A press release from HFM appears below. I admit to editing it. I have never known my dear friend Norman Posner to be called "Doc Posner," and I am quite certain he would not approve. For that reason, I have emended the press release to eliminate the appellation.
The Hudson Farmers’ Market is celebrating our 25th Anniversary this year! Before we get into what we have planned for this season, we’re taking a walk down memory lane. . . .
Milt Meisner and Norman Posner brainstormed the Hudson Farmers’ Market in the winter and early spring of 1997. Milt visited the Saratoga Farmers’ Market with his daughter and had the idea to bring a farmers’ market to Hudson which had just seen its only grocery store close their doors. Milt and Norman wanted to support small farmers and start-ups who had no other outlets to sell their produce. As hard as it is to imagine, at the time the direct line from farm-to-customer was something of a rarity.
Virginia Ambrose (Scarecrow Farm) shared: “Milt went door to door, barn to barn, and farm to farm asking for farmers to come together to form the market.” Many said no, but he was able to find a few who were interested in founding the HFM and take a chance on a community that needed assistance with access to fresh local foods. So, with sponsorship from the Mayor’s office, the Hudson Farmers’ Market started its first season.
There were vegetables, eggs, honey, soaps, herbal oils, tree fruit, cactus, plants, and yarn. It was slower in the early years, but vendors hung on, and customers eventually came with regularity. Gradually, the items and offerings started to increase—but always within a very specific framework that was established in the early days.
The vendors of the Hudson Farmers’ Market nurture our individual projects, push each other to innovate season after season, and keep the vision alive that was established 25 years ago by our founders. It may look different than what Milt and Norman originally intended, but the core ethics still remain the same—producers willing to take a risk, customers willing to show up, and the magic that happens when we collaborate.
With this said, we are happy to announce that our 25th season begins on April 23 and runs through November 19. You can find our 30+ vendors each Saturday at the corner of 6th and Columbia streets in the center of Hudson. Market hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Parking can be found in the lot above the market and the municipal lot behind St John’s Church.
We have a number of events scheduled, including: our Opening Day Ribbon Cutting with the Chamber of Commerce on May 7; our Family Scavenger Hunt with the Hudson Area Library on July 30; our second Tomato Fest on September 3; and our Halloween Bash on October 29.
We are welcoming two new full-time vendors this year: Left Bank Cider and Trapani Farm. Left Bank Cider is a family-owned and operated cidery in Catskill. Their small team harvests, processes, ferments, and bottles unique libations made from local wild apples and cider apples. Trapani Farm is a fourth-generation orchard and farm located in Milton. They specialize in berries, stone fruit, apples, pears, and melons.
We will also be hosting an exciting mix of 50+ guest vendors, community vendors, and musicians this season. You can expect: perennial guest favorites like Joy Newton, Asia Luna, Outdoor Fellow, and Cooper’s Daughter; new guests like Wood Fire Food Company, 1857 Spirits, Gina’s Kitchen, and BeeBearPro; and members of the community from BootStrap Compost, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners, Columbia Land Conservancy, Hudson Tool Shed. Music will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon this year, with a broad range of performers and styles.
We hope to see you at market on Saturday, April 23, at the corner of 6th and Columbia streets in Hudson!
Judicious editing, of which dear Norman Ames Posner,MD, I am sure would thoroughly approve.
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