Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market: Helping You Get Healthy and Give Back To the Community!

Have you ever bought your groceries while walking around outside? Have you ever met the people that actually produce the food that you eat? Have you actually met and had a conversation with some of the local Harrisonburg residents? If not, go pull on your jacket and get your butt down to the Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market!

You may have a farmer’s market in the city you came from or have heard of them but most people have never been. Our own market, located on South Liberty Street behind the municipal building, has a huge assortment of things for just about everyone.

Well, it’s a farmer’s market, don’t they just sell…vegetables? No! You can find:
•Jewelry
•Homemade candles made with pressed flowers
•A woman sells photography set in window panes (how cool is that?!)
•Coffee
•Homemade cards
•Knitted products
•Delicious honey
•Meats and Eggs
•Baked goods
•Doggie treats for those of you lucky enough to have a dog (I want one so bad!)
•Cheeses
•Basically, everything you can imagine!

I sat down with the market manager, Josie Showalter, and she told me everything you could ever want to know about the Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market. This market was started back in 1979 by Samuel Johnson, a fruit and vegetable farmer, along with some leaders of the community and the Downtown Harrisonburg Retail Merchants. Since then, this place has been thriving and has brought the people of Harrisonburg closer together as a community. Josie says it is so much fun because everyone will come out, walk around the pavilion and just hang out. It is a great way for people to meet each other and unify the community.

Oh and you, green girl, goddess of recycling! Yes, I saw you give the stink eye when that guy threw an aluminum can in the trash. You will love this place! Not only are you supporting the agricultural community, but you will also be helping to reduce your carbon footprint on Mother Earth! Have you ever thought about the way your regular groceries are getting to Wal-Mart? Or how long it took them to get there? What was used in the growing process of those tomatoes on your salad or the lettuce itself? When you come to the farmer’s market, you will know every answer to those questions! Ahh, how refreshing right?!

Josie told me it is totally okay and wonderful that you ask the vendors (there about 60 of them!) how they grow their food (most use no pesticides and many use organic growing practices). You also know that whatever food they have out there on their table, was just harvested and brought over to the market straight from the farm. Josie says that she couldn’t go back to buying her vegetables at the grocery store after tasting the vegetables brought by the vendors. She says that the taste and quality is way better than anything you can ever hope to find at a grocery store. But remember, you get what you pay for. Prices vary and the more organic something is, the more expensive it is.

Still scared to go? Just think, you’ll get some fresh air, exercise, save the planet, immerse yourself in the Harrisonburg community, and get some tasty food or unique gifts for your mom’s birthday you just remembered is coming up. All in one visit! Since it’s the winter season, they are open on Saturdays only from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. until March. In their prime season, April to November, they are open on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. They are working out the details to pilot an evening market starting in June through September from 4 p.m.-7 p.m., which is really great and convenient for those who have those hideous morning classes or find it physically impossible to get out of bed before 1 on a Saturday. If you want to be kept up to date with what’s going on at the market, you can follow them on twitter, Facebook (I’m already a fan!), or their website, http://www.harrisonburgfarmersmarket.com.