Farm Fresh Food Market Kicks Off Saturday

Flanders, Riverside and Northampton residents who find themselves without access to fresh fruits and vegetables will see the kickoff Saturday of second season.

The market will, once again, offer employment opportunities for local youth, who will receive training in local agriculture, food handling, business management, customer service and other job skills.

Located at the David W. Crohan Community Center in Flanders, the market will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays through October 13.

A ribbon cutting for opening day, 2012, will take place at 10 a.m.

This year, the market will be located closer to the roadway so that it is more visible to passing traffic and more accessible to residents.

Project Venture’s Playground Project, a committee made up of town officials and Flanders community members, will also be holding a car wash at the same time and location as the market on Saturday, from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m., to raise funds for a new in Flanders.

This year, seven local farms from Southampton Town will provide produce, including Country Garden, Halsey Farm & Nursery, Halsey’s Green Thumb of Water Mill, Lisa & Bill’s Fresh Vegetables, Milk Pail, Pike Farms, and Sagaponack Potato Co. The market accepts cash, EBT, WIC and Senior FMNP checks.

Southampton Town Councilwoman Bridget Fleming, who has spearheaded the initiative, has long advocated for residents of the Flanders, Riverside, and Northampton communities, who, she said, face a dearth of local supermarkets and limited access to fresh produce. The closest supermarkets, she said, are located on Route 58 in Riverhead and in Hampton Bays and none are easily accessible by public transportation.

A survey conducted last year, Fleming said, indicated that 38 percent of respondents increased their intake of fresh fruit and vegetables due to the presence of the market.

Onhand Saturday along with Fleming will be members of the Southampton Town Housing Authority, John Halsey, owner of the Milk Pail Farm, Kevin O’Connell, representing Bridgehampton National Bank, Tom Terry of Maran Corporate Risk, and Susan Wilk of Cornell Cooperative Extension.