Gardner area residents are getting a new farmers' market: when and where it will be

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect corrections due to the reporter's error

Gardner homesteader Erica Bosse is on a mission to unite residents and local farmers to create a thriving community.

Dozens of small farms and homesteads are scattered in the Greater Gardner area, producing fresh foods. Still, Winchendon, Templeton, Phillipston, Hubbardston and Ashburnham are considered food deserts by the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA).

According to data collected by MPHA, low-income families in the rural communities of the Gardner area don't have access to grocery stores with affordable produce. Gardner is not considered a food desert because it has four grocery chain stores in the community: Walmart Supercenter, Price Chopper, Hannaford and Aldi.

A solution for farmers and those in food deserts

Although Gardner is not considered a food desert, Bosse said it's still important to widen access to fresh, healthier produce in the Gardner community. Many chain grocery stores like Walmart get their produce from farms nationwide, so the food is not as fresh.

While Gardner may have enough grocery stores, Bosse said a new farmers' market aims to bring something unique to the Gardner community.

"It's about more than just shopping," she said. "It's about fostering connections, promoting local sustainability, and savoring the best of what our region has to offer.

"The difference is that a tomato from the store was picked green and ripened in the truck on the road for several days," she said. "So you aren't getting the freshest and best quality produce. At a farmers market, you are getting recently harvested produce, so the taste is much better."

The farmers' market plans to open on Saturday, June 15 and continue on the third Saturday of the month through September. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. As the season approaches, Bosse said more details on the market will be posted on its website at gardnerfarmersmarket.com.

Gardner already has a monthly farmers' market, which Nadine Smith manages. Smith said the market that she organized has been going on for decades. This farmers' market opens every third Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from May until October at 62 Waterford St.

Bosse said she is not affiliated with the Thursday farmers' market. She said having another farmers' market on Saturdays will expand the community's opportunity to support local farmers and access healthy foods.

As the active market manager, Bosse said she plans to attend a statewide farmers' market manager conference to learn how to incorporate the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC), and the Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

"Having these programs ready is important so the farmers' market is accessible to everyone," she said. "Being open to people who use these programs also grows the market and brings more people to local farmers."

Helping to create 'an adequate community'

In addition to running Flicker Hill Homestead from her home in Gardner with her husband's help, Bosse is VP of operations and customer experience at Infused Innovations, a tech consulting firm.

Since 2019, the couple has turned their property into a modern homestead with over 20 raised-bed gardens and a greenhouse that produces flowers and vegetables that they consume, sell or donate. They also sell lumber from the sawmill on their property and tap around 25 maple trees to make small batches of maple syrup.

She said she grows more produce than they can sell, so they have been working with the regional nonprofit Growing Places. Based in Leominster, Growing Places works closely with local homesteads and farms to package and distribute fresh produce to low-income families all over the North Central Mass. region.

Bosse said establishing the farmers' market would enable her to bridge the gap between local small farmers and people who want and need fresh produce.

"We're able to create a place for farmers to sell, get their names out there, and also help the community have access to fresh produce," she said. "To me, that's what an adequate community is."

New market may lead to Agricultural Commission

Bosse said Gardner has never had an Agricultural Commission, so establishing one is part of her plan to organize the farmers' market.

The city council still needs to vote on whether to establish an Agricultural Commission. Bosse said if the commission gets approved, it will oversee all farmers' market-related tasks.

Bosse said she does plan to join the Agricultural Commission if the city council approves the proposal she submitted.

Accepting applications for vendors

One of the ways Bosse plans to create more access to fresh produce is to reach a goal of 60% of vendors to be farmers or homesteads offering fresh produce. She said 20% of vendors will be handmade or artisan items for sale, and the last 20% will be other food items, such as bread or pickles.

Bosse has applied for the Farmers Market Sustainability Grant Program so that very little cost will burden the vendors. She said the state grant will help cover the cost of advertisement, promotional flyers, postcards, and vinyl signs for all vendors and pay the market manager. Bosse is the acting market manager right now, and if an agricultural commission is established, a market committee will be created within the commission, and they will hire an assistant market manager to fill the market responsibilities.

"Through supporting local agriculture and nurturing relationships between farmers and consumers," she said, "farmers' markets have the potential to reshape our food landscape and cultivate healthier, more resilient communities for all residents."

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources has distributed $205,000 in Farmers' Market grants to 23 organizations that represent 31 farmers' markets across the state. The new Gardner farmers' market received a $9,985 grant.

Bosse said although they received the grant, vendors still have to pay a fee to participate in the farmers market. Local farmers who grow, raise, or produce their own products and plan to commit to the whole season's needs are charged $40. Local farmers who plan to participate only for a set of days are charged $15 per day.

Local crafters and bakers selling artisanal crafts, foods, and goods are charged $55 for the whole season and $25 per day. Resellers selling local products they purchase from someone else are charged $65 for the whole season and $30 per day.

The farmers' market currently has over 20 applications, and Bosse said she hopes more vendors will apply. To apply, visit www.gardnerfarmersmarket.com.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: New farmers' market in North Central Mass. on Saturdays