Farmers market freshness continues with Parry's Indoor Farmers Market in Madison County
The weather outside might be turning frightful but that doesn't mean an end to visiting the Farmers Market in Hamilton.
Parry's General Store is now hosting its 10th annual Indoor Winter Farmers Market two Saturdays a month. Vendors include Brown and Launt Soap Co., David's Kitchen, Davjen Farm, First Fruits Gourmet, Handmade Bay, Heartstone Artisan Bakery, Hollow Center Farms, Lavish Grace, Poplar Hedge Farm, Quarry Brook Farms, Schmidt's Scattered Maples and Stone Brothers Farm and Greenhouse.
They offer local produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods, honey, maple, eggs, granola, biscotti, soaps, handcrafted items and more.
Elizabeth Comerford of Pebble-based Brown and Launt Soap Co. has one of the nicest smelling tables with her various fragrances of soaps. This is her first winter market, she said, although she has worked three of the annual outdoor summer markets on the nearby Village Green.
"This is a nice activity for this time of the year because it gets people out and gives them a place to talk with others," Comerford assessed. "I see a lot of people I know from the summer and have even met some new friends, too."
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Monika Wheeler and her eighth grade daughter Rebecca sold bookmarks, necklaces, magnets, face scrubbies and other items at their Handmade Bay booth. Wheeler said they had just started selling their wares at Parry's Indoor Farmers Market before the pandemic forced a much smaller group of vendors last season.
Wheeler said she was glad to be back this year and she and Rebecca - who helps create their crafty items and build their merchandising displays - agreed they enjoy their quality time together.
"I think this is a great place to just step away from life for a little while," Monika Wheeler said. "The community is really amazing here."
Store manager Andrew Hicks said he is glad Parry's can provide a venue for the farmers market. It's now a decade-long tradition that people really look forward to in the village.
"This brings a lot of people into the store looking for good food and local homemade items," he explained. "The farmers market offers items people just won't find anywhere else."
Hicks added that even if someone misses the farmers market, Parry's regularly sells local food and gifts, including bread, jams and jellies, coffee, jewelry, prints and hand-crafted items. Worn Again, a secondhand store located in Parry’s that benefits local charity, is also open during market hours.
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Shopper Kate Reynolds visited Dec. 4 and said the farmers market is not only a great place to find local products but also a social outing as well.
"It is a place to go to meet up with friends," she said. " It's always a pleasure to go out to the farmers market here in Hamilton."
Parry’s Indoor Winter Farmers Market, located in the back of Parry’s General Store at 100 Utica St. in Hamilton, runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first and third Saturday of the month through April except New Year's Day. For more information, find Parry’s on Facebook.
Mike Jaquays is the community news reporter for the Mid-York Weekly. Email him at mjaquays@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Parrys Indoor Farmers Market continues with farm freshness
