With farmer’s markets now in full swing, you may be wondering what is available in our area. Or if you’ve attended any of the many amazing markets in Central New York, you may even be overwhelmed by all the offerings and the many vendors. We are fortunate to have such bounty, but it can be hard to know where to start.
I have had the pleasure of vending at local farmer’s markets for at least 15 years now. During that time, I have made some amazing friends and built lifelong relationships. Fellow vendors are some of my favorite people!
Ginger Scoville of G&M Farms in Morrisville is truly one of those people. I’ve honestly lost track how many years we’ve been neighbors at the Clinton Farmer’s Market, meeting every Thursday throughout the summer, 10am-4pm. (Perhaps since 2010?)
Along with her husband, Mike, G&M Farms grows some of the highest quality produce around. You’ll find beautiful lettuces and chard, a wide variety of peppers, onions, garlic, beans of all types, and some of the most gorgeous heirloom tomatoes—large slicers, cherry, and paste. The vibrant colors and fun shapes cause virtually every shopper to stop and buy when tomato season arrives.
Ginger had always made pickles, jams, and salsas from their own produce for home use and quickly realized these were great products to bring to market. After using Nelson Farms in Cazenovia as a launching point, Ginger and Mike built a commercial kitchen on their farm so they could more effectively control batch size and timing, making the most of their harvest and capturing it at its peak.
Fifteen years later, Ginger still makes pickles, salsas, and jams, while Mike specializes in hot sauces. The couple grows an incredibly wide variety of specialty peppers and in turn offers a dizzying array of hot sauces. From Aji to Ghost Pepper, to Scorpion and Thai, there is truly something for everyone! (And don’t let it be lost on anyone that the couple’s last name is Scoville—the same name as the Scoville scale, which provides a measurement of heat in chili peppers and other substances. Any relation to its inventor, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville? You’ll have to ask Ginger!)
So, be sure to look for Ginger and G&M Farms at the Clinton Market every Thursday, at the Hamilton Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, 8am-1pm, and daily at the Kriemhild Kupboard just outside of Hamilton.