Born in a Pick-up Truck

The Northfield Farmers Market started with one clever fella peddling pickles and other canned goods out of the back of his pick-up truck parked on the Town Common next to Main Street.   Ten years later, we've grown into a vibrant, volunteer-run organization with an active roster of more than 30 vendors throughout the year selling goods that are grown and made in Vermont.  We operate as a non-profit organization, and our mission is twofold:

• To serve the community as a gathering place where farmers, producers and artisans from around the region provide access to affordable, locally grown and made fresh meats and produce, hand-crafted treasures, and delicious prepared foods.  
• To provide local producers affordable access to a retail channel that serves as an important part of Vermont's food system. 

To achieve this mission, we maintain vendor fees that are among the lowest in the state, making us the most affordable retail sales channel available to our agricultural vendors.  And because we are the only accessible farmers market for many of our food-insecure and transportation-challenged neighbors, we accept all available federal food benefits programs administered by Vermont, including 3SquaresVermont/SNAP, Crop Cash, and Farm to Family.

The summer market runs from mid-May through mid-October on Tuesday afternoons from 3 to 6 p.m. on the Town Common.  In addition to featuring live musical performances, we also have some special market events in collaboration with partner organizations:

1. Night on the Crescent -- co-presented with the Northfield Community Development Network in collaboration with Norwich University
2. Night on the Common -- also co-presented with the Northfield Community Development Network showcasing local organizations and the good work they're doing to help Northfield Rise!
3. Common Spirit Celebration -- an old-fashioned outdoor market celebrates the town's shared spirit of the season

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we moved our winter market to a 100% online farm store with weekly ordering, pick-up and delivery.  This new model allows us to maintain access to our market while managing the pandemic risks for our customers, vendors, and the community as a whole.  We are deeply gratified to the Town of Northfield for enthusiastic municipal support every year, and to our customers for their unfailing support of our vendors.  If not for this community, we'd be in a real pickle...!