The newly conceived Yacht Haven Grande Farmers’ Market opened to a welcoming though sparse public Sunday at 10 a.m.
The occasion honored the tradition of "island time,"with farmers getting to the attractive location, on the esplanade located between Fat Turtle and Grande Cru restaurants, as weather and resources permitted.
No matter. It was a first-time event and one for which all expressed enthusiasm for the idea and for its becoming a regular market venue for the community.
As the morning grew, so did the crowds, and so did the vendors and farmers. Shortly before noon, the area was filled with folks comparing buys, remarking on the convenience of the market and pledging to return.
"It’s just what we need, a place in town easy to get to," Yanik Bayard said. Her husband, Patrick, seconded the idea.
June Archibald was the first farmer to spread her wares: exotic herbs, fresh bags of sprouts, spicy Thai basil, rosemary, passion fruit, Ackee trees. You couldn’t walk by her stand without stopping to inhale deeply. Ah, fresh mint, thyme, oregano … such aromas.
Archibald grows all the produce on her North Side Precious Produce Farms. Greeting almost everyone by name, Archibald took time to answer questions on everything from what is an Ackee tree (in pots for $15 — it comes from Jamaica and produces a fruit that is poisonous if not handled properly) to the best planting times for herbs. All of Archibald’s produce is modestly priced. A bulging bag of oregano cost $1, while the Thai basil went for $2.
Patricia LaCorte, restaurant owner — Oceana at Villa Olga, and recently Grand Cru at Yacht Haven — is a steady customer of Archibald’s.
"Her produce is fabulous," LaCorte said. "Squash blossoms, long Chinese beans, purple snow peas."
Purple?
"Yes, they’re wonderful."
Before long Benita and Jambi Samuel, along with their son, Lukata, brought overflowing boxes of greens from their Green Thumb Farm in Bordeaux, setting up under a tent they brought. The vibrant produce — small white eggplants, bok choy, kale, rosemary, bright orange and red peppers, purple eggplant — was set upon as though by a swarm of locusts.
And in less than two hours, it was all gone. Benita Samuel relaxed in a chair.
"Wow," she said with a sigh. "That was something."
They will try to make it as often as they can, she said, but the last Sunday of the month is always the market at Bordeaux, so she doesn’t know about the third Sunday this month.
Bordeaux farmer Charlie Leonard and Brittany, his 8-year-old daughter, carted in their bounty of prize-winning produce, bay leaves, basil, peppers, fresh eggs, lemon grass, tea bush and homemade honey. When Leonard left to fetch more honey, Brittany took care of business, counting out small piles of peppers and explaining the various types of mangoes.
"Edwards are my favorite," she said.
Iver Stridiron was shopping with his wife and off-island relatives.
"I didn’t even know it was here," he said. "This is great. We’ll definitely be back."
His brother-in-law was born in the territory but now lives in Tennessee, where he serves as dean of a state university. He marveled at the location.
"We have a huge market in Nashville," he said, "but it’s enclosed in the city. Look at this."
He waved at the harbor.
"Just look at all that blue water — we don’t have that."
Vendors displayed local artwork. Dennis Parker’s whimsical wooden works caught the eye: painted puppy dogs, safari buses, a weather station, a small rock hanging from a stand.
"You leave it outside, and if it gets wet, then it predicts rain," Parker said. "And if it swings in the wind … you get the idea."
At this point the market is in its embryonic stages. Yacht Haven Grande representatives Deborah Crolley and Josalyn Bitterman were nearby Sunday, anxious for ideas and input as to the venue’s maiden appearance.
This weekend the market had to compete with the Fourth of July celebration on St. John, they noted, and the weather wasn’t the best, though the rain cooperated, holding off until all had their baskets filled.
St. John and St. Croix farmers will participate in the next market July 19, Bitterman said. The markets are scheduled for the first and third Sundays of the month.
