Markets Open for Winter in Rhinebeck and Red Hook
by Barbara Jean Briskey
It’s become a tradition in my house to dress in Sunday finest and go to the Rhinebeck Farmer’s Market to procure food, flowers, vegetables, bread, cheese and all sorts of sweet, savory, tart & tasty delicacies for the week. For the past several years the close of market season has been something like the emptiness and yearning of withdrawal, highlighting the long stretch of dark and cold ahead of us. Apparently others felt the same way, and suddenly our Hudson Valley winter got a whole lot warmer: we now have two local indoor winter markets!
The seeds for the winter market idea were planted three years ago with the Red Hook Winter Market at the Elmendorph. This year that Market, under the supervision of market director Robert McKeon, will be open every other Saturday beginning the weekend before Thanksgiving and continuing through mid-April.
A small sample of what the market will offer: hand-dyed skeins of yarn and field-fed lamb from Hudson Valley Sheep & Wool; comb and cream honey, beeswax candles and wine tastings from Tousey Farm & Winery; vegetables and fruits that store well for the winter from Hearty Roots and Migliorelli Farm;. whole-grain breads and other confections from Wild Hive Farm, The Red Hook Winter Market also plays live music and runs a charity table.
On December 5, the brand new Rhinebeck Winter Market debuts at the Rhinebeck Town Hall. It will run alternate Sundays from 10am until 2pm (on the same weekends as Red Hook until January 2, though starting then the two markets will alternate weekends). Ray Tousey, president of the Market, credits the opening of this winter market to public demand and the willingness of the Rhinebeck town board to let the Market use Rhinebeck Town Hall. The one caveat with the indoor markets is that, because of regulations, hot food cannot be served indoors.
Some offerings at Rhinebeck’s Winter Market include Our Daily Bread, Block Factory Tamales, jams and chutneys made from locally-grown fruit by Beth’s Farm Kitchen; flowers and other vase-worthy cuttings from the River Garden. sausage, kielbasa, and other savory venison products from Highland Farm; organic, greenhouse-grown produce and winter root vegetables from Little Seed Gardens.
Our farm markets are a far cry from the big box stores; they are a real experience that enables us to connect with our community as well as feed the family while supporting the folks who produce the food that feeds us. For weekly updates on the Rhinebeck Market, visit www.rhinebeckfarmersmarket.com.
