A Day in the Life of a Farmers Market

This week is National Farmers Market Week, so here is an inside glimpse of what it's like when we attend a farmers market.  

The first variable for us is that the markets we attend are pretty far away.  Our drive time varies from around 70 minutes to a bit over 3 hours depending on which market we go to.  For example, when we go to Syracuse we need to be at the market by 6:45, so we have to get up at 3:30 in the morning. The alarm is quite jarring that early in the morning! We need a big cup of coffee to start the day.  And, what better way to enjoy a cup of coffee than to sweeten it with maple sugar!

After the coffee gets us moving in the morning, the next step is to complete packing our trailer.  We love having a dedicated trailer for our markets because it reduces our preparation time the morning of a market (and anything we can do to reduce preparation at 3:30 AM is a bonus!).  However, perishable items such as maple cream and maple sugar cakes are not packed until shortly before we leave.  After a quick check to make sure that  the lights are working we hit the road.

When we arrive at the market, we're greeted with an empty spot. Every market has a different procedure, but for most markets we have to wait until a certain time to check-in. Once we have been assigned a spot, we begin setup.  For us, this involves using a ramp to roll the larger items out of the trailer, set up our banners and graphic displays, and then make sure that the glass and more fragile items are unpacked and displayed. 

After that, we do our favorite part of the market: getting to visit with our customers.  We love getting to know the people who buy our syrup and offering people a chance to sample our different products.  We really think that the interaction with the customers helps us to make sure that we're selling you a product that will meet your expectations and taste exactly the way you want it to.

Want to see our farmers market setup in person?  Visit our Farmers Market Schedule page to find a schedule of our planned markets with information about times and addresses.