7 Courses with Sarah Cressy from the Hudson Farmers Market
We recently sat down with Sarah Cressy from the Hudson Farmers Market for a chat about what it means to run a market. Keep reading for a delicious quiche Lorraine. The Hudson Farmers Market is open Tuesdays from 3:30pm-6:30pm through Sept. 27.
When did your market start and when did you become the market’s manager?
The Hudson MA Farmers’ Market started in 2016. It was originally funded through a MASS in Motion grant obtained by Hudson’s Health and Planning Departments. I became the Market Manager in 2017.
How long have you been a part of the farmers market community. What excited you about being a part of a farmers’ market?
I grew up in central New York, in a rural community on Lake Ontario. Farms, especially grape and apple orchards, littered our landscape. In college, I spent two years living in a cooperative that organically farmed two acres of land. I love to get dirty and have been a backyard gardener for more than four decades. I was a founding board member of the Maynard Farmers’ Market, and a constant attendee of the Hudson MA Farmers’ Market in 2016. When the Town asked whether I would manage the Market in 2017, I jumped at the opportunity.
What is your biggest challenge? What sort of things would you like to see implemented at your market to overcome and combat these challenges?
We continued to run our Market during COVID, and it was bonkers, in a good way. Especially during 2020, we were the only “gig” in Town. Our numbers likely doubled. Now that the economy has opened, we face more competition. People have more choices. Everyone wants to experience a positive trajectory, and in this instance, this is not an easy task! And while collective revenue is not at 2020/2021 numbers, it’s 75% stronger than 2019.
In the future, we’d love to implement a chef’s cooking station, where local chefs use interesting produce to create healthy and tasty food for customer sampling. We know that many of our attendees have no idea what to do with certain produce, and a cooking/sampling station would provide our customers the opportunity to experience new eating opportunities.
Is your market sustainable? What makes it sustainable? And if you aren’t there yet, in what ways are you working towards sustainability.
Yes, our Market is sustainable. Vendor fees exceed the cost of the Market Manager, and the Town of Hudson has established a small revolving fund to assist with bigger ticket items.
What are your favorite parts about running a market? What are some of the challenges you face?
Community and Opportunity. Most of our vendors have been with us for the last four years. They help each other pop their tents, find additional markets, barter for food, etc. When one of our vendors passed away from COVID in 2020, 90% of our vendors showed up for the wake. It’s great to see how they actively mentor each other.
It’s also rewarding when I see young families, gathered on the Town Hall Lawn, downing a couple of pints berries! Not only are these parents supporting our local farmers, producers, and makers, but they are establishing healthy eating habits at an early age.
I also like the fact that the Market is a low-risk incubator for emerging businesses. For example, we have a vendor, an apiarist, who wanted to leave her job, and grow her honey business. Over the past two years, she’s been able to reduce her hours from 40 to 18 hours/week. Their business plan indicates that in two years, she’ll be able to fully transition as a FT apiarist.
Conversely, we had a baker that wanted to leave her teaching job. However, she wanted to continue to bake out of a residential kitchen. Her lean business plan indicated that she could not make her income goal. She has since closed her baking business and is being re-trained as a website designer.
Our biggest challenge is something that we can’t control, the weather! While June and September bring cooler, drier, weather, July and August can be HOT. We’ve been bringing cold beverages to make our vendors happier!
If you had 3 wishes, how would you use them to enhance your market or for the greater enhancement of the farmers market industry?
•To obtain per diem vendors that would expose our customers culinary customs from other cultures.
•To host a chef/tasting station to help customers expand their culinary choices, especially regarding produce.
•To shoot more video that highlights our vendors! I’ve tried to get volunteers to do this but have been underwhelmed. So maybe we just need to spend the money!
What food item can you not live without? What’s your favorite recipe featuring it, and will you share it?
Eggs!
Quiche Lorraine:
My mother received this recipe on her wedding day in 1959, and it still holds up today. While my family likes the Quiche Lorraine (bacon/onion) option, you can use anything you want in the filling. I often baked it with sauteed mushrooms, spinach, and garlic, and sometimes substitute the spinach for chard to create a vegetarian version.
What you’ll need:
•10” Pie Crust
•4 Large Eggs
•2 Cups of Shredded Swiss or Gruyere Cheese
•1 ½ Cups of Half & Half
•6 Pieces of Cooked and Crumbled Bacon
•1 Medium Onion Chopped and Sauteed Until Translucent
•1/8 tsp of Freshly Grated Nutmeg
•Pepper and Salt to Taste.
•Chopped Parsley (optional)
Preheat Oven: 425 Degrees.
Lay crust into a 9 in. glass pie plate. Press to conform to the plate and crimp the edges.
Cook the bacon, cool and crumble.
Discard most of the bacon fat and sauté the chopped onion. Cool.
Grate the Cheese.
In a bowl, beat the eggs until yolk and white are fully incorporated.
Add the Half and Half and beat until fully incorporated.
Take mix off the beater.
Fold bacon, onions, cheese, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and parsley into the mix with a large spoon or spatula.
Pour mixture into the pie crust and press down to get a consistent top.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. At 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degree and bake for an additional 40 to 45 minutes.
How to tell if it is ready: It should be nicely browned and puffy like a souffle. However, as it cools, the puffiness will disappear. Let cool for an hour before you nip in. Best warm or at room temp. Perfect for any meal, and super portable for picnics.