June 28, 2007 - Truckloads of produce flavor downtown market

There are quite a few unique local traditions in the Greater Binghamton area, but I decided last week to check out an old, familiar favorite - the Farmers' Market.
Binghamton's version of the Farmers' Market, held Tuesdays and Fridays until September, takes place right in the heart of the city on Collier Street, under the shade of the neighboring parking garage. (It's held only on Fridays in October.)
A slew of farmers and other various vendors come together to set up personal stands featuring various homegrown products at reasonable prices. Myriad fruits, vegetables, spices and even meats are available for purchase straight from the source.
While the temporary market doesn't reel in thousands in tax dollars, it does keep people outside on the city's streets. The market's vendors also attract regular customers to the city, some whose loyalty stretches back decades.
Russell Shoultes is one of those pleasantly addicting vendors. He owns Maple Tree Gardens, located on Route 96 in Owego, and has been partaking in the Binghamton Farmer's Market for "30 years, plus or minus."
His setup last Tuesday featured oversized pea pods, fresh tomatoes, red and brown potatoes, and pounds of juicy strawberries. It's a nice collection, he said, encouraging his customers to return in a few weeks when the rest of the blossoming crops - such as peppers, onions, cucumbers and sweet corn - will allow him to more than double his offering.
I asked Shoultes' son, Gary, if there was a limit on how much they were allowed to bring to the market.
"No … well, yeah," he laughed. "As much as our two trucks can hold."
As the afternoon wrapped up, a slew of customers lined up at the
Maple Tree Gardens stand, the closest setup to neighboring Court Street. I asked Russell Shoultes about the market's location.
"It's good," he said, nervously watching his son assist three or four excited customers. "I wouldn't say prime."
It was encouraging to see the man's desire to help all the customers, even as he politely concluded an interview with me. It seemed that he wanted to ensure that every patron was satisfied and didn't leave the market upset.
Another popular attraction was the Iron Kettle Farm stand, where Bonnie Jensen greeted each customer with a smile.
Jensen's parents began the farm, located on Route 96 in Candor, in 1969. Now, she and her two siblings are partners in the family business, which is branching into the Binghamton Farmer's Market for the first time this year.
Jensen's stand, which also featured a beautiful floral arrangement and home-baked pastries, also drew late-afternoon interest from a number of excited pedestrians as she shut down.
With their brown bags filled of pea pods and strawberries, at least until they reached the car ("Most of the time, these things don't make it all the way home," Gary Shoultes told me of his stand's fresh pea pods), the group of customers soon walked happily back to the parking garage on Hawley Street (where parking is free for the market's customers).
I, too, left the Farmer's Market smiling, yielding a bag of berries, tomatoes and peas - except my walk home took me the other direction, to the Court Street side of Collier.
As the temporary market shut down behind me, I beheld the more permanent market - or the lack thereof. Sandwiching the coffee shop across the street was a line of unoccupied buildings - ominous spaces that, unfortunately, stay empty seven days a week.
The hustle and bustle of the Farmers' Market now gone, I soon encountered the street's other occupants: a couple of high-school dropouts, and a half-naked teenager wildly strumming a guitar. An ambulance and two police cars soon whizzed by.
A Bible-yielding man in tattered clothing approached, asking for a dollar - presumably not for use at the nearby Farmers' Market.
Although I very much enjoyed my afternoon, I realized both of my experiences that day have become traditions in this city - for better or for worse.
Strub is a senior at Binghamton University, a part-time copy editor at the Press & Sun-Bulletin and a new resident of Binghamton's West Side.
cstrub@pressconnects.com