New York: Farmers Markets in Ithaca and Trumansburg

Regardless where you travel you can usually find a "Farmer's Market".  There were many markets in the Finger Lakes and we were able to visit two during our stay... Ithaca Farmer's Market and Trumansburg Farmer's Market.

Ithaca Farmer's Market

Now the definition according to the Oxford Dictionaries · © Oxford University Press is 

1. a food market at which local farmers sell fruit and vegetables and often meat, cheese, and bakery products directly to consumers.

But we have come to expect a bit more... more of a Green Market according to Local Foods

"Ultra-fresh produce, pastured meat and eggs, artisan cheeses, hand-harvested honey, and other fresh, small-batch foodstuffs are the hallmark (and benchmark) of the best farmers markets."

Entrance to the Ithaca Farmer's Market
this is located on the river and promises
to be a mostly food related market

The Ithaca market started in 1973 and is an owner–operated cooperative market with over 160 members, who grow or produce their wares within 30 miles of the pavilion. This market is all about the food!  Yes, you may see a few non-food items but that is not the focus of the market.  I don't know if you consider wine and beer food but you will find several vendors at wine booths who happily offer you a taste in hopes you will purchase a few bottles of local wine.

Local Flowers are the perfect
accompaniment to your meal
and don't forget the bread, cheese, and wine!

So, we spent some time wandering through the booths in this well constructed barn-like structure with an oriental flair.  Really, I'm not certain how to describe this rustic, open shopping area with a roof line and seating reflecting the orient.  It was crowded when we visited around 9 AM on a Saturday morning.  Most booths were hawking their wares and many the same vendors we saw at the Trumansburg Farmer's Market earlier in the week.  

Trumansburg Wednesday Market
This is certainly a gathering place for locals

And sometimes we expect even more from a farmer's market... live music, craft vendors, artists, food trucks, and a meeting place.  Yes, they do tend to run the gambit and we in the good old USA have adapted the market for a morning, day, or evening of entertainment rather than simply shopping for fresh food.  Perhaps that is not a bad idea just mis-named.

Trumansburg Farmer's Market
Features reading for the youth

So head to the Trumansburg Farmer's Market for a different scene. First, it happens on Wednesday evening in the town park.  Here you will find locally grown food, both fresh and prepared, honey, jams, pottery, hand crafts, Read-a-Story, and live music.

Crafters in addition to fresh food
 both prepared and unprepared.

After a day of volunteering at the GrassRoots Festival setup we bicycled downtown to the park to experience the local "Farmer's Market".  Yes it was similar to the "new green markets"
green market 
- an open-air marketplace for farm products
- a public marketplace where foodand merchandise is sold

This was a place where we could relax on the village green listen to music, sample food items, shop for vegetables, and chat with friends.  

Folks relaxing, visiting, dining, and
listening to the music
at the Trumansburg Farmer's Market