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MARKET at the MILL EVERY SATURDAY

The Williamsville Farmers Market has become such a tradition that it’s hard to believe it’s just entering its fourth year of operation. But the market began its 2010 season Saturday, May 22.
The market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday, rain or shine, until Oct. 30. It is located at 56 East Spring St. at the Williamsville Water Mill, off Main Street near Cayuga. This year, it will have new vendors, new products and a new name: Market at the Mill.
Also new this year is its leadership. Lynn Schwab has stepped down as president to serve as a consultant.
“It has been a pleasure serving our community as co-founder and director of the Farmers Market at the Williamsville Mill,” Schwab said. The market has become a success because of...our market supporters.”
Ellie Grenauer, co-founder of the Market at the Mill, has taken over as president.
The market this year will feature 43 vendors. There are wineries, maple products, locally grown produce, artisanal cheese and bread, plants and flowers, soap, pasta and even homemade dog treats. A new vendor this year will offer pork products. Grenauer notes that there is a lengthy waiting list to sell at the market.
“Keeping the balance right is very important,” she said.
Julie and Steve Rockcastle are the only certified organic farmers at the Market at the Mill. The Rockcastles, owners and operators of Green Heron Growers in Panama, N.Y., will return for their second year at the market.
The Rockcastles obtained their organic certification in 2007, Julie Rockcastle says, and sought a place beyond their own farm to sell their wares. The Market at the Mill is the only farmers market where they have a stand.
The Rockcastles offer shiitake mushrooms and free-range poultry and are adding grass-fed beef this season. They make shiitake hazelnut paté fresh the day before market day. They load their truck, specially outfitted with a freezer, with chicken and beef the night before.
On market days, their day starts at 4 a.m. as they awaken early to make the hour-and-a-half drive to Williamsville. Preparing for the market takes a lot of work, but the Rockcastles enjoy it.
“It’s a wonderfully diverse little market. There’s a lot of variety. They always have music and kids’ activities. I can tell people really like to get out and wander around,” Julie Rockcastle said.
Market organizers have set a full slate of musical performers, and the children’s tent will return. The tent offers activities for children, and area day care centers take turns operating the tent.
The Market at the Mill won fifth place in a nationwide vote for America’s Favorite Farmers Market. It placed in the small-market category at the American Farmland Trust’s Web site, www.farmland.org. Grenauer intends to participate in the contest again this year.
The Market at the Mill is still seeking volunteers to help with such tasks as parking, operating the community tent and staffing the information tent. And Grenauer wants people to know that volunteers aren’t required to give up every Saturday morning to help.
“They’re not weekly commitments, they’re monthly,” said Grenauer.
For those looking to make larger commitments, organizers are also seeking help with events coordination and e-mail list management.
Grenauer is pleased to see the market grow from only 12 vendors the first year, to having a waiting list and winning national recognition.
“We were adamant about bringing food closer to us and to our children,” Grenauer said. “It’s nice to talk to the farmers and hear their stories.”

Kate Mockler
Reporter
The Amherst Bee
May 2010