Season opens Mother’s Day Weekend, Saturday May 13.
On Saturday, May 13, Cazenovia’s favorite farmers and artisans will return to Cannon Park on Albany Street to kick off the market’s 20th season.
The market, which was started in 1997 by the newly formed Cazenovia Chamber of Commerce, started with a goal of 10 producers. The community’s interest in a downtown market was identified through a 1996 survey of households in the Cazenovia Central School District. 78% of residents said they would shop weekly at the market.
Today, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday, Memorial Park is home to 30 farmers and artisans. The market is a “producers only” which means that the seller is familiar with all the specifics of how every item is produced.
“The businesses represented at the Cazenovia Market are owned by a great group of people” said Aileen Randolph, the market manager. “I think the enthusiasm of these good locals and their passion for what they do is part of the appeal of the market” she continued.
The variety of products is impressive: Farm fresh eggs, grass fed and pasture raised meats, award winning soft and hard cheeses, butter, crème fraiche, jam, spices, honey and maple syrup, vegetables of every kind, and a wide variety of fruit. Locally roasted coffee, artisanal breads, amazing pies and other sweets some even gluten free, are also available. New this year is Trimona yogurt at the Kriemhild Dairy Farms tent and spirits by Old Home Distillers. A full list of sellers is available at cazenoviachamber.com.
The market’s opening is well timed to allow customers to shop for Mother’s Day. Plants, flowers, handmade soaps, beautiful wooden cutting boards and bowls, wines, hard cider and spirits as well as all the ingredients for a special meal.
“Our Good Local farmers are sustainably farming more than 2500 acres in Central New York to bring tasty, healthy food to the market.” Randolph said “The best way to preserve farm land and support your community is to eat good and local.”