By MELISSA DIPENTO
Many these days are hoping to fill their stomachs with healthy eats by filling their dinner plates with local, organic produce and meats.
But the question that begs to be asked is, “Well, where did it come from?”
If you shop at the Burlington County Farmers Market in Moorestown, some of those eggs or chicken, if they were still alive, could have basically walked to the weekly outdoor market on their on.
Each Saturday morning, Joann Darmo, along with her husband, brother and father-in-law, take Cox Road to Hartford Road, arriving 2.1 miles from their origin and approximately five minutes later at 500 Centerton Rd., the site of the Burlington County Community Agricultural Center, home of the market, now in its fifth year.
The Darmo’s children are part of the fifth generation in the family to work the farm.
“Local is a big thing here. The farmers market gets it the day after its picked,” Darmo said.
This is the fourth year the Darmo’s have sold crops at the market. If you head to the market on Saturday, you can expect to find the usual suspects such as tomatoes, white corn, peppers, eggplant and cucumbers at their peak from Darmo’s Farm. The farm also carries peaches and melons.
Darmo said the “buying local” mentality has helped business at the farm’s stand, which is open every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“It’s cut down on diesel fuel, transportation costs and time,” Darmo said. “It’s a big deal for farmers and it’s helped us.”
Is 7.7 miles still local enough for you?
Thought so. That’s the distance it takes to get from Hunter’s Vegetable Farm in Cinnaminson to the market.
The farm, owner Amy Hunter said, has been family owned and operated for nine consecutive generations since 1760. The family also operates a retail market seven days a week at the 120-acre farm at 1101 Union Landing Rd.
Hunter said the best tasting items from the farm right now are corn, cantaloupes and watermelons. She said her family brings an array of other vegetables to the farmers market each week, too.
“Buying local–it’s the freshest flavor. The corn gets to Moorestown when it was picked that morning,” Hunter said. “It also puts local food money back into the community.”
The farmers market currently hosts 20 local agricultural vendors, with neighborhood farms like Darmo’s and Little Hooves Romneys, which sells fresh lamb, eggs and fleece, all the way to Princeton and Kennett Square, Pa.
Other local vendors include Busy Bee Farm, which specializes in pesticide-free lavender, herbs and native plants. The farm is located 15 miles away from the market at 80 Patty Bowker Rd., Tabernacle.
Another Tabernacle vendor, Simons Berry Farm, a fifth generation farm specializing in the production of cranberries and blueberries, is providing the market with fresh fruit, grown about 20 miles away. The farm is located at 108 Moores Meadow Rd.
And if you need a handmade broom, stop by The Jersey Jerry Broomsquire, who travels from neighboring Mt. Laurel to the market.
The market is open every Saturday until October 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
