New farmers' market coming to Plattsburgh

PLATTSBURGH -- A new farmers' market is opening in Plattsburgh. The Plattsburgh Farmers Green Market will be held Thursday afternoons from 3 to 6 p.m. beginning June 21 at the Plattsburgh Church of the Nazarene, 187 Broad Street, near the intersection of Broad and Cornelia streets.

The Plattsburgh Farmers Green Market is a brand-new market focusing on local farm products (fresh produce, meats, eggs, cheese, flowers, maple syrup) and ready-to-eat foods that reflect good stewardship of the earth and bodies.

"We look forward to providing a convenient market for people to get the best tasting, freshest local foods they can get," Market Manager Beth Spaugh said. We want to show folks that if they start with the best ingredients, grown and picked for superior flavor, it is really simple and quick to prepare great-tasting snacks and meals. We aren't just about food, though. We will have beautiful fresh-cut flower bouquets to brighten folks' days, and some really nice original natural-resource-based crafts."

The Plattsburgh Farmers Green Market is a project of the AuSable Valley Grange's Foodshed Coalition and is hosted by the Plattsburgh Church of the Nazarene. Both organizations share a commitment to stewardship of the earth and its resources. Vendors may only sell what they have grown or made themselves -- reselling from wholesale markets is not allowed. The market began organizing in early May when the site became available and has the following farms committed to the market:

Atwood Maple Products: Maple syrup, cream and sugar.

Black Sheep Barn and Gardens: Fresh-cut flowers, dried flower arrangements, organically grown vegetables.

Campbell's Greenhouse: Bedding plants, hanging baskets, blueberries and raspberries, no-spray vegetables.

Clover Mead Farm: Certified organic cheese from their own herd of grass-fed Jersey cows.

Conroys Organics: Ready-to-eat foods, grass-fed beef, organically grown vegetables, cut flowers.

Northern Orchards: Apples, cherries, plums, vegetables, honey.

Rehoboth Homestead: Free-range eggs and chicken, Certified naturally grown vegetables and fresh-cut flowers.

To help consumers judge their natural production methods, several farms will be open for special open houses Friday, June 22, and Saturday, June 23. This is a way customers can see how their food is being produced.

June 22: Campbell's Greenhouse, 35 Ryan Road in Saranac, open House from 3 to 5 p.m.; Clover Mead Farm, 938 Mace Chasm Road in Keeseville, watch cheese being made and see their cows munching green pasture, from 9 to 2; Rehoboth Homestead, 66 Jabez Allen Road, Peru, invites customers to participate in a Certified Naturally Grown inspection process from 2 to 3 on Friday or 8 to 9 a.m. on Saturday.

June 23: Conroys Organics, five miles north of Plattsburgh on Route 9, from 10 a.m. to noon a special tour of their vegetable field will be offered, and the cattle will be by the store for close viewing; Rehoboth Homestead, 66 Jabez Allen Road, Peru, participate in a Certified Naturally Grown inspection from 8 to 9 a.m.