Last Thursday the Long Valley Green Market reopened for its second season and it could not have been a more beautiful day. I have lived in Long Valley my whole life and I am so excited about the market returning for a second year!
Boy has the list of vendors grown from last year! There are such a wide variety of vendors that you can find everything that you need at this market. All of the vendors have such amazing products and I am excited to be working with all of them. I am especially excited to have a table right next to Lemon and Blue Gourmet Cupcakes because their cupcakes are out of this world! Ann Ficula and her two daughters, Desirée and Sandra, are following in their Swedish ancestors footsteps by baking with only the freshest ingredients and making everything from scratch. Their traditional cupcakes include black chocolate, carrot, vanilla (vegan), and lemon lux (vegan), but they also have specialty cupcakes, which are margarita (I definitely need to try this one!), mint chocolate, Boston crème, pumpkin with cream cheese frosting, red velvet, strawberry shortcake, banana, zucchini, coconut, lemon meringue, and waffle cone cupcakes. Perhaps a future cupcake could be a Black River Roasters coffee cupcake…
For all you cheese lovers out there, you have to make sure you stop by to try some cheese from the Sutton Family Farm. Bryan Sutton says that this farm has been his family for twelve generations, but it was not always a dairy farm. From their dairy cow’s milk, they make over 30 different types of cheese, but this week they will only have cheddar, garlic cheddar, dill cheddar, and Muenster. They will also be selling butter that made from their cow’s milk too. Their farm is located at 110 Farmersville Road in Califon, NJ. During the summer, flowers, produce and eggs are also available, and they now sell bags of our coffee and cold brewed iced coffee, too! I drive by their farm everyday going to and from work and sometimes on the way home I will stop by to play with their baby cows (so cute!).
Now what goes well with cheese?…wine! Unionville Vineyards always brings a large selection of wines to taste at the market that are crafted by hand and celebrate the bounty of nature. Unionville Vineyards is a collection of four farms with over 300 acres of preserved farmland, which is located at 9 Rocktown Road in Ringoes, NJ. Currently they have over 40 acres of vine stock under cultivation. Unionville Vineyards has developed different categories for their wines depending on the grape variety and terroir. From the George Series there is Lafayette’s Pride (dry rose) and Revolutionary Red (soft dry red), which are what they call “American Hybrid Blends” in honor of George Washington. The Fox Series symbolizes the natural beauty of the region and consists of Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir. Unionville Vineyards also has premium wines that fall under the Artisan Series and Single Vineyard categories. It is hard to leave their table without buying a bottle of wine (I know this from personal experience…).
Ort Farms is also at the market and has been a landmark in Long Valley for decades. It originated in 1916 and has been passed down through six generations of Orts! Nicole Ort graduated from James Madison University last May and is now manager of the farm. New this year is the Community Supported Agricultural Program (CSA) that Ort Farms is now involved in. As stated on their website, the purpose for starting a CSA “is to connect you to your food and the farmer who grows it. We want our customers to have fresh, local produce and experience the health benefits that come along with it.” Right now at the market, Ort Farms offers honey, jams, pies, potted plants and flower arrangements, and in the summer they will have all fresh local produce. Their farm is located at 25 Bartley Road in Long Valley, NJ and is open until 7:00 pm.
By the way, did I mention that I am obsessed with Naikid’s soap?! Their handmade soaps use only plant-based oils, exotic butters, botanicals, herbs, grains, and essential oils. The soaps that they carry at the market are butter, charcoal/green tea, cocoa/yogurt, goat milk/honey, lavender/comfrey, lemongrass/neem, lime/clay, mint/aloe, mud/ginseng, oat/jojoba, and sea salt/kelp.
I cannot wait to get to know all the new vendors and catch up with the ones returning. Both Dina Kelly and Strands of Enchantment have amazing selections of jewelry to choose from, while Some Guy in New Jersey has beautiful photographs. Other vendors include A Gardener’s Kitchen (granola and biscotti), Grandma’s Herbals, Mini Mac Farm (meat and eggs), Old Orchard Farm (berry plants and fruit trees), Old Schoolhouse BBQ Sause (YUM!), Pie Crust Designs (incredible knitted hats and seeds), Picklelicious, Poplar Wood Farm (produce and seeds), Rimi Studios (handmade pottery), Sharon’s Jam (delicious), Sweet Spot Bake Shoppe, Urbane Tea, and of course us, Black River Roasters. I feel like I could go on forever talking about all the vendors, but the best way for you to really get to know them is by coming to the market yourself!
The Long Valley Green Market is held on Thursdays from 3-7pm at 20 Schooley’s Mountain Road. Last week at the market the local Girl Scouts and volunteers were able to raise over $250 to help pay for some of Glenn Lightner’s hospital bills (Glenn is a local teenager battling brain cancer). It is great being part of something that supports its local community. Today at the market Maria Birch from the Washington Township Public Library will be having a story-time. Make sure to stop in and listen, and to see the wide range of things for sale.
Hope to see you there!
Ashley