The Fruits of Their Labor

"This is the reason I come back here each week," Armstrong said, commenting on the peppers' freshness. "You can't find this in the grocery's produce department."

Armstrong, a Carrboro resident, is among many who are familiar with the market scene -- one that has graced downtown Carrboro for 23 years.

Long tables overflow with fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, jams and poultry. Farmers, craftsmen, bakers and butchers eagerly talk to customers. People of all ages socialize and shop.

The Carrboro Farmers' Market is a nonprofit project run by members of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Farmers' Markets Inc., who oversee the operation of the market. The market is open from 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays until Dec. 21 and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Oct. 17.

Alex Hitt, a farmer and member of the market's board of directors, said the Carrboro Farmers' Market began when a UNC graduate student wanted community members to have access to fresher and better foods. "Farmers got together with their products but had no shelter. Likewise, Carrboro officials received shelter money from the state but had no farmers," he said. "So the two groups decided to get together in 1979, and the market began."

About 100 vendors are involved in the market, and at the peak of growing season, nearly 65 members will sell their homemade and homegrown products.

Hitt said that to become a vendor, there is an application process and a farm inspection to assure that all items are locally grown and of highest quality. Vendors can only sell what they personally produce and must live within 50 miles of Carrboro.

Hitt said that more than 3,000 people attend Saturdays at the peak of the season and that during the holiday season or special events, the market has up to 9,000 visitors, most of whom are regulars.

Hazel Cheek, a craftswoman at the market, lives on a dairy farm and makes baskets, stools and decorative crafts using homegrown wild grape vines, kudzu, honeysuckle and other materials.

Cheek sells her crafts out of her home and at the Maple View Ice Cream Store in Hillsborough but said the market gives her an opportunity to spend time with other community members.

"Although the people in Chapel Hill change so quickly, customers are often regulars," Cheek said. "We have this success because you can't find such fresh produce, baked goods or crafts anywhere else."

Kevin Meehan, a farmer and Carrboro Farmers' Market manager, sells sweet potatoes, watermelon, pumpkins and peppers and is now in his fifth year at the market.

"The Farmers' Market is quite a social event," Meehan said. "People make it a part of their weekly routine, and for many it becomes the first stop after soccer practice."

Patricia Bass, a vendor who has offered such goods as homemade jams, baked goods and pickles for five years, said she enjoys the market atmosphere.

"We have visitors from everywhere, including Europe and India," she said. "College kids taste my jams and are reminded of their grandmothers -- we all become a big family."

Although Bass said the drought did not particularly hurt this year's business, she said it has affected the agriculture and her ability to acquire a surplus.

"I don't have the stockpile I usually have this time each year," Bass said.

Meehan said that the drought forced a few vendors to drop out of the market early or show up late but that so far his farm hasn't been deeply impacted.

"The water shortage wasn't too tough on us," he said. "We have a full irrigation system that isn't dependent on the rain until the spring runs out."

And while water is accessible, there are plenty of goods available.

Bill Smith, the chef at Crook's Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, has been buying market cheeses and vegetables for the restaurant for 10 years. He said there are many reasons he returns to the market each week.

"They provide brand-new, fresh-picked vegetables from down the road," he said. "And I like to think I'm putting money back into our community and helping out my friends."

Though there is a small price difference between the market's products and those at the store, Smith said, "You get what you pay for." He said it is worth having fresh produce with no pesticides.

"If you visit every Saturday, you can watch a whole year's worth of seasons unfold," Smith said.

"The market provides a wonderful re-connection with nature that you miss out on in the grocery store."

The Features Editor can be reached at features@unc.edu.