The Secaucus farmers market, now in its second month, offers healthy, locally-grown produce as well as less traditional goodies. Held every Thursday evening from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wilson Avenue, next to Charlie’s Corner, the market features a rotating selection of vendors providing everything from quinoa salad to kettle corn, from hot dogs to doggie treats.
Tables are free but must be approved. “We try to make sure that it’s something that’s applicable to the theme,” said Susan Flanagan, coordinator of the event. “Because we want to make it more natural and farmlike.”
Flanagan has her own table at the weekly event, selling healthy, homemade dog treats.
On Thursday, Aug. 6 they were joined for the first time by Hudson River Honey from North Bergen. “Next week we’re going to have jams and jellies, candied apples and cotton candy,” said Flanagan. “We’re running out of space. We could probably fit two more tables.”
Produce is supplied by RH Farms from Hackettstown, N.J. They offer different options weekly depending on what’s in season. “The big things right now are our eggplant, our squash and zucchini, the peppers, and string beans,” said Bailey Hildebrant. “We have two more varieties of eggplant coming and a bunch of peppers, a huge variety of hot and regular. My brother did 17 different kinds of tomatoes this year.”
Fresh produce from RH Farms in New Jersey anchors the market, with a rotating cast of other vendors.
____________
Eating healthy
Kalindi Bakshi takes nutrition seriously. A Secaucus resident, she created Sattvika Foods to offer different types of healthy salads. “We call them ‘pure plant power,’” she said. “They are not the traditional definition of salads with greens and raw vegetables. These are made with whole grains and they use nuts and everything good the plant has to offer.”
With a doctorate in neuroscience, Bakshi was formerly an assistant professor at the City University of New York. “My research was in protein biochemistry,” she said. “I know how protein is absorbed by the body and how to make protein available to your cells. That really helped me because I’m a vegetarian and I wanted more protein with my diet.”
In fact, Bakshi originally designed the salads for herself. After several years of dabbling part time in the catering business, she quit her job this past January to devote herself to Sattvika.
“Flavoring the grain is a little tricky,” she explained. “Grains tend to be very bland. So my cultural cooking background came in handy to flavor it. Most of the recipes are inspired by Indian recipes, using spice to give it flavor.”
In addition to selling snack-sized portions at the market, Bakshi offers rotating menus on a subscription basis. “It’s very dense. It fills you up,” she said. “Every week the menu changes. At night if you’re eating for dinner you put a piece of meat or chicken or fish or eggs on it and it becomes a meal.”
Vetchay Vilvert is equally devoted to healthy eating. In between customers he sat behind his table at the Naturalvert booth reading a book on nutrition. A culinary food services management major at Middlesex County College, he and a partner produce several varieties of snacks using nuts, fruit, and, in one especially delicious product, white chocolate.
“We do this by hand,” he said. “Our family helps us bake it, package it, and seal it. It’s a handful but we’re getting it done. It’s really just about eating healthy.”
The long term goal for Naturalvert is to get their snacks into schools as a healthy alternative for kids. “My little nephew, I take him to school, they give him cinamon rolls, then 10 minutes later he’s bouncing off the walls,” said Vilvert.
Different treats
“Nobody knows my name. I’m just ‘the pickle guy,’” said Mark from Picklelicious, based in Teaneck. “I’m okay being the pickle guy. I’ll take that.”
With about 20 employees traveling to nearly three dozen locations in Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, Picklelicious offers much more than just pickles. “The roasted garlic’s probably one of my favorite things that we sell,” said the pickle guy. “I can’t even get to cook with it because I eat it out of the container.”
The olive tapanade is especially scrumptious, and sold out instantly on Thursday. “Before I even opened some lady came bought two,” he said. “Usually it’s the sweet heat corn relish that sells a lot because that’s the mayor’s favorite. He keeps telling everybody to buy the corn relish so I kept selling out of that the first few weeks.”
“I’m here right next to him so I’ve been eating pickles and olives for the past three weeks,” laughed Melissa Zahlten, who with her partner Dana sells dips, spreads, and salsas based on products from Tastefully Simple, an online direct sales vendor. Their free samples were a big hit with passersby.
A former resident of Secaucus, Zahlten looks forward to coming back to town and visiting friends and family. And she’s loving the market. “I used to waitress and bartend so I’m used to meeting all different people,” she said. “Now I’m stuck behind a desk all day, so this is great.”
Two tables away, Victoria Wegorowska from Piast was doing a brisk business in stuffed cabbage, fresh and frozen pierogies, and Polish kielbasa. Founded in 1990, Piast has their own butcher and bakery and also sells Polish donuts filled with raspberry jam, as well as cookies and wafers.
More than just food
Looking for more than food? Secaucus resident Candice Swift sells handmade items woven from recycled plastic bags. “My mom and my whole family crochet,” said Swift. “So anything you want crocheted, we can make it for you out of plastic bags.” In addition to unique, environmentally friendly bottle sleeves and other items, Pretty Trashy Bags sells homemade, natural exfoliant soaps.
Donna Johnson and her mother-in-law Caroline Organisciak were behind the table for Chets Scents, selling homemade soy candles. “Paraffin is a byproduct of crude oil, so when you burn a paraffin candle you burn 12 different toxins into the air,” said Johnson. “Soy candles are all-natural, biodegradable, they burn at a cooler temperature, and they hold a scent better than a paraffin candle.”
Johnson’s fiance, Chester (the “Chet” of the company name), began crafting candles as a stress reliever in the downtime from his job as a truck driver. Johnson comes up with the jars, picking them up at garage sales and online. “I try to be a little greener and reuse jars,” she said, and will provide a coupon for $1 off in exchange for a usable jar.
Also at the event each week is a table from the Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center, selling books, signing people up for the monthly email newletter listing events, and promoting the upcoming mini-fair/used book sale on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.