Fresh produce and food prepared locally can be found at the Farm to Fork Evening Market and Supper Series in Owego; held from 4 to 8 p.m. every Thursday until the end of September at the Gateway Park on Front Street in Owego, N.Y. (Photo credit: Sandy Layman)
Every Thursday evening, from 4 to 8 p.m. in downtown Owego and at the Gateway Park on Front Street – a deck that overlooks the Susquehanna River and the Owego River Walk, farmers and local restaurants and producers gather to offer fresh produce and locally grown products. In fact, menu items are available, weekly, for those who want to dine out for the evening, visit with friends, and listen to some music by the riverside.
The event is held every Thursday evening through September, and tents and tables begin to appear by 4 p.m., with booths often arriving to sell their array of farm products.
You will find items like locally produced syrup, baked goods (some gluten-free), artwork and handmade items, and even homemade pickles for sampling.
For the restaurants involved, it offers them an opportunity to give guests a sample of the flavorful food that can be prepared from an ordinary garden, using local produce.
According to Sandy Layman, from The Cellar Restaurant, “The restaurants are using the food from the participating farmers, and other local sources, to prepare their dishes, and you discover new uses for your favorite local produce, meats, cheeses and eggs. When you return the next week, you will find different dishes because the menus follow the seasonal harvest. You buy a plate, or two, or three, and decide to get a block of the cheese that was in your favorite meal tonight.”
Sandy noted that this past Thursday, they sold out of the tomato, basil, feta, spinach soufflé in one hour! She added, “It’s lots of fun, hungry, summer time friends!”
If you are interested in being a part of Farm to Fork, as a farm or food establishment, find them on Facebook where vendors and restaurants post what they will be bringing to market or cooking for supper; just search Thursday Night Famers Market in Owego.
You can find a listing of all of the farmer’s markets in Tioga County on www.visittioga.com.
