USDA WIC Coupons now accepted at the WH Farmers Market

Is there anything better on a hot summer day, than biting into a juicy peach and tasting those juices as they roll down your chin? Nope.

Summer is all about fresh fruit. When I was a little girl, I had a cherry tree outside of the living room window, an apple tree next to the driveway, a pear tree outside of the bedroom window and a peach tree in the back yard. It was fruit heaven. Then, when I was older, we moved all the way from White Plains to Purchase (I felt like I was moving to the mountains) into a new development where there were no fruit trees: not a single one. This is when I started to hate fruit. It never tasted the same until I was older and started to go to the farm to pick apples. OK, now we are talking; real, real fruit: heaven. Of course, I was engaged by this time and my husband to be and I were big on picking apples. Then I discovered you could go and pick other fruits as they ripen. How wonderful. Now, we have farmers markets, this is the best of everything in one location! I Love it!

Once you taste the freshness of fruits, greens and other vegetables that were just picked, it is like nothing you have ever experienced. Since I married my husband, Guido, I can only enjoy (I mean really enjoy) a salad with fresh, tender, lettuce leaves and sweet, juicy, tomatoes with a shot of wine vinegar and a dousing of extra virgin olive oil. I am not fussy: that’s all I need. Give me a piece of fresh Italian bread to have with it: nirvana!

Why did it take me until I was married to have such pleasure? This is a simple answer: my in-laws have a small garden that grows everything: the best lettuce, the best herbs, the best tomatoes and the absolute best peppers! Oh, and the best figs ever! I am a convert: I must have fresh veggies and fruits! So, a heartfelt thanks to whoever brought the farmers market out of the fields and into the city!

The West Harrison Farmers Market (WHFM) has all of this and more for you. The WHFM has affiliated itself with the USDA Nutritional Assistance Program, Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC. This program gives women who qualify an opportunity to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets with coupons: and, now, the West Harrison Farmers Market may accept these coupons for these items. Please see the following link for more information on who qualifies and where to get these coupons: www.fns.usda.gov. This is a wonderful program which will help provide moms and their younger children with the freshest fruits and vegetables.

The West Harrison Farmers Market is located in the Lake Street municipal parking lot. Stop by and pay us a visit on Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.. You may park on the green to the left of the market.

Hope to see you all soon!