It was Wednesday. Market Day. Mozzarella Day. From a distance I could see that the park was empty. My heart sank..no mozzarella? What on earth would we be eating for dinner? The Hamilton Park Wednesday Market had seemingly vanished into thin air; at least for that brief moment before I read the posted notice.
Apparently the market closed because the participating farmer was not meeting a certain quota. For some reason, without said farmer, there are certain regulations that will not allow the other vendors to set up shop. These unfortunate circumstances left me without the mozzarella from Hoboken Farms (not really a farm but a gourmet food purveyor of sorts) that I was counting on for our Wednesday dinner.
How is it that Hamilton Park, a gentrifying neighborhood within the 12th largest city in the U.S., cannot sustain a meager weekly market? I have heard people mention these possible factors that may have contributed to the market's demise.
1. Farmer's merchandise was overpriced, not organic and some didn't appear to be local or grown at that farm.
2. Low foot traffic to the area
I wonder how the other vendors were faring? It seemed that Hoboken Farms had a fairly decent following and thankfully they do sell at the Van Vorst Park Market on Saturday mornings, though I doubt I will make it there.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I am the owner of Hoboken Farms and I would like to thank you for your comments.We are very disappointed that after four years we could not continue at Hamilton Park. Hoboken Farms looks forward to participating in the re-opening of your market and serving the fine people that make up your cozy community.
For now we hope to see you on Saturday morning in Van Vorst Park or at one of our other 22 weekly markets.
Check out our web site for the schedule @ www.hobokenfarms.com.
Regards,
Brad
Blog: Izzy Eats: The art of raising a gourmand, one bite at a time
Post: Never Mind The Farmer, I Want My Mozzarella: The case of the disappearing Farmer's market
Link: http://izzyeats.blogspot.com/2007/08/never-mind-farmer-i-want-my-mozzarella.html
--
At least I can still get your wonderful mozzarella at Van Vorst Park now. I hope other customers will manage to make it over there as well.
Post a Comment