Flanders Farm Fresh Food Market Opens for 3rd Season

An array of bountiful fresh produce will soon be available for the pickin' at the Flanders Fresh Food Market.

The farmers' market, which provides fresh, affordable fruits and vegetables to residents of Flanders, Riverside, and Northampton, will start up again for its third season on Saturday, with an opening ceremony scheduled for 10:45 a.m.

For the first time, the Blue Duck Bakery will partner with the market to provide fresh bread and baked goods.

Saturday's event will feature singer-songwriter Caroline Doctorow singing “Big Duck Ramble” and songs from her new album, “Little Lovin’ Darling,” also released Saturday.
 
Once again, the market will be run by local youth, who will receive training in local agriculture, food handling, business management, customer service, and other viable job related skills.

Seven participating farms in the Town of Southampton have signed on to provide produce, including the Country Garden, Halsey Farm & Nursery, Halsey’s Green Thumb of Water Mill, Lisa & Bill’s Fresh Vegetables, the Milk Pail, Pike Farms, and Sagaponack Potato Co. The market will accept cash, credit cards, EBT, WIC and Senior FMNP checks.

Southampton Town Councilwoman Bridget Fleming, who spearheaded the initiative, has long maintained that residents of Flanders, Riverside, and Northampton suffer from a dearth of local supermarkets, as well as access to the fresh fruit and vegetable markets more readily available in the rest of town.

The closest supermarkets are located in Riverhead or in Hampton Bays; neither location is easily accessible to those without private transportation, she has said.

In a survey performed at the market, 38 percent of customers said that the market increased how often they ate fruits and vegetables.

The market will be open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through October 12 at the Flanders Crohan Community Center at 655 Flanders Road.