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Community Corner

Farmers Market Adds Roasted Corn and New Drinks

Vendors added new fare to the farmer's market this week as the Downtown Development Corp. celebrated winter in August.

Winter came early at the Madison Farmer’s Market  on Thursday afternoon - well at least some were trying to have market goers believe as much.

Members of Madison’s Downtown Development Corp. (DDC) were calling out to market goers to come to their table for a free Italian ice to get into the winter  train of thought.

Once there, they were handed noisemakers and a sparking New Year’s paper cone hat.

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“Free snow, free snow, we’re giving away free snow,” said Laura Cole, business administrator for the DDC who was handing out snow cones. “And Happy New Year!”

The DDC is the producer of the Madison street fair, along with other prominent municipal events, such as Bottle Hill Day, May Day and the Taste of Madison. The DDC works alongside the Madison Chamber of Commerce, which handles promotions for the town’s businesses.

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The snow cone was all very soothing to 20-month old Fiona Seubert from Florham Park who was eating a snow cone from a small condiment cup. “It’s good,” she said.

Foot traffic was moderate on Thursday, but was expected to increase as the day progressed. The skies were sunny, the temperatures just above 80 degrees and humidity was low, making the market more accessible than ever.

“I like this market,” said Mignon Schriek of Madison, who was at the market with her eight-year-old son, Daniel. “Every year there is more stuff and I find it very convenient. This one is nice because it stretches into the evening. With the others (held from morning until early afternoon), if you miss it, you’re out of luck.”

The majority of the vendors were the same as past weeks, however, Melnick’s Town Farm brought a new toy along this week — the corn roaster.

The corn roaster is a trailer converted into an oven with a moving carousel that roasts ears of corn in the husk. 

“This is the first time that we have done this off the premises in Oldwick,” said George Melick, a ninth-generation family grower who has since retired from business but gets involved when he chooses to be. “It’s another way of selling corn that we raised.” 

The corn are soaked in water prior to being placed in the roaster, which steams the kernels, making them soft.  After ears are pulled from the roaster, patrons are directed to the condiments table to add butter, salt and chili mayonnaise.

“‘Delicious,” said Dr. Michael Sabarese, a dentist based in Madison who was checking out the farmer’s market’s latest offering.

Meanwhile, over at Stony’s on Waverly there were a few new things this week as well: what was was once just a lemonade offering has now been joined by limeade, strawberry lemonade, raspberry lemonade and free pretzels.

The lemonade was apparently a crowd-pleaser. Three-year-old Olin Marinell of Chatham told Stony’s owner Jeffrey Stonewall, “You make the best lemonade ever.”

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