On Saturday, Feb. 21, the Aula will open its doors for the Vassar Winter Market. The event, organized by Jim Hyland of Winter Sun Farms and Retreat Director of Marketing and Sustainability Ken Oldehoff, will incorporate a traditional farmers’ market with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)-style food pick-up.
Winter Sun Farms is a local CSA business that buys bulk excess from local farms and then freezes the food to sell during the winter months in the form of shares to its over 300 members. A typical share has an assortment of tomatoes, squash, corn and berries from various farms around the Hudson Valley. Shares are then sold at distribution sites during the winter. The Market’s emphasis is on sustainability and supporting regional businesses, including the Poughkeepsie Farm Project on Vassar campus.
Hyland is looking forward to getting students at Hudson Valley colleges more involved in community activities revolving around sustainability. At the State University of New York at New Paltz, students have already formed a committee in conjunction with Winter Sun Farms to initiate more projects aimed toward implementing sustainable programs in the community. On Vassar’s side of things, Hyland hopes to “increase membership for a bigger and better market and bring a real community into Vassar.”
By organizing volunteers through the Field Work Office to work with the Poughkeepsie Farm Project on the Vassar Farm, the College has joined in the effort to promote community development through sustainable food practices. The project hosts many student volunteers who enthusiastically talk about working within the community.
Jon Kaiman ’09, a former volunteer, described the experience at “nothing short of life-changing. It’s great to be outdoors and working toward a good cause.”
Vassar’s Cooking Cooperative has also recently launched an initiative in which 20 to 25 students will prepare dinner for one another using local and organic ingredients.
Oldehoff and Hyland see the Winter Market as another opportunity for students to interact with the community. For students who are not Winter Sun Farm share owners, there are also nine other vendors who will be selling local and organic foods including butternut squash soup, maple syrup, chutney and cheese. Students will also be able to sign up for shares for the next Winter Market, to be held on March 21.
Oldehoff anticipates the market to be a great success. “Getting people out in the dreaded depths of winter and interacting as a community has a great vibe to it. It is much more exciting than a summer market.” With live music, the event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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