There’s nothing like the taste of locally grown fruits and vegetables.
From juicy tomatoes to sweet watermelons, residents of the borough can find them all at The DowntownFreehold.com Farmers’ Market, a 20-year-old resource that supports small farmers and provides healthy food options to the community, according to Jeffrey Friedman.
He is executive director of DowntownFreehold.com, a guide to Freehold’s many offerings, as well as its business advocate and custodian of records.
Open once a week through Oct. 10, the farmers’ market each year features a local farm to highlight.
“Over the years, the DowntownFreehold.com Farmers’ Market has worked with a number of different farmers,” Friedman explained. “This year’s farmer is Asprocolas Acres. They are the only farmer; we do that to ensure that the farmer does well.”
Asprocolas Acres was chosen through Monmouth County’s “Grow Monmouth” initiative, which promotes the county’s economy through business partnerships. When food is produced, processed, distributed and sold all within the same region, more money stays in the local economy, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Asprocolas Acres is a family-run farm in Millstone that was started in 1993 by George Asprocolas. This season marks its first at DowntownFreehold.com Farmers’ Market, where its products include not only fresh fruits and vegetables, but baked goods, honey and flowers.
A Jersey fresh commodity is one grown in the state that benefits from proximity to local distribution centers. If a crop can be picked and harvested at its peak stage, it can be offered to retailers more quickly, according to the agriculture department, and it will retain its bountiful vitamins and minerals.
While Asprocolas – who originally studied to be an educator – is not an organic grower, he does not spray pesticides on his crops. Available at the farmers’ market this season are his tomatoes; lettuce; kale; cantaloupes; and watermelons, among other crops.
In the fall, come pumpkins, squash, corn stalks, hay and ornamental items. The goal of the farmers’ market, according to its website, is to establish a “consistent and reliable source” of healthy and locally grown food for the community.
Neighborhood Connections to Health, a borough nonprofit, partners with the market “to secure funding for vouchers” that go to families in need, noted Carly Trill, the organization’s manager of program development.
Vouchers – funded this year by health insurance provider Wellpoint – are offered in $5 amounts. Neighborhood Connections sets up a table at the farmers’ market, where individuals in need can register and get four vouchers for families of four or more and three for families of three or less.
New Jersey features some 150 community farmers’ markets each year, according to the state’s agriculture department. With about 700,000 acres of farmland, it is home to just under 10,000 farms.
DowntonwnFreehold.com Farmers’ Market is located in front of the Hall of Records, at 1 E. Main St. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, visit downtownfreehold.com.
