This direct connection between seller and customer has made the Farmers’ Market appealing to both sides.
“I think it’s pretty cool because that makes it accessible to students and postdocs like me who are too busy to go shopping,” Kathryn E Goldfarb, a postdoctoral fellow, based in nearby CGIS, says.
The farm-to-table aspects of the farmers’ market system is similarly important for Dale Wentworth, who worked in the business sector before starting The Warren Farm & Sugarhouse in North Brookfield, Mass., nearly two decades ago. At the Harvard market, Wentworth sells the farm’s maple syrup, which he has learned to preserve and make a year-round crop.
“The Farmer’s Market concept works so well because you get to be face to face with a farmer,” Wentworth says.
TASTES OF NEW ENGLAND
The small farms that participate in Harvard’s weekly markets introduce students and staff in Cambridge to the wider offerings available locally. The Farmers’ Market tries to showcase, through its products and vendors, Harvard’s distinct New England location.
“[We try to show] what diverse products Massachusetts has,” Denison says.
Denison describes it as a “nice reminder” that we live “in the midst of a fairly agricultural region,” she says. “It’s a very physical, tangible reminder.”
“It feels like some of the local culture is brought to me,” Nicole C. Hirschhorn ’16 says as she eyed the Sicilian Green Olive & Hot Cherry Peppers bread at the When Pigs Fly tent.
The local food offered at Harvard’s markets is a chance for Harvard affiliates to connect more closely with their food than they could in a dining hall or grocery store, vendors say.
“It gives people a greater understanding of where their food comes from, in a completely basic sense,” Wentworth says.
From June to October, the Farmers’ Market has become a staple for many at Harvard.
“I wish it was every month,” Christine S. Benoit, a procurement manager at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Finance Office said. “I have it on the calendar. My coworkers definitely come down here all the time. The fridge is always full on Tuesday.”
—Staff writer Laya Anasu layaanasu@college.harvard.edu.