Farmers Market Brings Community To The Table

Stephanie Berluti of South Haven Farm was selling vegetables and greens at her stand at the CitySeed Edgewood Farmers Market on Sunday when she was approached by a man asking if she had any arugula. 

Unfortunately, Berluti hadn’t brought any arugula that day — it had been too hot for it recently. The man was disappointed, but he still left her on a note of praise.

“He said my arugula ruined him for other arugula,” said Berluti. ​“This time of year, in the heat, farming can get you down, so it’s nice to get compliments.”

South Haven Farm is a one-woman farm located in Orange. Berluci follows organic growing standards to make her plants as healthy as possible. For her, the farmers market is not only a great place to meet people, but also a good source of revenue.

“It’s really great because besides attracting customers, it’s direct to customer sales,” she said, meaning that she makes more money when she sells at the market.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of CitySeed and the 19th year of the Edgewood Farmers Market, which runs through November. The farmers market is also where CitySeed brings together its three different divisions: the market, Sanctuary Kitchen, and Incubators.

The farmers market is producer only, meaning that farmers can only bring what they grow themselves. ​“It supports seasonality and it supports farmers,” said Kaitlyn Kimball, director of agriculture for CitySeed and owner of Sunset Farm.

“I was a vendor with CitySeed before I started working with CitySeed.… My knowledge as a farmer helps our program,” she said. ​“We really revived this market over the past few years.”

The market also partners with End Hunger CT to use the Double Snap program: If you use Snap, or food stamps, you can get half off all produce. It’s ​“one of the largest redemption sites for Snap,” said Kimball. ​“We’re trying to make fresh food accessible for the people of New Haven.”

The second branch of CitySeed, Sanctuary Kitchen, had a booth at the market. ​“Sanctuary Kitchen partners with refugees and asylum seekers,” explained Molly Flanagan, who works there. They are employed as chefs and make their own cuisine using personal recipes from their home countries. That food is then sold at the farmers market. The kitchen also does curbside pickup and special event catering.

The third branch, Incubators, was also represented. Incubators is a program in which new entrepreneurs can learn, with CitySeed’s help and guidance, to start their own businesses. ​“It’s a cohort that teaches you all you need to know about starting a food kitchen,” said Gino Cordone, a CitySeed representative.

Zoey Hodge, at the market representing her business Pup Pizza Dog Bakery, was one of the Incubator graduates. Her bakery, which makes pizza for dogs, has been in operation for two months and in the works for about a year.

“I’ve been a customer of CitySeed for a while,” said Hodge. She found out about the Incubator program online and decided to apply. ​“I thought I’d just put this down, and they picked it up!”

The program lasted 12 weeks and proved a great help to Hodge. ​“It really helps you get clarity as to your niche,” she said. ​“It creates a whole pipeline from ideation to product and release.”

“We have vendors come in and out, and some that are consistent,” said Cordone.

Dishaun Harris, of Root Life LLC, had been coming to the Edgewood Market for three years. ​“We grow organic microgreens from five different areas in New Haven,” he explained. ​“Microgreens are super nutritionally dense foods.” Harris’s microgreens included sunflowers, peas, radishes, and cantaloupes. 

“The networking [at the market] is amazing,” said Harris. ​“There’s an abundance of diversity here, and you never know who you’re gonna meet.”

Anthony Ligouri of Ideal Fish was in his second year at the market. Ligouri runs an indoor fish farm based in Waterbury. He uses a recirculating aquaculture system, which is good for the fish. It’s sustainable, with no GMOs, antibiotics, or pesticides.

“I like meeting all the nice people and then selling them my fish,” Ligouri said.

One of the most popular stalls at the market was for the Honeybee Project, with Sarah Taylor, Amy Myers, and Jim Borne behind the counter. The Honeybee Project is ​“a local organization that uses beekeeping as a vehicle for job skills building and trauma healing among local youth,” explained Taylor.

The Honeybee Project hosts 15-week training programs geared toward teens and young adults with foster care or child protective backgrounds. The graduates become paid employees and lead community workshops known as Community Hive Checks.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend these workshops. ​“We have suits that fit two-year-olds, and then we have XXXL suits,” said Taylor.

The market was important to them because they were able to spread awareness of the program, and also sell their own honey. ​“This is an important revenue stream,” Taylor said.

The CitySeed farmers market provides a place to get all the food you need — including for your pets — while supporting healthy, community-centric spaces. It’s not just about the vegetables, honey, fish, and pizza; it’s also about the people. ​“You know who’s growing your food, which to me is special,” said Cordone. ​“I always think about it when I’m eating.”

CitySeed farmers markets run Wednesdays at Daniel Stewart Plaza, 197 Dixwell Ave., from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 23; Saturdays at Conte West/Hills Middle School, 511 Chapel St., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. until December; and Sundays at Edgewood Park at the corner of Whalley Ave. and West Rock Ave. from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Nov. 17. Visit CitySeed’s website for more information.