Sunday Catonsville Farmers' Market: Opening Soon

Get ready for the second grand opening of the Sunday Catonsville Farmers' Market, one month from today!  Here’s what you need to know:

Who: The market is run by the Catonsville Chamber of Commerce; Market Manager Danae McDevitt is the contact person.

Vendors include produce from seven farms, baked goods (pies, cupcakes, whole-grain and gluten-free in addition to traditional breads), prepared foods (pork barbeque, salsa, pickles, granola, Italian ice), meat (bison, beef, pork, poultry and eggs), and even handmade soap.

In addition, two vendor spots have been left open for Catonsville-based nonprofit organizations.  Prospective vendors should contact the Chamber of Commerce, though McDevitt cautions that anyone who wants to sell prepared foods needs to operate out of a commercial kitchen due to Department of Health regulations.

What: A place where you can buy local food, meet local people and enjoy the summer weather.

McDevitt and Executive Director Teal Cary had wanted for some time to make a weekend market available to Catonsville residents; they “tossed it around and just decided to jump in” in the fall of 2009, when they wrote hundreds of letters to producers listed on the Maryland’s Best website.  By the end of the year, they had twenty vendors; this year, all spots are full.

When: 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sundays, from May 15 through November 13; the most vendors will be there from July to September. 

Where: Booth Properties has donated parking lot space for the market at 730 Frederick Road, behind Friendly’s.  There’s always plenty of space to park, and you can choose from any number of local lunch choices on your way home.

Why: , “there’s a really nice atmosphere down there,” said McDevitt, who recalls the way vendors last year bartered products with each other after the market closed for the day.  The market was extremely well-attended during its first year; one week, the Chamber of Commerce printed 200 promotional bags to distribute to shoppers.  “They were gone in less than an hour,” McDevitt said.

As an added bonus, this year all vendors will be accepting payments from WIC and the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.