Local, Seasonal, Delicious

There’s a new market in town. The Savage Mill Farmers Market kicks off today at 3:30 pm.

If you’ve lost count of how many markets we’ve got going at this point, I don’t blame you. The Howard County Economic Development Authority has made a handy-dandy listing.

Or if you want to consider it by days of the week:

On Sundays: Oakland Mills Farmers Market, 9am - 1 pm

Wednesdays: Ellicott City Farmers Market Miller Branch Library, 2 pm - 6 pm and Savage Farmers Market, 3:30pm - 7 pm

Saturdays: Clarksville Commons Farmers Market, 10 am - 2 pm, Maple Lawn Farmers Market, 9 am - 1 pm

At the risk of sounding like a dinosaur, it seems to me that all of the local markets used to be operated under the umbrella of the Howard County Farmers Market - - Producer Only. In recent years that dynamic has changed. Oakland Mills and Miller Branch are markets in the “traditional” sense but the other three are managed by people in the locations where the markets are held.

Two things: my apologies for frequently forgetting to include the Maple Lawn market in my Saturday listings. For some reason I can’t seem to make it stick in my brain. Also, when did Maple Lawn become one word? (See image above.)

Way back in 2012 I did a post asking folks what would make them more likely to come to a Farmers’ Market.

Market Research, Village Green/Town², May 31, 2012

Some of the responses were silly, some serious. In rereading it this week I noticed that many of them have been incorporated in the newer markets, such as: live music, a wider variety of items on offer, a sense that the event is a “happening.” Back then I thought the suggestion of selling alcohol was silly but I have certainly been proven wrong.

Images from Howard County Farmers Market Facebook page

Other seasonal markets have come and gone. There was one at HCC for a while, and the one at the East Columbia Branch has grown smaller and has continued largely under the auspices of the library itself. (It may now be gone altogether. Will check.) Wasn’t there one in Old Ellicott City for a while?

What do you think? Are the seasonal markets a part of your regular routine? Do you choose your market destination by day and time or by location? I’m a big fan of the one in Oakland Mills but I have been known to venture out to Clarksville Commons now and then.

Here’s the set up for today’s market in Savage.

If you go, perhaps you can take some pictures. Or write a guest blog post! Or…maybe you can just let us all know how it went. No pressure.

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