like this one:  fall-out from the economy, numerous food recalls from tainted produce and meats, and growing environmental concerns about the repercussions of shipping foods thousands of miles.  Whatever the reason, the market enjoyed a great following with shoppers returning week after week.

“When we started talking about this market just about a year ago, we simply wanted to feed our families with healthy foods grown locally,” said Amy Lee, vice president of the market.  “And what we’ve got now is a great place to stroll around with a cup of coffee or a lemonade and shop each week.  Plus we’re keeping our food dollars local to support family farms, educating our community about sustainable farming and other green topics, and helping get food to those in need.  We are all really excited about how the WWFM has ‘grown’ this first year.”

 The market will reopen April 3.  In the meantime, the market web site will continue to feature local food news, vendor updates and more.  See you at the market next spring!

Market vendors toast the success of this year's market season and future of the Western Wake Farmers' Market