Farmers Market Debuts at Abrams

When it comes to farmers markets in Huntington Village, there’s something new under the sun. Under the winter sun, that is.

Thanks to the initiative of two Long Island sisters who fell in love with the idea of farmers markets a few years ago, Huntington now has its own winter farmers market.

The brainchild of Lona Graepel and Jaime Greci, the G&G market opened up in the Jack Abrams School building on Lowndes Avenue Sunday, complete with fresh vegetables, baked goods and other processed foods, and other items and activities one might not immediately think of as being made available at a farmers market.

“We fell in love with the farmers market our brother does at Hastings on Hudson,” said Lona this week. “He has music there, something for the kids, local authors, presentations, yoga – it serves as a community gathering place.”

In fact it’s been three years since the sisters kicked off a winter market in the region – previously, it was located at Sweethollow Hall in Melville. “It was fun, but we wanted to do it closer to Huntington village.”

The winter market will be held every Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the school gym, until April 28. It also runs on Saturdays in Northport, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. St. Paul's United Methodist Church, until March 30.

If you’re wondering how fresh produce can be provided all winter by local growers, then you haven’t been paying attention to how agriculture works these days. In addition to root crops and other products that can be grown in fall and kept in cold storage for use through the winter, today‘s technologies include such methods as "low tunnel" greenhouses, which are essentially hooped vinyl structures in furrows close to the ground; and hydroponics – growing plant products in indoor climate controlled rooms without soil, in water-based infrastructures.

Translation: you’ll be able to get locally grown lettuce, arugala, mesclun, spinach, herbs, basil, parsley; apples; and such root crops, potatoes parsnips, beets and carrots.

To that list you can add in fresh baked breads, cakes and pies, locally made fresh pasta, honey, apple cider, aromatic soaps, pickles and cheeses.

“And we have entertainment and things for kids to do, a place to sit and have a cup of coffee with a friend, and demonstrations and presentations planned,” said Lona. Coming up:

• 12/9-Products of the BeeHive: Frederique Keller
• 12/16-Backyard Chicken Keeping:  Jennifer Murray
• 12/30-meet local author Caryn Eve Murray, Author of    "Philomena's Homecoming"

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Lona is particularly pleased with the collaboration she and her sister are engaged in with the PTA and school system for the use of the Jack Abrams School. ”I it took awhile to get approved  but the school has been excited and it’s a shame for that building to be unused,” she said. “The neighborhood has changed and I think people will be happy to have a market this close to the village. Why not bring the community back together at that school?”

Visit their website at http://www.winterfarmersmarketlongisland.com/Home.html