The Syracuse Downtown Farmers Market has expanded beyond just providing an outlet for local farmers to sell their seasonal crop.

The market, which is organized by the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, has existed for more than 100 years and has evolved from a free-lanced occurrence to a more organized event, featuring more than 50 farmers from the Central New York area. The market has grown over time, and this year added recipe cards to the mix of items consumers can take home.

Chuck McFadden, director of the farmers market, said the biggest change in customer preference at the market is the push for organic products, which has risen in the past few years. Farmers also face more pressure to keep their booths aesthetically pleasing, which increases their sales. McFadden said this is a result of a savvier clientele.

“(The farmers) now understand that when they market their wares, it’s important how the presentation looks,” McFadden said. “If the produce is washed, it will sell better, even if the quality is the same.”

Farm owner JoAnn Delaney, who has been participating in the farmers market for more than 30 years, said the popularity of consuming fresh produce has made farmers markets more sought-after.

For farmers like Delaney, competitiveness with prices on these fresh products can be challenging, especially when markets are the only way to sell their product. Farmers have to keep their prices around the same prices as supermarket prices in order to stay competitive.

“The competition is strong,” McFadden said. “There may be six, seven, even eight farmers selling the same product.”

In order to draw interest for the market week-to-week, McFadden organized a weekly newsletter to be sent out electronically to subscribers, which is written by communications director Alice Maggiore.

In the newsletter, Maggiore highlights what is new at the market that week, and includes at least one profile of a farmer or vendor at the market. The newsletter is aimed mostly at people that avidly attend the market or have a heightened interest in the products being sold at the market, Maggiore said. It also includes information about new initiatives happening that week.

One of the initiatives starting this year is recipe cards given out by the Onondaga Central Library that include ingredients sold at the market, tips for storage, cooking and prepping the ingredients and suggestions for further reading at the library, said library assistant Kara Greene.

The cards, which are written by literacy coordinator Amy Thorna, promote the library and healthy eating.

“They have really taken off,” Greene said. “People have been really interested.”

In future farmers markets, the library hopes to set up a booth and interact with customers at the market in an attempt to inform them about the library.

“We want to be seen as a friendly neighbor,” Greene said. “We can’t bring everyone in the city cookies, so we give them recipes.”

Overall, the market is simply a tool for farmers and local businesses to stay viable and for the citizens of Syracuse to enjoy fresh produce.

“We use the market not only as a revitalization tool but as a tool to keep people downtown longer,” McFadden said. “It’s a two-way street. It benefits both the farmers and the people living in the area.”

Published on September 1, 2015 at 10:32 pm

Contact Hanna: hrhorvat@syr.edu