LF Market a foodie fest

Published 8:14 pm Tuesday, August 12, 2014

At the LF Market at North Suffolk’s Lancaster Farms on Saturday, Acorn Hill Farm offers a variety of fresh produce from its stall. The new market will run through October.

At the LF Market at North Suffolk’s Lancaster Farms on Saturday, Acorn Hill Farm offers a variety of fresh produce from
its stall. The new market will run through October.

After starting The Plant Outlet last fall, North Suffolk’s Lancaster Farms has just introduced another direct-to-the-public operation — this time catering to craft-loving foodies.

At the corner of Bridge and Knotts Neck roads, the wholesale nursery held its first LF Market on Aug. 2. It’ll run every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon through October, market manager Christina Keeling said.

Each weekend there are currently eight to 10 vendors, Keeling said, and they’re looking to expand the repertoire.

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“We have a mix of produce, meat and (other) food, along with a few crafts,” she said.

Some vendors are local, such as Golden Eagle Alpaca Farm, a small family farm on Pittmantown Road selling summer vegetables and fruit; and Full Quiver Farm, Scott and Alison Wilson’s operation on Manning Road, selling a rotating variety of eggs, pork, turkey, chicken, baked goods, honey and grass-fed beef and homemade crafts.

Meanwhile, Apron Strings offers mini breads and cakes, brownies, single-serve carrot cakes, pickled watermelon rind, button-closed kitchen towels, table runners and custom-order valances.

From Sunbury, N.C., Acorn Hill Farm stocks tomatoes, squash, zucchini, eggplants, watermelons, cantaloupes, sweet corn, jalapenos, honey, jams, jellies and salsa in its stall, while Doodlebug Dips corners gourmet dips and dessert mixes.

Purely on the craft side, moZart by Mo Crone includes ceramic sculpture, tiles, prints of original artwork, wine glasses and jewelry, and Kahiau Paper Crafts has stationary kits, card box sets, framed paper art, state arts, yarn and paper wreaths, paper leis, window décor and ornaments.

The nursery decided to diversify into a weekly market upon the request of customers at The Plant Outlet, according to Keeling.

“We thought there’s a lot of residents and homes here in North Suffolk that don’t have access to a farmers’ market,” she said. “We kind of said why not, and jumped in feet first.”

The first two market days have each seen 150 to 200 visitors, Keeling said. “We definitely are feeling good about the start. I think word is getting out,” she added.

An extended season — from spring to fall — is in the works for next year, she said. Other future plans for the market, she continued, include “a couple of events in the fall to reinforce that it’s a community space.”

“I’m looking to add some live music, and we are going to do a couple of events in conjunction with The Plant Outlet, (like) a fall festival in October,” Keeling said.

“We are looking to just grow — we still have more space for vendors.”

For more information, visit LF Market on Facebook, or at www.lfmarketva.com.