1 Wendy Stevens is the director of the Weare Farmers Market. Zoom

Wendy Stevens of Weare is one busy woman. As an herbalist, reiki master and certified essence practitioner, she’s well equipped to run Garden Plum Enterprises – an online and retail shop, art gallery, and website (gardenplum.com) dedicated to natural healing.
Not only does she find joy in healing people, but she’s all for healing the environment, too. So in 2009, when the Weare Farmers Market needed a new director, she was the natural choice. Wendy took a few moments out of her busy schedule to tell us more about the market and green living.

How did you get involved with the farmers market? The market was started in 2004 by Jenny Chartier of Abigail’s Bakery. Jenny bequeathed it to me starting in the 2009 season.

What are you most looking forward to at this year's market? Oh that’s an easy one! New raw cow’s milk from Mountain Farm. We have raw goat’s milk, too, from Dupont Farm. New vendors include tie-dye clothing, aprons, a new organic jelly line, and we are helping an agricultural student growing noncertified organic vegetables pay for his college tuition. And I can’t leave out Meghan’s Chocolates! So much more – Two Spring Chicks free range eggs, a new herbal line, fresh cut flowers and, lastly, the Weare Agricultural Commission will be joining us with an information booth.

What are some of the benefits of shopping at farmers markets? There was a quote from a TIME article that I think best illustrates the benefit of shopping local farmers markets: “Money is like blood. It needs to keep moving around to keep the economy going.”

How does one best shop a farmers market? A few things to consider:

• Bring your own bags. Many vendors do not have bags. Reusing the same bag will help the environment.
• Our market is held on the town green. If you have kids, bring a stroller that can handle grass.
• Check the website for special events. Sometimes we have alpacas, puppies, puppet shows, etc.
• Check the weather report. We are here rain or shine, but thunderstorms are no fun!
• Consider bringing a cooler. If you are going to try one of the raw milks, it’s great to get those jars right into a cooler to keep the milk fresh.
• Check the site for produce availability; it can be fun to plan a dish based on what is available at the market.
• If you can your vegetables, inquire about purchases by the bushel. Often it is cheaper, and farmers are happy to bring extra for you.

The Weare Farmers Market runs June 18 through October. It’is held on the town green Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. For more information, visit gardenplum.com/farmersmarket, call 413-6213 or e-mail wearefarmersmarket@comcast.net.

– Cassie Pappathan