Cheverly Community Market

Where does my money go when I spend it at the market?
Your dollars go directly to the individual vendors. Each vendor
(including the Cheverly Breadbasket) is an individual
enterprise which, in turn, pays a table fee to Cheverly
Community Market, which goes toward compensating our
manager(s) for running the market throughout the season.
Fundraisers have included Cheverly Community Market days
at Behnke's Nurseries, a pot luck dinner, the sale of herbs and
seasonings from Vann's Spices and Landreth seeds and also
the sale of goat cheese, Christmas trees and raffle tickets.
This money has been spent on things like signage throughout
town and buying supplies needed to put on and promote the
market.
Of course, what makes the market really work is the hours of
effort put in by volunteers helping with publicity and promotion,
providing music, advising the market managers, keeping our
books and also assisting vendors on market days.

Why is the market held only every other week and on
Saturdays?
For our first year this was tried because we were starting small
and wanted to "test the waters" to see if there was really a
demand for local produce on a regular basis. We were also
able to attract some vendors who couldn't commit to a full
season but were willing to fit our small market into their busy
schedules on a biweekly basis. Many of these original vendors
have stayed with us because this schedule has worked well for
them. We do this because it works for us now, but certainly
having a market every week is a goal for the future.
Despite there being many other Saturday markets throughout
the state, we still thought it would be the best day for the
community-enhancing experience it has been.

What constitutes local produce at the Market?
Our vendors represent mostly Maryland agriculture, including
aquaculture and viticulture, but we also currently have vendors
from Pennsylvania. We define local as being within a roughly
125-mile radius of Washington D.C. Our goal is to get the
freshest food to you as fast as possible.
Why isn't there more organic produce available at the market?
All our farmers subscribe to the philosophy 'best farming
practices,' which means basically that if you take care of the
land, the land takes care of you. The quality of our produce
reflects this, because when you buy local, you are buying
fruits or vegetables that have been allowed to ripen on the vine
or on the tree until the optimal moment for picking, not for
shipping. You are buying varieties that are bred to taste better
not travel better. Buying locally grown food not only reduces
our carbon footprint, but preserves the land and open space
right next to us so that we can breathe cleaner air and keep
our children in touch with nature and their place on the food
chain. Buying local, either at the market or at the grocery
store, means choosing the most nutritious food for your family
every day and we think that is important

Why aren't there wineries at every market?
One thing that we are very proud of is that we were the first
farmers market in Maryland to feature Maryland wine. Under
current Maryland law our wineries are allowed only 3 special
event permits (that includes any appearances where wine is
poured) per county per year. Each winery must factor in the
growing number of wine festivals statewide and the numerous
specific regulations each county has about these
appearances. We hear these laws are about to change again.
What this will mean for the future of wine at our market, we
don't know. But we do know that we have loved being a small
part of this growing state industry, and will continue to promote
the pairing of local wine with local food.

How does one become a vendor at the market?
Keeping in mind that the main mission of our market is to
promote local food and community, at the beginning of every
year our market manager sends out contracts and a market
schedule to existing vendors, asking for a commitment to the
whole season. Those who can commit to a whole season will
be given preference. They send in their application fee with
their applications before the beginning of the season, having
made arrangements on how they want to pay their table fees.
The inclusion of new vendors, including farmers, food vendors,
artists and crafts people, is entirely at the discretion of the
Market Manager. We strive for a varied selection of items that
cannot be easily found in our immediate area, with a
preference given to food products.

How can I get involved in the Market?
First of all, make the market one of your regular destinations
on Saturday morning. Shop, learn more by talking with our
vendors, and relax and enjoy your neighbors with either a cup
of coffee or a cup of ice cream. And tell all your friends to
meet you at the market!
Second, we always need volunteers to set up and take down
tables on market days, and to help vendors load in and out.
We also need help on Cheverly Day and during special market
days to man the CCM table, for either fundraising or
informational purposes. In short, we could always use an extra
hand!
Organizationally, we are a work in progress. If you think you
have the special skills necessary to guide us to becoming a
sustainable enterprise, we need you. We especially need
fundraising help and grant-writing expertise once our direction
becomes more clear.