Lewes – On Saturday August 5, the Historic Lewes Farmers Market celebrates its favorite fruit for the eleventh year. The Market will be open at George H.P. Smith Park, at Johnson and Dupont Avenues, from 8 til noon. This Saturday it’s all about THE TOMATO, as the HLFM and patrons celebrate National Farmers Market Week.
Customers are urged to bring their friends, their children, house guests, or just themselves to the Tomato Festival.
Here’s what’s happening at the Festival:
HLFM vendors will have an extraordinary array of delicious local tomatoes just picked and ready for the table. The bumper crop of tomatoes is offered in addition to a multitude of other fresh, local fruits and vegetables, baked goods, grass-fed meats and poultry, and locally-produced farm products. There will also be tomato pies, sun-dried tomato bagels, tomato breads, salsa, and other tomato-based offerings.
Fourteen of the best local chefs have partnered with fourteen farmers at the market to create mouth-watering bite-size dishes to celebrate the day. From 9:30 to 11:00 am, samples will be available at the fourteen farmers’ tables next to their tents. Customers can then stock up on the tomato varieties that have actually been used in the recipes.
Participating chefs include Matt Kern from Heirloom, Hari Cameron from a(MUSE.), Lion Gardner from Blue Moon, Andrew Dulaney from The Buttery, Matt Reardon from Crooked Hammock Brewery, Brenton Wallace from Crust & Craft, Bill Clifton from Henlopen City Oyster House and Blue Hen, Ian Crandall from Kindle, Ted Deptula from the Lewes Yacht Club, Joe Bakeshka from Striper Bites, Nate Leonard from 208 Social, Justin Giles from Fable, Gary Papp from Palate, and Doug Ruley from Bluecoast Seafood Grill & Raw Bar (SoDel Concepts).
Guess the number of tomatoes in the jar! The winner will receive the official HLFM apron.
For young tomato lovers:
Jennifer Noonan from the Lewes Public Library will be reading I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child during the Children’s Story Time starting at 9 am under the tent near the playground.
Children will be treated to face painting and temporary rub-on tattoos beginning at 9 am as well next to Story Time tent.
The HLFM encourages market patrons to wear red to celebrate this year’s fabulous crop of tomatoes, National Farmers Market Week, and the Historic Lewes Farmers Market Tomato Festival.
Patrons may also enter the raffle for the free bicycle that the HLFM gives away every year to encourage all to bike or walk (if able) to the Market.
The Market continues its SNAP (EBT Food Stamps) program. To help lower economic barriers to local, healthy food, the HLFM matches up to $20 each participant each week with HLFM Bonus Bucks. SNAP participants are encouraged to come to the SNAP tent at the Market to pick up the bonus $20 in tokens to use at the Market. In addition to SNAP, the Historic Lewes Farmers Market welcomes participants in Delaware’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. WIC coupons can now be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at the Market.
The Market is open every Saturday from 8 am to noon. There’s lots of parking at the Shields Elementary School and Lewes School Parking lots, just off the corner of Savannah Road and Sussex Drive and a short walk to the Market. For customers not able to walk that far, there is a drop-off and pick-up entrance in the circle in front of the Fred Thomas Building on Dupont Avenue next to the park.
At the Saturday market, a Veggie Valet service is provided to help customers carry bags back to their cars. This service is located right outside the HLFM Information Tent.
Customers who want to know what is happening at the Market each Saturday should subscribe to the HLFM newsletter sent to customers on Thursdays. Newsletter is free. To be included, customers may send their email address to [email protected].
And, don’t forget about their new Wednesday market at Crooked Hammock Way and Kings Highway (at Crooked Hammock Brewery) from 8 am to 11 am.
Consistent with its mission, the HLFM is committed to supporting farmers who grow local fruits and vegetables — a “real” farmers market.
More information about the market is available at www.historiclewesfarmersmarket.org.
Source: Historic Lewes Farmers Market