There’s a reason we look forward to Saturday mornings. Something about walking from the bustling city streets of Baltimore into a lively farmers market feels like you get to have the best of both worlds.
At every turn, you can find farm fresh produce, the smell of coffee and fresh pastries mixing in the air, and vendors that are passionate about what their selling. We’ve been part of the 32nd Street Farmers Market for years now, and its charm never fades.
This week, that charm was on full display in celebration of National Farmers Market Week, a chance to slow down and appreciate exactly what makes a market like this one worth the trip.
Our Corner of the Market
At the South Mountain Creamery table, you’ll find gallon jugs of farm-fresh milk sweating in the heat, stacks of salted and unsalted butter, fresh eggs, and more. It’s usually one of the busier corners of the market, with a small crowd gathered most mornings. Some ask questions about how the milk is made, others quickly grab their weekly order before we run out of our pints of Snallygaster ice cream.
From the First Farmer Himself
Randy and Karen Sowers started our farm right here in Middletown, Maryland, decades ago. Still working behind the table of our farmers market stand, Randy was there talking to our customers about SMC products the way he has been for years. We asked Randy why farmers markets still matter to him after all this time, and his answer said it better than we ever could:
“We do a lot of farmer’s markets, so we get to talk to a lot of great people. The questions people have are questions that we can answer. I mean, if they want to really and truly know where their food comes from, we’re the place to come. Because we can tell you, or my kids can tell you, exactly what we do. And there’s no question about it. If you can trust that farmer, that’s what the farmer’s market is about. That’s what sells farmer’s markets, and people love to be able to talk to the real farmer and get the truth.”
Why Weeks Like This One Matter
National Farmers Market Week exists to celebrate exactly this kind of morning. The produce, the smells, the handmade goods, and the direct line between the people growing your food and the people eating it. It’s easy to take a market like 32nd Street for granted if you visit every week. But stepping back, even for a moment, you can see how much goes into bringing good food to good people.
Find us most weekends at the 32nd Street Farmers Market, come wander the tents, meet the vendors, and taste what local really means!
