Farmer’s markets a tradition for locals, tourists
Page 4 • Wednesday, July 12, 2017 • The Hammonton Gazette
MARKET, from Page 1
We really get a relationship with a
lot of the people in this area be-
cause they really value what
they’re getting, and we have tons
of people who won’t even touch
anything if it’s not Jersey produce.
So, just the fact that it’s local and
it’s here and they have a sense of
pride about what they’re eating,”
Kristina rocco, an employee at
Pastore Orchards, said about the
personal aspect of shopping at a
local farmer’s market.
Pastore Orchards, the fourth-
generation, family-owned farm
and produce market, located at 626
S. White Horse Pike, farms more
than 300 acres of fresh blueberries,
tomatoes and peaches and also
features a wide range of various
other fresh, New Jersey fruits and
vegetables. the roadside market is
managed by Bonnie Pastore and
her daughter, Jennifer, who said
the success of establishments like
Pastore Orchards is a testament to
consumers’ heightened interest in
knowing where their food comes
from, and because the summer is
when a lot of these products are
coming right off the farm, now is
the prime time to shop.
“i think people now are really
interested in where their food
comes from. So, i think this time
of year, people are already sick of
getting all that stuff out of the gro-
cery store that has been from all
over the country and all over the
world, and now, they like to eat
local, they like to know where
their food comes from and know
that it hasn’t been handled 50 mil-
lion times before it comes to their
table,” Jennifer Pastore said.
Pastore Orchards shopper and
Voorhees resident John fowler
said his hometown has far fewer
farmer’s markets than the Ham-
monton area does, so it’s well
worth the drive.
“i love in-season produce off the
farm, that’s what i want ... fresh
blueberries, lettuce, tomatoes,
that’s what i mainly like … i’ll go
out of my way to come to one of
these stands and grab something ...
there’s nothing near me. it’s like
a high density of people, and it’s
just Wal-Marts and Shoprites,”
fowler said.
Many local farmer’s markets
make a point to keep their stock of
produce as local as possible if it’s
not grown directly on-site, which
is practical when there are so
many markets in the area. Glossy
fruit farms, located at 66 S. Myr-
tle St., gets all of its produce from
farms within a 10-mile radius, in
addition to possessing 500 acres of
farm land growing tomatoes, blue-
berries and sweet potatoes. Being
located off a busy highway like
route 206, Glossy fruit farms’
employee Cindy rongone said the
market serves as a popular stop for
drivers heading to and returning
from the shore during the summer
months.
“i think mostly we get a lot of
our business from shore traffic, es-
pecially on the weekends. So, our
business time on the weekend,
everybody heading to the shore, a
lot of people say, ‘instead of taking
the highway or coming down the
expressway, we take the back way
from Pennsylvania so we can stop
at your market’ and that type of
thing. So, definitely, we thrive on
shore traffic in the summer months
here,” rongone said.
Glossy fruit farms shopper and
Maple Shade resident Dominic
Sano said there aren’t many places
like Glossy fruit farms left where
he’s from and believes any oppor-
tunity to support local farms by pa-
tronizing these markets should be
seized.
“it helps support the farmers.
the main thing is the farmers need
some place to sell their goods, and
when you get further towards
Philadelphia like we are in Maple
Shade, you can’t find places that
have fresh vegetables and fresh
fruits. But this part of New Jersey
has always been this way, it’s
great,” Sano said.
tourists don’t have to travel
very far to experience another
unique farmer’s market. Penza’s
Pies at the red Bard Café is lo-
cated across the highway in a 100-
plus-year-old family-owned barn
at 375 rte. 206. for more than 40
years, Penza’s Pies at the red Barn
Cafe has provided customers with
fresh produce and an ample selec-
tion of garden supplies but has also
offered an added element to its al-
lure with a café and renowned pie
shop featuring 19 varieties, all uti-
lizing fresh ingredients while
serving them in a cozy setting.
“We have breakfast, lunch and
homemade pies. Our objective is
to reflect those fruits and veggies,
which are currently in season …
We strive on freshness, and it’s
very, very important to us. We
want people to feel home here; we
want them to feel like they’re in
their grandmother’s kitchen,”
Penza’s Pies at the red Barn Café
owner evelyn Penza said.
Milmay resident eva Prestopino
THG/Stephen Pistone. To purchase photos in The Gazette, call (609) 704-1940.
Kristina Rocco (left), of Medford, and Maddie DiBona (right), of Hammonton hold fresh produce at Pastore Orchards,
located at 626 White Horse Pike.
said red Barn is among her fa- food it serves, and she’ll make a credible, it’s beautiful. everything
vorite destinations when it comes stop on any day, no matter how is fresh, and that’s what i like. And
if she doesn’t have it fresh, she’ll
to farmers’ markets, garden centers busy it is.
or nurseries because of the fresh
“She does creations ... it’s in-
See FARM, Page 10