by Maggie Fazeli Fard
Published in Community Life
Across the country, it seems impossible to swing an eco-friendly, reusable grocery tote without knocking into the stall a farmer’s market, and this summer, Pascack Valley is no exception.
From River Vale, where the farmer’s market is now open for its 12th year of “Jersey Fresh” business, to Emerson, which will welcome a market into its downtown for the first time this Sunday, residents may be tempted to renounce supermarket aisles in exchange for an open-air array of fresh fruits, whoopie pies, and everything in between. At least through the end of the summer.
Staff Photo By Maggie Fazeli Fard Stokes Farm of Old Tappan, passed down by members of the Stokes and Binaghi families since 1873, is a River Vale Farmer’s Market staple.
Produce, pickles and pie – oh my!
The River Vale Farmer’s Market is nothing if not well balanced, but if there were ever a time to forget Mom’s advice, this is it. In River Vale, you start with dessert.
“Those are very popular,” says Amish Bakery owner Daniel Hostetler, arranging his windblown beard with one hand as he motions towards a stack of dark brown discs wrapped tightly in clear plastic. A closer look illustrates why. These are whoopie pies, apparently also known as “gobs” and “bobs” across New England and Pennsylvania, and are essentially comprised of two moist chocolate cakelets – the discs – separated by a thick layer – the “gob” – of sweet creamy frosting. The effect is a melt-in-your-mouth energy boost that the driver of the Amish Bakery truck credits with his longevity.
“These are the reason I’m 73,” he says with a smile, his mouth half-full of frosting.
“Do not leave without a whoopie pie,” interrupts a customer as he scoops up an armful. “They go fast.”
Duly noted.
Whoopie pie in hand – the Amish Bakery has plenty more, but it’ll have to wait – the second stop of the River Vale Farmer’s Market tour is “grounded,” a fledgling coffee catering business that specializes in environmentally friendly beverages, conveniently located across the Mark Lane parking lot from Amish Bakery.
Owned and operated by 24-year-old Melissa Knott and her team of will-work-for-coffee volunteers (friends and family members), “grounded” was launched three months ago after Knott, an avid coffee drinker who wrote her honors thesis about coffee, was fired from a temp position in human resources. She decided to start a company that suited her funds – there wasn’t much – and her passion – available in spades – and now offers fair trade, organic beans from independent roasters; organic milks; organic sugars and honey; 100 percent recycled napkins; compostable, petroleum free cups… “If it’s made organic, I find it. That’s the ‘grounded’ schtik,” says Knott.
That’s all good and well, but the key to her success, Knott expects, lies in the coffee, which is actually delightful, especially when iced and paired with a whoopie pie.
Snacks in hand, the shopping can begin. First, there are the farmers: Stokes on one side and Von Thun on the other. While the whoopie pie doesn’t falter as the star of the show – even those contemplating the various types of mint offered at Stokes Farm can’t resist a little cat-calling as Amish Bakery customers pass by – these two farms form the backbone of the market. Front and center at the entryway, it’s hard not to be taken in by the siren’s call of fresh produce.
Both farms are Jersey-based, with Stokes Farm located right in River Vale’s backyard, in Old Tappan, and Von Thun Farms in southern New Jersey, in Dayton. Both offer a wide array of vegetables – various types of lettuce, string beans, squashes – and a smaller variety of fruits, mostly berries. But, luckily for customers, each farm has its own set of unique standouts.
At Stokes, there are the herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, peppermint, spearmint, applemint, oregano, lemon verbena, chives) cut by hand every morning by Ron Binaghi, Jr., whose family has cared for Stokes Farm since 1873. There are the greenhouse tomatoes currently on sale – “Mr. B’s” favorite according to his wife, Jeanine – and the field tomatoes due on the scene the first week of August. Cousa squash and Persian cucumbers are available now, with eggplant and peppers hot on their heels.
But according to Jeanine Binaghi, the item du jour is the fresh garlic, to which the Binaghis have devoted 1.5 acres of their 17-acre property. The newest fresh garlic will taste mild, sweet and almost milky whereas a mature stalk will be more assertive in dishes. One thing is for certain, says Jeanine, who exchanges recipes and preparation tips as cheerily as updates on her son’s wedding: “Once you’ve tasted fresh garlic, there’s nothing like it.”
The Von Thun family boasts a 90-acre farm started in 1913 and a motto that states “any fresher and it’s still growing.” While the farm carries a variety of vegetables as well as fruits including apples, blackberries and raspberries, Von Thun’s specialty is an oft-overlooked basic one that neighboring Stokes Farm won’t offer for several weeks: corn.
“Corn is our summer specialty,” says Jayme Vanliew, who mans the green stand in River Vale. “I had it last week and it’s really good.”
Arms saddled down by fresh greens – and reds and yellows – it may be tempting to grab another whoopie pie and head back to the car, but any veteran River Vale Farmer’s Market-goer knows there’s more to be had on the other side of the market.
Skip the Amish Bakery – just for a moment! – and head on to Paul’s Sour Pickles. Although owner Paul Sharpe offers “more than just pickles,” including tomatoes, olives, sauerkraut, peppers, and even smoked heads of garlic, it’s his pickles, including the traditional full and half sour varieties as well as the unconventional cranberry horseradish, that keep customers coming back for more. Next up is Panzarella’s, offering fresh mozzarella cheese, crab cakes and artisan breads. Then there is Pie-Eyed Barpies, which sells pizzas featuring a signature bread crumb crust as well as pasta dinners and homemade soups and sauces.
And finally, it’s back to the Amish Bakery. It should be noted that the bakery, located in Turbotville, Penn., does not technically qualify as “Jersey Fresh.” But Hostetler, who runs the Amish Bakery with his family, believes that the fact that he has traveled upwards of three hours each way to River Vale every week for the past five summers to meet the demands of fans speaks for itself.
The Amish Bakery’s inventory includes breads, like the pumpkin and zucchini loaves; cookies, especially the chocolate chip; and pies, including apple, which is homemade, and the whoopie, which isn’t technically a pie.
“But,” says Hostetler, “it is our best seller.”
Fresh on the market scene
With more than a decade of summers behind it, the River Vale Farmer’s Market has become a Thursday afternoon hangout for regulars from around the region. Across the Pascack Valley, however, a new market is geared up and rearing to go.
“There’s been a lot of talk about the redevelopment of Emerson’s downtown,” says Karen Browne, a borough resident who along with her husband, Tom, serves on the borough’s environmental commission. “We started thinking, ‘What can we do? What can we do to create a community atmosphere and support local vendors, farmers and artisans?’”
The answer was a farmer’s market.
The Brownes began planning this year’s inaugural market last fall, and received governing body approval to open for business just last week. This Sunday, July 13 will mark Emerson’s Farmer’s Market’s grand opening.
The market, sponsored by the environmental commission, is the first of its kind in Emerson. Karen is hesitant to name the vendors that will have their wares on sale – due to space constraints, vendor interest, and product seasonality, space will likely be awarded on a rotating basis – she assures customers that they can expect fresh, locally grown, seasonal produce as well as specialties by local merchants and artisans every week.
The market will be open every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. starting this Sunday through October or November, depending on the availability of fresh produce. It will be located on Emerson Plaza West, directly behind the train station on Kinderkamack Road.
To entice more shoppers to come out on the market’s first day, the first 50 customers will receive free re-useable grocery tote bags courtesy of the new Emerson Stop & Shop.
“This is kind of multi-pronged,” says Karen. “It’s an opportunity to ‘go green’ and support local businesses and farmers. Everyone we’ve told is just ecstatic.”
Tagged: Community Life, emerson, feature, food, new jersey, pascack valley, river vale