If you need some exercise, or just a way to make healthy eating a little more appetizing, look no further than the Chatham Borough Farmers Market Saturday. Saint Barnabas Medical Center, a primary sponsor of the Chatham Mayors Wellness Campaign, presents free tai chi and cooking demonstrations this weekend. The weekend begins with Sal Iorio, a tai chi instructor at The Chatham Club, who will offer an introductory class beginning at 9 a.m. at the borough gazebo. After the class ends, attendees can cross the street to the Chatham Borough Farmers Market, where Jesse Kraft, a chef at Saint …

It's that time of year! Time for vendors to set up their tables and sell their wares at the Chatham Borough Farmers Market once again. Saturday, June 30 is Kids' Day at the market, and to markk the occasion, Chatham resident and singer/songwriter will return for the sixth year. Byers will sing some of her songs for the children, along with Lydia Adams Davis, while parents collect fresh groceries from vendors from all over the state. The volunteer booth will give away sunflower seeds for the 2012 Chatham Borough Farmers Market Sunflower Contest. Shoppers can take their sunflowers home and …

This Saturday marks the end of the Chatham Borough Farmers Market’s fifth season. After 22 weeks, a hurricane and an October snowstorm, customers have to say goodbye to this community staple for the year. Over the past five years, the market has continuously improved and grown. In 2007, when the market opened, it had only eight regular vendors. Now, only five years later, and the market rotates 32 vendors in and out of the market each week. “We had a lot of unique vendors come that originally put in to come only once or twice a month that asked to come more often,” said Council Member John …

Mangia!, a stand serving fresh bread, is one of the many stands at the Chatham Borough Farmer’s Market. Dawn Paskalides freshly makes stuffed breads each day that were taught to her at a young age by her grandmother. “The breads can be purchased and kept in the freezer for up to three months and take 40 minutes in the oven to heat,” Paskalides said about preparing the food. Paskalides, who has four children and used to be an elementary school principal, says she runs the stand for a variety of reasons. “The most important reasons,” she said, “are because I love talking to people and because I…

Have you ever noticed children and adults eating pickles on sticks at the Farmers Market? According to Lewis Fermin, Pickle Licious employee, this is Pickle Licious’ most popular item. “New Pickles and Kosher Pickles [are the best sellers at the farmers market] and kids love them on a stick,” Fermin said. There is something for everyone at this booth. Pickle Licious sells a wide variety of pickles, olives, pickled products and dips. The kinds of pickles range from Full Sour Pickles, which are tangy and full of flavor to Half Sour Pickles that taste more like a cucumber to Hot and Spicy …

Now that students are back in school, many parents have trouble finding a healthy snack that their children will eat at school. A solution to this problem, try packing dried fruits, nuts and trail mixes. Gourmet Nuts & Dried Fruit is a regular vendor at the Chatham Borough Farmers Market. They have a wide selection of nuts and dried fruits to choose from and it is all healthy. “There is no added sugar, [and] it is all pretty much natural,” Alex Cardoso, Gourmet Nuts & Dried Fruit Employee, said. “Everything here is definitely healthy.” According to Cardoso, Butter Toffee Cashews are the most …

The weather may be getting colder but that does not stop Julianne and Joe LoPiccolo, co-owners of J&J Italian Ice, from selling Italian Ice at the Chatham Borough Farmers Market. Two years ago, the LoPiccolo family hooked up with Maglione’s Italian Ice distributor. What inspired this husband and wife duo to open their own Italian Ice cart? “My father has the Chatham bakery and he suggested we try selling Italian Ice and see how it turns out,” Julianne LoPiccolo said. J&J Italian Ice sells traditional Italian Ice flavors like lemon, cherry, blue raspberry, green apple, coconut and sugar-free …

Lost Loon Farms is a family run jam and jelly business in northern Maine. So what are they doing at the Chatham Borough Farmers Market? “I grew up in New Jersey and we have a lot of our products down here in Morristown bakeries,” Tucker Hoffman, co-owner of Lost Loon Farms, said. Everything from Lost Loon Farms is homemade and all natural. “Most all the berries are grown on our farm in Maine,” Hoffman said. “The jams are all homemade. My mom makes them [using] all natural ingredients packed in sugar [and] natural fresh picked berries.” Hoffman’s favorite jam, and Lost Loon Farms’ bestseller, …

Tracee Palmer started Secret Garden Soap of Madison in April 2010 with some left over goat milk she had around the house. “I keep goats at my house and I milk them every morning. I had a tremendous amount of milk, and I needed to do something with it, since my kids would not drink it, so we started making these soaps,” Palmer said. Everything from Secret Garden Soap of Madison is handmade using raw goat milk from the family’s La Mancha goats, from lotions to bath fizzies, and of course, soaps. Each bar has a unique groove in it, which Palmer loves because it is the perfect place to put your …

This weekend at the Chatham Borough Farmers Market, Moon Doggie Roasters will show their patriotic colors by donating the proceeds from every cup of coffee they sell this weekend. Moon Doggie will also match every pound of coffee purchased and donate the coffee beans to the troops overseas. It is all part of the company’s Java for Joes program. Moon Doggie Roasters has about 60 different flavors that come in regular and decaf. Owners Bob Funk and wife Donna sell traditional coffee flavors such as vanilla and hazelnut, and sell some flavors you will not see anywhere else. “Twinkie [flavored] …

A newcomer to the Chatham Borough Farmers Market, Valley Shepherd Creamery sells over 25 different kinds of homemade New Jersey cheeses. The creamery uses milk that is free of hormones and antibiotics to make their cheeses at their Long Valley location. “We make everything there, and [we] have a nice little shop in front. It is very nice,” Matt Dolinsky, Valley Shepherd Creamery employee, said. Valley Shepherd Creamery started with Eran Wajswol’s, co-owner of the creamery, passion for cheese. “He used to be in real estate and [then] he wound up going to Europe and going around to all the …

While on the train into Manhattan from Short Hills every morning, Nancy Poletti said she and Justine Segal “were sort of lamenting the fact that we were putting Tupperware containers into bags that did not really fit it,” Poletti said. Together the two decided to create waste-free lunch kids instead of using the throw-away paper bags. They named their company everydayJun and style their reusable lunch carriers like a messenger bag, making it good for bringing lunch to school or work. Poletti said making life simpler was a priority in creating the style of the lunch kit. Everything included in…

When you know where your food comes from, it just tastes better. I recently had the pleasure of sampling our Garden State’s own Jersey Fields Tomato Sauce. Appropriately named, the Jersey born and bottled sauce is a product of the Farm-To-Table-Food Group, a local company that specializes in the production of sauces and salsa’s using only Jersey farm fresh produce.  The Farm-To-Table-Food Group is owned and operated Hunter Stagg and his sister, Lauren Stagg. They are committed to local sustainability, and not only use local farmers in production, but also local merchants throughout the entire…

Wine lovers in the Chathams can stop by Unionville Vineyards booth at the Farmers Market to try some homegrown New Jersey wine. Unionville Vineyards, a new vendor at this year’s market, has something for everyone with its wide selection of red, white and rose wines. Everything about Unionville Vineyard says “New Jersey,” from its wine grapes to the picture of New Jersey on the label of each bottle. The vineyard, located in Ringoes, New Jersey, grows its own grapes and makes all of its wines right on its farm. “We hand harvest and hand make our wines,” Jennifer Tanner, director of Marketing …

Who would have thought a little annoyance like never having sharp knives could turn into a business? For Ivis and Jim “The Knife Guy” Montecallo it did when they opened The Edge of Knife, a sharping service. “I was always complaining about [never having a sharp knife] and we never knew what a sharp knife was,” Ivis, owner of The Edge of Knife, said. “[Jim] started getting into buying more and more tools and sharping for the neighbors and friends.” Now in his second season at the Chatham Borough Farmers Market, Montecallo sharpens anything from ordinary kitchen knives to gardening tools and …

The Chatham Borough Farmers Market bested more than 60 other contestants in a competition for a free open air barn. Now they need help from residents to win. Residents can vote for the market to win the 24-foot-by-36-foot open air barn by Yankee Barn when they visit The Great Barn Giveaway website. Voting is limited to one vote per IP address and email address. Janice Piccolo, the market manager, said, "We are honored to be included in mission to provide and educate how we should be eating. We felt it was important to uphold the Garden State and the agricultural industry." A press release on …

If you love tea, the Tea Time vendor at the Farmers Market is the place to visit Saturday mornings. Specializing in loose-leaf teas, there is a flavor combination for everyone. Owner Chandi Thenor opened the business five years ago and began selling at New Jersey Farmers Markets last year. “Last year [The Shops at Riverside] moved us from one location [to another location in the mall] during the summer. To keep us busy we started doing Farmers’ Markets, and now every summer we do Farmers’ Markets,” Thenor said. At Saturday’s Farmers Market, Thenor had a large selection of loose-leaf teas. …

If you have been to the Chatham Borough Farmers Market before, you will recognize Melick’s Town Farm. The farm, a regular vendor at the Famers Market, “started when the market started,” said Rebecca Melick, a partial owner of the family business. Melick’s Town Farm is the largest fruit grower in central and northern New Jersey, and always has seasonal produce at the Farmers Market. The farm has three locations in New Jersey, and according to their website, “more than 10,000 apple trees and 5,000 peach trees” cover that land. Of all its products, fruit is the farm’s specialty. “We bring a lot …

This year the Pascarella Bros. Delicatessen is making its first appearance at the Chatham Borough Farmers Market. A deli and catering business, the delicatessen offers “different specialty items every week,” said Anthony Pascarella, co-owner of Pascarella Bros. Delicatessen. The Pascarella Bros. Delicatessen has been open on Watchung Avenue in Chatham, for the past year and a half, but they are no strangers to the area. Anthony and Gino Pascarella, brothers and owners of the delicatessen, grew up in and around Chatham. According to their website, Anthony is a Madison High School graduate who …

Scrumbcious, an artisan baked goods business, is back this year for its third Chatham Borough Farmers Market. Owner Jessica Romeo is local to Chatham and an avid supporter of local businesses. “I think [the farmers market] is a great place, it’s a good community gathering spot,” Romeo said. Romeo started the family-run business three years ago, and it has since grown into a catering and delivery business. With a focus on local produce, Romeo tries to use as many seasonal New Jersey products in her baking as possible. According to the company website, Scrumbcious is “committed to using locally…