Durham and Dover Farmers’ Markets Open and Expand

[Parenting NH Administrator]

Seacoast, NH - Just in time for the season's first local strawberries and sugar snap peas, two favorite seacoast farmers' markets open for the season.

The Durham Farmers' Market opens on Monday, June 4th, at a new location in the Durham Town Offices parking lot at 15 Newmarket Road. "With construction going on in the Pettee Brook Lane area, we moved the market," Durham Market Manager Davyanne Moriarty explains. The new space increases available parking for market customers, and offers room for new vendors.  "The Town of Durham has been fantastic, supporting this move and the market," says Moriarty, appreciatively.

The Durham Market will be open on Mondays until October 1st, rain or shine, between 2:15-5:30pm.

Then, on Wednesday, June 6th, the Dover Farmers' Market opens for the season at its location on the corner of Central Avenue and Sixth Street from 2:15-6:00pm. This year the town is closing off the space between Chestnut and Sixth Street to allow the market to expand into the street. This nearly doubles the size of the market, adding even more variety.

Hometown Dover musicians the B. A. Canning Band kick off the Dover Farmers' Market opening day with live music that is an eclectic blend of Americana, psychedelic folk, and alt-country starting at 4pm. Music adds to the lively atmosphere of the Dover Farmers' Market, and many live performances are scheduled for the summer thanks to the Dover Chamber of Commerce.

A new collaboration with Seacoast Eat Local will now make it possible for SNAP (Food Stamp) recipients to use their EBT cards to purchase healthy, fresh, and locally produced food at the Dover Farmers’ Market. SNAP recipients can purchase vegetables, meats, milk and cheese, honey, breads, baked products, and even seeds or seedlings for food-producing plants.
 
The SNAP program uses a token system, which also allows market customers the option to use their debit cards if they run out of cash. Debit tokens are sold in $5 increments and can be used just like cash with participating vendors at the market. The Seacoast Growers Association partnership with Seacoast Eat Local is bringing the SNAP and debit system to both the Dover Farmers' Market and the Portsmouth Farmers' Market this year.
 
The Dover and Durham Farmers' Markets are two of the four seacoast farmers' markets brought to you by Seacoast Growers Association, celebrating its 35th anniversary this summer. For more details on the markets, what's in season, and which vendors participate, visit www.seacoastgrowers.org.