The Old Westbury farmers’ market has returned for its second summer, operating every other weekend.
Old Westbury Trustee Leslie Fastenberg said the annual farmers’ market is led by Old Westbury farmer Peter Pinicchio, who grows vegetables and raises chickens in the village.
“I see this as an opportunity for people to get fresh vegetables and learn about the community, but it really is a communal moment,” Fastenberg said. “I think there is a sociological shift, and we see it in some of the other communities that have built swimming pools and parks. We don’t have those common spaces because we’ve retreated to our own homes, but I am trying to create some communal opportunities for a community that has had few.”
During the first market on June 23, Fastenberg said, eggs, lettuce, onions, oils, zucchini flowers and honey were available and a steady stream of residents and visitors wandered through the market for the local, healthy items.
Fastenberg said Friends of Old Westbury, a nonprofit organization, also had a table at the market, selling watering cans to raise funds for its efforts to beautify the village’s common green spaces.
Fastenberg said village Administrator Brian Ridgway has been instrumental in advertising the market to the village’s 5,000 residents, and a newly hired assistant to the trustees, Katie McCabe, has taken an active interest in the market and is organizing any additional vendors interested in selling.
“We have 5,000 residents, but we have 50,000 visitors a day,” Fastenberg said. “People going through on the service road or on the Long Island Expressway, so you never know what kind of traffic you can pick up with someone passing through.”
Fastenberg said the market is always open to new vendors, from fellow farmers and gardeners to craft vendors such as jewelry and handmade items.
The market runs every other Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. The next market date is set for Saturday at Village Hall.
Reach reporter Amelia Camurati by email at acamurati@theislandnow.com, by phone at 516-307-1045, ext. 215, or follow her on Twitter @acamurati.
